Your joints take a beating just from the regular movements of daily life, but if you add in obesity, bone alignment problems, weak muscles or repetitive motion tasks, your joints may start to have problems and cause you pain. But you don't necessarily have to live with chronically aching joints and can help keep your joints strong and flexible with proper nutrition.
Identification
Most cases of aching joints are due to simple arthralgia, which literally means joint pain. Symptoms include pain as your main issue, without any stiffness or swelling. Your doctor will need to take your medical history and/or conduct tests to determine if other more serious conditions are the cause, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel disease, infections, systemic diseases or trauma. Simple arthralgia can also be a side effect from certain medications such as ACE inhibitors, proton pump inhibitors, quinolones, gonadorelin analogues and tibolones.
Significance
According to Patient UK, 5 percent of people in the U.K. ages 16 to 24 suffer from joint pain, and 54 percent of people over 85 have join symptoms. According to the Association of Women for the Advancement of Research and Education, half of all menopausal women experience some form of joint pain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that during 2006, approximately 30 percent of adults reported some form of joint pain during a 30-day study period.
Expert Insight
A study led by Dr. David Felson at the Boston University School of Medicine discovered that patients with progressive arthritic knee damage also had low levels of vitamin D, leading researchers to conclude that a vitamin D deficiency could impair your body's ability to repair joints. Participants in the Framingham Osteoarthritis Cohort Study who consumed higher amounts of vitamin C exhibited a threefold decrease in arthritis symptoms. Research led by Dr. Rex E. Newnham and published in 1991 in the "International Clinical Nutrition Review" found that people in countries with low amounts of boron in the soil often have osteoarthritis and boron supplementation of 6mg to 9mg daily caused symptom remission in 90 percent of arthritis patients. The Harvard Medical School recommends omega-3 fatty acids as an effective tool for lessening symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Nutrition Recommendations
The Association of Women for the Advancement of Research and Education recommends eliminating or reducing sugar, citrus, dairy, monosodium glutamate, alcohol and foods from the nightshade family, including potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers, all of which can contribute to inflammation. They also suggest cutting back on red meats and instead choosing lean protein sources like poultry, fish and beans. The Arthritis Foundation adds that you should cut down on processed and fast foods, focus on getting a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, reduce your intake of caffeine, and take a multivitamin.
Helpful Supplements
Glucosamine and chondroitin are the two most-frequently recommended supplements to help regenerate cartilage and reduce the pain and inflammation in your joints. Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, has also shown promise in helping reduce aching joints. The Mayo Clinic website recommends adding avocado-soybean unsaponifiables oil extracts and moderate amounts of ginger. Too much ginger can lead to heartburn and diarrhea and have adverse effects on blood thinners like Coumadin.
References
- Association of Women for the Advancement of Research and Education: Aching Joints and Muscle Problems
- Patient UK: Aching Joints: Assessment, Investigations and Management in Primary Care
- New Hope: Chronic Joint Pain
- "Arthritis Today" Magazine: 51 Ways to Be Good to Your Joints
- Mayo Clinic: Osteoarthritis: Alternative Medicine
