I hope you’ve been keeping warm in this chilly weather, finally are coming into the last month of winter! Won’t be long now and the sun will be out more. This month we are focusing on rehab. Why? Because it is sooo important in most complaints we see at the clinic. Whether you’re here for neck and shoulder pain, lower back pain, headaches, or pregnancy-related pelvic pain, you can guarantee that you’ll be given exercises by your osteo. Why? Because without addressing the causative factors, your pain which may be caused by day to day activities and is likely to linger or recur. Which no one wants!
Specifically, we’re going to talk about rehab for sore joints. With the weather as cold as it has been lately, this is a perfect time for this reminder! Winter often leads to people feeling the cold a lot more, especially through the joints. With cold weather, we have a poorer circulation of blood around our body and this stiffens us up and makes us more susceptible to stiffness and pain.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, low temperatures can heighten pain sensitivity, slow blood circulation and cause muscle spasms. To make matters more complex, our joints can detect and respond to changes in barometric pressure (the amount of air pressure in the atmosphere).
So what do we do when we feel stiff in our joints, regardless of whether its winter or summer? Here are our favourite tips for managing sore joints.
Heat: heat is your BEST FRIEND when it comes to joint pain. Heat helps improve blood flow to areas of the body and poor arterial health can contribute to joint pain.
Magnesium: magnesium is responsible for the regulation of over 300 enzyme processes in the body! It regulates protein synthesis and muscle building, maintains healthy nerve function, regulates blood pressure and keeps a healthy heartbeat, sustains optimal immune function, it is responsible for helping bone to form, has a role in DNA and RNA synthesis and repair and also contributes to the production of antioxidants within your body. So what does this mean for joint pain? Magnesium works in decreasing inflammation, and often sore joints have some inflammatory component in them.
Traction: traction is a gentle treatment technique where your osteo rhythmically and slowly, will encourage space between the two bones in a joint. Traction has been known to decrease pain, improve range of motion, calm down inflammation, and encourage the production of synovial fluid to lubricate joints. As your osteopath about traction as part of your treatment technique next time you see them. Most osteopaths will incorporate some kind of traction in their treatment, you may just not know it yet!
Stretching: stretching is an amazing technique which you can easily do at home, to help improve flexibilty of the joints and lengthen shortened muscles. If you have a stiff joint, usually the muscles around it will be tight. So, by stretching these muscles you will be inadvertantly improving movement at these joints. The easier the joints slide and move on eachother, the less pain it should cause.
Hydrotherapy: for really grumbly, chronic, unhappy joints which don’t respond well to str
If you have joint pain, and are wondering if shockwave may be beneficial to you, give us a call on on (03) 9773 8085 so we can answer any questions you may have! Alternatively, click here to book an appointment online.
Have a great week!
Bec @ Total Balance Healthcare
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This blog post is an educational tool only. It is not a replacement for medical advice from a registered and qualified doctor or health professional.
Phone: (03) 9773 8085
