Winter Joint Pain: How To Tackle Joint Pain During Winter
Do you dread the joint pain that comes with the winter chill? Do your knees, hips, and ankles get stiffer than usual as the temperature drops? Joint problems are widespread during winter, making daily activities challenging for arthritis patients. Please acknowledge them effectively to ensure daily productivity and overall well-being.
Inactive physical activities during the season and the drop in atmospheric surface tension may worsen joint pain and stiffness. Various conditions, including arthritis, other autoimmune disorders, frozen shoulders, and injuries, can cause aching joints. To prevent joint pain problems, one must avoid eating refined carbohydrates, deep-fried foods, sugary desserts, and processed foods. If not treated, joint pain can negatively impact your general well-being and daily productivity. The weather makes it worse for those with arthritis as it makes the stiffness and discomfort in their joints worse.
Is the cold weather worsening your joint pain? Let's figure out how the cold temperature links with joint pain and how it can be tackled!
Relation between a drop in temperature and joint pain: Know the causes of joint pain in the winter!
There is a strong connection between a drop in temperature and worsening ongoing symptoms. As a means of heat conservation, the body sends more blood to its central organs, such as the heart and lungs, during cold weather. As a result, blood vessels in the arms, shoulders, and knee joints constrict, and less blood flow makes those areas even more cold and stiff. This causes increased stiffness and joint pain, especially in the knee.
Every year, many seniors seek treatment for increased joint pain and bone problems during the winter. However, there is an increase in young adults consulting for bone and joint disorders, including those who have recovered from Covid-19.
People tend to avoid exercises and become sedentary during the winter, which can affect the knees and the severity of pain. A 30-minute activity regularly might help lubricate the joints and stimulate blood circulation throughout the body. Staying active is essential for strengthening the muscles that support the joint, resulting in enhanced joint function.
How to manage joint pain in the winter?
Here are some tips to prevent knee pain this winter:
Soak in the sun:
Vitamin D is essential for joint healing, and several studies have found that low vitamin D levels might worsen joint and muscular pain. So, get as much sun as possible to nourish the painful joints. To strengthen the bones and joints, balance the daily diet with healthy and vitamin-rich foods like oranges, spinach, broccoli, dairy products, and dry fruits.
Exercise regularly:
An active lifestyle, especially for arthritis patients, can help keep joint pain at bay. Don't allow the cold weather to keep you from exercising outside. To keep the weight under control, push yourself to take short walks at work or when relaxing at home.
Eat a balanced diet:
Drink plenty of fluids and eat well to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D, which are essential for bone and joint health. Avoid excessive use of salt, sugar, refined carbs, and processed foods, as these can worsen joint pain.
Comfort your aching joints:
Heat, in the form of a hot water bag or an electronic heating pad, can bring relief to painful joints. Warm baths can also help in the relaxation of muscles and the ease of joint pain.
Stay hydrated:
Although staying hydrated is essential throughout the year, it is especially important during the cold months. When it's sunny and warm, people tend to drink more water, but in the winter, the dry air causes fatigue and pain from dehydration. Remember to drink plenty of water. Aim for eight glasses of water each day or more if you exercise or are physically active.
Consult your doctor:
If physical therapy and medicines are only providing temporary pain relief, it is critical to get the joints checked by an orthopaedician. When all other treatments for chronic or advanced arthritis fail, complete knee replacement is usually the chosen procedure for alleviating pain and restoring knee function.
Conclusion
Apart from the tips listed above, it is always advisable to visit a medical expert and get treated if anyone experiences any unwanted or unbearable symptoms of a medical condition. Several advanced surgical treatments have been designed to assist patients in being treated better and living a more stress-free life. Consultation with an expert can help remove concerns and clarify thoughts regarding the treatment, surgical procedure, and medications prescribed.
Keep yourself warm and cosy!
Consult our expert orthopedic doctors and get relief from your joint pain!
