Muscle And Joint Pain Relief Tips
Read these 6 Muscle And Joint Pain Relief Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Pain Relief tips and hundreds of other topics.
Learning to Live With It: Managing the Pain and Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Since the exact cause of fibromyalgia is still a medical mystery, pain relief for fibromyalgia falls on the shoulders of the patient. A sound program of self-care and diligence in maintaining a healthy lifestyle are the best means of managing the condition.
The ideal combination of care to manage fibromyalgia includes:
- Exercise- Regular physical activity can help ease muscle soreness and relieve muscular tension that may limit range of motion and add pressure to tender points. Gentle, low impact exercise, such as swimming, walking, stationary cycling, and stretching are very helpful and should not add to the stress on the body.
- Sleep- The symptoms of fibromyalgia tend to affect--and are affected by--sleep patterns. Getting enough rest, even if it means periodic rest during the day, will help with symptom management.
- Maintain a healthy weight- This may be helpful in reducing pain, possibly because of reduced pressure on joints and connective tissue.
- Stress management- Meditation, biofeedback, and relaxation exercises have been found to be helpful in fibromyalgia symptom management and control.
- Physical therapy- A treatment plan designed to improve postural muscle control, encourage general mobility, and manage symptoms with modalities such as heat, ice or ultrasound may be helpful.
- Medications- Antidepressants (to boost seratonin levels and improve sleep) or acetaminophen or NSAID's for pain may be helpful with symptoms.
Fibromyalgia: the Pain With No Cause
Characterized by widespread aches and pains without any evidence indicating any other disease, fibromyalgia is a condition that is not life-threatening but can be life-altering. Because the pain is so widespread and hard to manage, people suffering from fibromyalgia often become depressed, sleep deprived, and lose self esteem.
As far as joint pain causes go, fibromyalgia is not a serious one in that it isn't progressive, crippling or disabling. It is, however, chronic. In order to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, one must have at least eleven of eighteen specific tender points characteristic of the condition, and this widespread pain must be present in some form or another for at least three months. Tender points are located in the area of the shoulders and elbows, outsides of the hips, insides of the knees, near the buttocks, alongside the vertebrae of the spine, and the back of the head.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
- Pain that ranges from a deep muscle ache to a burning, throbbing, shooting, or stabbing sensation
- Intense pain with pressure or palpation of one of the soft tissue tender points
- Associated symptoms may include irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches and facial pain.
While doctors can't positively diagnose fibromyalgia, the presence of enough symptoms can be enough proof. These symptoms can persist in varying degrees for years, or come and go at random. Managing and achieving fibromyalgia pain relief is an ongoing challenge for patients, but one that must be met in order to maintain quality of life.
Wrist Injuries: A Common Cause of Muscle Pain
Wrists injuries are usually quite minor, but can sometimes cause significant amounts of muscle pain. As a joint connecting the forearm and hands, the wrist is often susceptible to common injuries of carpel tunnel, wrist fractures, and sprains. Since the wrist is used so often, patients may often disregard the resulting pain as simply trivial. However, wrist injuries should be taken into considerable care if and when they cause noticeable amounts of pain or discomfort.
Most often, wrist injuries occur as a result of strain from repetitive exertion, usually in connection with activities such as typing, weight lifting, or other toiling wrist & arm functions. Since arm muscles operate in union, wrist injuries tend to extend throughout the arm and joint pain causes additional problems. Symptoms of wrist injury include:
- Joint pain accompanied by swelling
- Discoloration
- Soreness
- Deformity
Infections Bacteria a Rare Cause of Muscle Pain
Infectious bacteria is a less common cause of muscle pain, yet still just as painful as others of its type. This general term refers to several infections, such as bacteria or viruses, that may produce arthritis and/or leg pain symptoms, arm pain, or pain in other muscles. These infections, which take position in joints, include symptoms of arthritis as part of the infection. Arthritis will usually occur at the site of infection, and may spread if infection spreads to other joints. However, this is entirely dependent on the type of infection and its status in the patient's body.
Symptoms may vary according to the particular infection, but these painful symptoms will be persistently present. Other common symptoms include:
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Chills
Aches and Pains Can Come With the Territory
When you're involved in sports, whether competitively or recreationally, aches and pains are part of the game. Not that you have to hurt to work out, but anytime you push your body outside of its comfort zone--with higher mileage on your road bike, increased weight during your strength circuit, or added effort in the last set of your tennis match--you're bound to feel it. Sore, stiff muscles following a workout or training session are a sign of micro-tears in the fibers of the muscles themselves. These occur when muscles exert added force beyond what they are accustomed to. When these micro tears heal, usually within twenty-four to thirty-six hours, the fibers become stronger and more resilient, a sign of improved fitness. Muscle pain relief in this type of situation is actually achieved most effectively by working out again. The increased circulation in the tissue and alternating contracting and relaxing helps to flush out the muscle and alleviate soreness. Another way to get muscle pain relief is with slow, sustained stretching. Lengthening the muscle fibers gently as they heal from their breakdown can help them repair in a longer, stronger state. This, too, is a sign of improved fitness. So next time you're sore from working out, resist the urge to just do nothing. Get back out there and train again, and your muscles will feel much better.
Is My Arthritis a Result of Wear & Tear?
According to the Arthritis Foundation, over 21 million Americans have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, making this condition the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis tends to occur mostly with age, but can also occur in patients of much lesser age. As the body endures everyday activity, exertion of joints can take a large toll on weak cartilages in the knees, fingers, hips, wrist, or shoulder. Without aid from cartilage, these joints will eventually lose the ability to move freely within the theoretic range of motion. The mechanical wear and tear of lifelong stress most commonly stimulates this undesirable process, but previous injury can also be a probable cause of osteoarthritis.
With osteoarthritis, the lack of cartilage to cushion the joints creates friction between bones. This can grow increasingly painful. This condition may affect daily life, and is also one of many leg pain causes. Resulting pain can range from slight to severe, accompanied by various symptoms when joints are used:
- Stiffness
- Cracking
- Limping
- Grating sensations
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