Are you feeling abnormal pain in your joints, especially in the morning? Or does the joint pain from a past injury doesn’t seem to go away? Both these situations can be because of a condition called joint inflammation.
Now, before you start panicking and googling the effects of joint inflammation, let’s assure you that the issue is treatable and mostly not severe. Additionally, if you follow the below-mentioned tips properly, you won't have to go for invasive treatment options.
So, put your reading glasses on and get ready to learn some at-home tips and tricks to heal joint inflammation.
In this blog, we will talk about the following:
- Inflammation in the Joints
- Is Inflammation the Same as Swelling?
- Can Inflammation Cause Weight Gain?
- Causes of Joint Inflammation
- How to Treat It?
- Fix Your Diet
- Use Heat or Ice
- Take Supplements/ Medication
- Rest
- Do Moderate Physical Activity
- Go for Surgery
- SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System
Inflammation in the Joints
Inflammation definition medical suggests that it happens due to injury, diseases, or damaged tissues. This condition is characterized by swelling, redness, and pain in the affected area. Additionally, you may also feel numbness or warmth in the joints that are inflamed.
This condition affects almost every body function, including the immune system, liver, and blood sugar levels. So, to know more about the causes and treatments of joint inflammation, head on to the next sections.
Is Inflammation the Same as Swelling?
Though inflammation and swelling may seem similar, a few differences set them apart. For starters, inflammation causes major or minor swelling, but swelling doesn't always mean there's inflammation. For example, you can also face swelling due to pus, sepsis, or other conditions.
When inflammation occurs in a body part, your immune system rushes many nutrients and healing factors to that region. They help heal the trauma and repair the damage. But if the inflammation doesn't resolve or becomes stagnant, it can cause abnormal swelling in that area.
Can Inflammation Cause Weight Gain?
Inflammation in the body is responsible for several significant conditions like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. It is also a risk factor for weight gain, obesity, and difficulty losing weight.
Research has shown that inflammation can cause a person to gain weight, and losing it is associated with lessened inflammation and pain.[1]
It is because inflammation affects your body's ability to process insulin. This, in turn, increases the glucose levels in the body and the fat cells in the liver.
All these abnormal blood sugar and fat levels cause the person to gain weight. Not only that, this weight is harder to lose as it's caused by abnormalities in your body functions rather than overeating.
Causes of Joint Inflammation
There are various risk factors for joint inflammation, ranging from age, gender, and family history to lifestyle choices and daily activities. This condition can impact a specific joint in your body or widespread to different regions, causing pain, swelling, and discomfort.
Joint inflammation or arthritis can also stiffen your body, especially in the morning hours, and restrict your movements. So, the condition must be diagnosed in the initial stages to treat it using non-occupational methods.
Here are some of the causes and risk factors of joint inflammation:
- The most common is injury. When you suffer from an injury, there are localized inflammation and swelling in the specific region. Minor injuries can be healed without external intervention, but severe swelling needs treatment
- Arthritis is also the cause of joint inflammation, and usually, it's the reason behind it
- Infections or diseases like mumps, influenza, etc., can also cause inflammation in your joints
- If you overuse or put undue strain on a joint, it can cause inflammation
- Ligament damage is another cause of joint inflammation in many individuals
How to Treat It?
Joint inflammation or arthritis can usually be treated with non-occupational therapies at home. It’s because lifestyle and daily habits play a huge part in the overall health of your joints and bones. So, don't fret too much if you suffer from the disease.
Here are a few tips that will help you relieve the symptoms of arthritis with minor lifestyle changes.
1. Fix Your Diet
First, let’s discuss one of the essential tips for suppressing the pain and swelling of joints. A healthy diet will not only help you stay fit and active but also help to lessen inflammation. That's why physicians recommend an inflammation-elimination diet as a first line of defense against joint inflammation.
This diet focuses on eliminating certain sugary items from your everyday meal to suppress inflammatory cells, which are replaced by items that don’t cause inflammation in the body. The healthy alternatives include different types of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
When you start an elimination diet, you should only eat baseline foods like chicken, greens, and sweet potatoes for a few weeks.[2] After some time, you can start adding the eliminated foods back into the meals one by one.
It will also help you identify your trigger food and eliminate its use. Once the trigger is removed, the inflammation in joints also decreases.
2. Use Heat or Ice
Cold and hot therapy has been used for centuries to deal with body aches and pain.[3] Similarly, these are also great for people with joint inflammation or arthritis. For inflammation, ice, or heat, pads can be a great option if you’re looking for temporary relief.
Just wrap an ice pack in a towel and apply it to the affected area for 20 minutes. You can also do this post-workout to relieve the soreness or inflammation.
Similarly, you can put a hot water bottle on the inflamed region for a few minutes or take a warm bath every morning. This will promote blood flow and decrease swelling.
3. Take Supplements/ Medication
Various inflammation-reducing supplements are available in the market, which many people swear by. You can also try herbal supplements which contain many beneficial herbs like Gingko, devil’s claw, stinging nettle, etc.
But remember to consult your doctor before starting inflammation supplements to prevent the risk of side effects. Also, buy your supplements from a reliable and reputable source to monitor what you’re feeding your body.
4. Rest
Adequate rest is imperative when you have joint inflammation. It is because moving around can put a lot of stress on your joints. This can increase inflammation in the damaged joint if you keep on putting pressure. Therefore, resting can give that much-needed recovery and repair time.
So, if you're suffering from joint pain, sometimes it's best to take a few days off to rest and recover your body. Research has backed up rest and sleep as good tips for reducing joint pain.[4]
5. Do Moderate Physical Activity
If you have joint inflammation, doing exercises can seem impossible, but it's a great way to treat the issue. Low-impact workouts will positively impact your mood, and the movement is also great for reducing inflammation. It will regulate blood flow to different parts of the body and reduce the sensation of pain.
You can talk to your physician about different exercises to add to your routine. Moderate physical activity for 30 minutes can help arthritis patients. This tip, combined with a healthy diet, will also help you lose weight and gain muscle strength.
Reduced weight means less stress on your joints, and joint degeneration will decrease. It will also prevent the risk of future joint inflammation and increase your mobility. Sound like a great deal, right?
6. Go for Surgery
If the condition is severe, your doctor will advise surgery to tackle the issue. So, if you are suffering from acute joint damage due to arthritis or other conditions, arthrodesis or fusion surgery can help you.
These are major procedures done to fuse bones. Joint replacement surgery is another option to replace the damaged articular surface. Once the root cause is removed, the symptoms of joint inflammation subside.
Also Read: Tossing and Turning While Sleeping Due to Back Pain? Turn Your Pain into Power
SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System
The journey of healing joint inflammation requires specific lifestyle modifications and dietary changes to promote quick recovery. However, for those seeking additional support, the SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System can make a significant impact.
When worn, the electric impulses generated by SUPMOGO penetrate the deepest layer of your muscles and contract them, leading to increased muscle strength, circulation, and improved mobility. The belt is designed to fit comfortably like a second skin, so you can wear it without any inconvenience, even while on the go.
Don't wait any longer. Invest in this fitness belt to aid in your journey to healing and improved joint health.
Conclusion
Inflammation in the joints can be extremely uncomfortable, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything to get better.
If you're overweight, the first step would be to lose those extra kilos, and then you can get started with these at-home therapies to get better. SUPMOGO RecoveryFlex System can also help to burn calories faster with minimal effort.
[1] Bianchi, V. E. (2018). Weight loss is a critical factor in reducing inflammation. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 28, 21-35.
[2] Kagalwalla, A. F., Shah, A., Li, B. U., Sentongo, T. A., Ritz, S., Manuel-Rubio, M., ... & Nelson, S. P. (2011). Identification of specific foods responsible for inflammation in children with eosinophilic esophagitis successfully treated with empiric elimination diet. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 53(2), 145-149.
[3] Bulstrode, S., Clarke, A., & Harrison, R. (1986). A controlled trial to study the effects of ice therapy on joint inflammation in chronic arthritis. Physiotherapy Practice, 2(3), 104-108.
[4] Cho, Y., Jung, B., Lee, Y. J., Kim, M. R., Kim, E. J., Sung, W. S., & Ha, I. H. (2020). Association between sleep duration and osteoarthritis and their prevalence in Koreans: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One, 15(4), e0230481.