When it gets chillier and the nights draw in, remember to look after your joints. The cold and damp can really hike up the chances of aches and pains in your joints.
Do your joints let you know when damp rainy weather is coming, without you needing to see the forecast? According to a study done by Harvard Medical School’s Professor Robert Jamison, 67% of people surveyed felt the same.
He concluded that the increased pain may be due to a change in barometric pressure (atmospheric pressure), which normally pushes against the body from the outside. When the weather worsens, the barometric pressure falls, causing tissues in the body to expand and push on the nerve endings that signal pain.
Here are 4 tips to weather-proof your joints this winter:
• Stay warm: Wearing several layers is the best option. You can also apply heat pads or hot water bottles to help relax your muscles. If you are out and about in the cold, using the heat patches that stick to your clothes can be really helpful. There are also heated gloves, socks and jackets available now.
• Stay hydrated: Central heating is drying so ensure you drink lots of water to keep your joints lubricated. Our patients often tell us that managing layers of clothes when they using toilets on days out can be really tricky, so they tend not to drink enough. If this is a problem for you, please have a chat with us, we can give you advice on how we can help.
• Keep moving: Joints often become stiff before the pain sets in, so keeping them moving is an important way to help to manage the pain. Exercise is great, and will warm you up, but if you can’t exercise then simple activities like getting up and walking around in the tv ad breaks will still be useful.
• Manage your stress: Are you one of the 28 million adults in the UK who are living with chronic pain? Stress and pain can create a cycle that’s hard to break, so finding ways to manage your stress can also help to reduce your pain. Winter can be an especially stressful time for many people, with the weather and shorter days playing a big part. Myofascial Release can help by gently releasing the restrictions that cause pain and inflammation.
To book your free consultation and find out how we can help your joints this winter, please get in touch.