Aching muscles and creaking joints can reduce life quality significantly by compromising our mobility and dulling our vitality. Surprisingly, muscle aches and soreness are quite prevalent, and these discomforts are a natural consequence of aging.
Some people experience soreness and pain due to chronic illnesses or degenerative diseases, while others may struggle with pain after a terrible accident, sports injury, or muscle overuse.
Muscle aches can also result from excessive physical activity or overwhelming bouts of stress. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a prevalent cause for muscle aches, alongside thyroid issues and autoimmune disorders.
People experience joint and muscle aches for many reasons, but coping with pain is the same for everyone. Living with pain and soreness is excruciatingly difficult, and medications alone cannot help alleviate discomfort. Therefore, it’s essential to make some effective lifestyle changes and embrace pain relief aids to allow muscle relaxation and repair. Keep reading to explore some practical tips to alleviate soreness and rejuvenate your body.
Cannabidiol (CBD)
In recent years, patients suffering from arthritis and pain have found relief in Cannabidiol, popularly known as CBD. The last decade has witnessed groundbreaking advancements in CBD use in treating pain, soreness, and inflammation.
Practitioners commonly prescribed CBD-infused products, oils, and creams, to eliminate soreness, aches, and painful sensations. A wealth of medical research supports the effectiveness of CBD oil in treating arthritis-induced pain and inflammation. While there’s still a need for advanced clinical examinations, the current results of CBD pain relief treatments are strikingly promising.
People who use CBD oils swear by their effectiveness in treating a multitude of pains and discomforts. Aside from alleviating arthritic pains, topical CBD oil application also aids in reducing nerve pains, joint and facial aches. In addition, the topical use of CBD oils massaged directly onto the skin is considered a more effective alternative to oral consumption.
Many people have found CBD oils helpful in treating jaw aches and sharp sensations of itchiness in their injuries. However, it’s wise to consult your medical care provider before making any additions to your ongoing pain treatment.
Heat & Cold Therapy
Have you ever tried a hot or cold compress to reduce the soreness and pain in stiff joints? It’s a highly effective and age-old remedy that helps seniors and people with injuries dull the pain. However, keep in mind that this is a short-term solution to gain temporary relief.
For a cold compress, you need a bag of ice or a chilled compress. Place it against the stiff joint or aching muscle, holding it for at least 20 minutes. Gradually, the chill of the compress will dull your pain receptors to ease your limbs into movement. When practiced regularly, a cold compress can help you cope by reducing pain more effectively. Repeating this technique multiple times throughout the day will help reduce the soreness and inflammation.
A hot compress also works similarly, and some people find heat therapy much more therapeutic and relaxing. You can use anything, a heating pad or a hot water bottle, whatever is available. The idea is to expose the aching muscles or stiff joints to heat. Even soaking your body in a hot bath with Epsom salts and essential oils will do the trick.
Heat therapy helps increase blood circulation, which will relax your muscles and reduce inflammatory pain.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Does your diet include fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, and other foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids? At times, a deficiency of this essential nutrient weakens our muscles and joints. In other cases, if you increase one’s consumption of omega-3s, it aids in strengthening the body to alleviate pain and discomforts.
Doctors commonly prescribe fish oil supplements to patients who have arthritis, chronic pain, or degenerative diseases. Omega-3s will help counter the horrible early morning stiffness and joint aches that keep you fixated in bed.
You can add many flavorful foods to a daily diet to get more of this powerful nutrient. For instance, fatty fish, like salmon, mackerel, and tuna, are full of nutrients, alongside protein and other fatty acids. Flaxseed is another superfood that is highly effective at reducing inflammation and joint fitness.
Crunchy and flavorful flax seeds pack up rich concentrations of omega-3s and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in small portions. You can also look into flaxseed oil if your taste buds don’t agree with the flavor.
Many people prefer supplementation to get their daily dosage requirements of omega-3s. However, it’s best to avoid taking supplements without consulting your doctor, especially if you’re taking medicinal drugs.
Yoga & Stretching
Stiffness is a natural consequence of inflammation, which can happen due to injuries, dietary choices, illnesses, or even inactivity. Expanding and contracting the muscles is essential to allow the tissues to repair and relax. Simple stretches that will enable our muscle tissues to expand and contract are necessary for repairing the damages.
Stretching your body is crucial to facilitate movement. Unfortunately, most people avoid movement to avoid pain, but that only creates a vicious cycle of never-ending pain. The human body thrives on movement and physical activity to increase its thresholds, agility, and stamina.
Easing your limbs into gentle and easy stretches will enhance your range of motion, relaxing your body towards mobility. Yoga is also highly effective in pain management and reduction and improving one’s physical and mental wellbeing. However, it’s wise to work with a licensed practitioner, physical therapist, or experienced yogi to avoid aggravating the pain.
Physical Therapy & Exercise
As explained above, physical therapy is instrumental in enhancing mobility and eliminating joint stiffness. Unfortunately, millions of people worldwide struggle with joint stiffness and aches due to obesity and excessive weight gain.
Losing weight is a necessary prerequisite to treating inflammatory joints and stiffness-related conditions. Obesity and excessive weight can put you at risk for various conditions that lead to joint stiffness and aches. In the long run, inactivity can compromise mobility and the functioning of multiple bodily systems.
Physical therapy and regular exercise work like fuel for the joints and muscles. Exercising keeps the body active and agile, boosting your joint mobility and muscular strength. However, it’s crucial to work closely with a physical therapist if you’ve recently suffered from an injury. Avoid overloading your muscles with physical stress, and gradually ease yourself towards a solid workout.
Conclusion
Pain, stiffness, and soreness can drastically reduce our life quality, making us more dependent on others. Luckily, a mindful and wellness-focused regime can help you eliminate the pain and reclaim your power and energies.
