Joint pain can bring discomfort to things that you used to enjoy, such as shopping, exercising or even writing. Over-the-counter and prescription pain medications can be used to help mask the pain, but the pain returns as they wear off. Natural remedies for joint pain can be an alternative to help ease aches.
Heat and Cold
Alternating between heat and cold can help you find relief from your joint pain. The cold can numb the pain, while the heat relaxes away pain. In fact, Bill Arnold, a rheumatologist and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, notes that moist heat is the most effective. You can dip a washcloth in warm water and drape it over your painful joints. Alternating with a homemade ice pack, which could be a bag of frozen peas, is an effective way to switch between hot and cold.
Exercise
The Mayo Clinic recommends stabilizing exercise to help you find relief from joint pain. If you feel pain in your fingers, try curling them on themselves and evaluating how you feel. Exercises should make your joints stronger, not cause pain. Try contracting and stretching the joints and testing your mobility so you know your limits and can evaluate changes in mobility over time to discuss with your health care provider.
Rest and Immobilization
Resting your joints or rendering them immobilized is a quick way to find relief. This is especially effective if the joint pain seems to be a temporary condition because of injury from playing a sport or tendinitis, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine. When watching television or relaxing, place a pillow under the affected joint and take some time each day to rest up.
Weight Loss
The heavier you are, the harder your joints need to work in order to keep you mobile. If you are overweight, you're likely to have more severe joint pain than if you were just five pounds lighter. Focus on healthful weight loss through sensible eating and daily exercise, within your limits of joint pain. You'll find that a healthier lifestyle is one of the best remedies for persistent joint pain.
Vitamin C
A diet rich in vitamin C may help you ease joint pain and stop more joint pain from developing. A study published in 2003 in the Danish medical journal "Ugeskr Laeger" found that osteoarthritis sufferers found pain relief and slowed the progression of the disease when taking one gram calcium ascorbate, or a more bioavailable type of vitamin C, daily. You can take a vitamin C tablet to supplement your daily natural intake of vitamin C.
