Joint Pain Relief: 15 Ways to Ease the Pain

Erin Coleman, B.S. Nutritional Science, R.D., L.D. Writer, Fit Mother Project

Erin Coleman, B.S. Nutritional Science, R.D., L.D. Writer, Fit Mother Project

joint pain relief

If joint pain relief is your goal, you have numerous options to choose from. There are safe, effective, and easy ways to ease the pain!

Knowing about the next best steps to take, including making healthy lifestyle changes, can drastically improve your quality of life.

If you suffer from sore, stiff joints and desire joint pain relief, you're not alone as 7 out of 10 women suffer from joint pain after age 35.

Joint pain can occur in your neck, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, ankles, and even your finger and toe joints.

You might experience sore joints all over your body, or in just a few select areas.

If you have long-lasting joint problems, you don't have to live with them.

Learn a few simple tips and tricks to achieve joint pain relief as naturally as possible and make you feel hopeful about the future.

Are you healthy? Check out our health checklist for women over 40 to find out for sure!

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What Does It Mean to Have Joint Pain?

Joint pain can occur with aging in both men and women.

It's often due to inflammation, normal wear and tear associated with aging, an injury, or certain diseases like gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other types of arthritis.

If you experience joint pain, especially all-over joint pain, check with your doctor to find out if you have an illness or disease that's causing the discomfort.

In other cases, making simple lifestyle changes is all it takes to relieve chronic joint pain naturally and restore your quality of life.

What causes low grade inflammation and how can you treat and prevent it? The answers are here.

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The 15 Best Joint Pain Relief Solutions

If you experience sore joints, it could be the sign of an underlying medical problem, such as gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or another autoimmune disease.

There are several things you can do to achieve joint pain relief.

Consider the following holistic and medical joint pain solutions:

1. Lose Weight if You're Overweight

Carrying around excess body weight can put unnecessary strain on your joints, take a toll on overall joint health, and lead to swollen, sore, painful, and even disfigured joints over time.

If you weigh more than you'd like to, reduce your energy intake by about 500 calories per day, burn an extra 500 calories daily, or both!

Doing so can help your drop about 1-2 pounds each week, which is a safe, effective rate of weight loss.

Track your calorie intake using a website, journal, or app, or simply be more mindful about how much food you're eating.

If you struggle to get excess weight off on your own and don't want to count calories, try the Fit Mother Project 30X (FM30X) weight loss plan to move toward your goal weight easily and efficiently.

Custom meal plans and menus you receive during weight loss with FM30X have helped thousands of busy moms reach their goal weight, maintain their new weight for life, and relieve joint pain in many instances.

Don't give up on weight loss, as help is within reach!

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2. Clean Up Your Diet

Eating a clean diet can do wonders to reduce inflammation throughout your body and ease joint pain.

Make small changes at first, and build up to eating a clean diet rich in whole, minimally processed foods.

Doing so can give your energy levels a boost and slow common signs of aging.

Limit the following foods to diminish joint inflammation: added sugar, sweets, sodas, other sugary drinks, baked goods, white bread, white rice, regular pasta, and other refined grains.

Steer clear of processed meats (ham, salami, hot dogs, bacon, and cold cut meats), fatty cuts of red meat, greasy fried foods, and many types of fast foods.

Cook food at home as often as possible to ensure the meals you're eating are clean.

Choose a wide variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, quinoa, brown rice, other whole grains, nuts, seeds, nut butters, olive oil, other plant-based oils, olives, hummus, and avocados to optimize joint health.

Pick protein-rich foods like grilled chicken, turkey, fish, shrimp, other seafood, eggs, or tofu.

Avoid red meat if you can. If you do eat beef or other types of red meat, choose organic, grass-fed varieties. Make sure the meats you choose are skinless and unbreaded.

Choose Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, low-fat milk or plant milk, plain kefir, reduced-fat cheese, or other high-calcium, protein-rich foods about 2-3 times daily to keep your bones, muscles, and joints strong and healthy.

If you have arthritis and dairy foods bother your joints, choose calcium-rich plant alternatives instead.

Examples include almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, and other plant-based milks and yogurts.

3. Take Dietary Supplements

If you'd like to avoid taking pain medications or other medicines for joint pain relief, consider dietary supplements as the first line of defense.

Try supplements that have worked for joint pain relief in research studies.

Examples include:

  • SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine)
  • Boswellia
  • Capsaicin
  • Turmeric/curcumin
  • Avocado-soybean unsaponifiable (ASU)
  • Cat's claw
  • Fish oil
  • Gamma linolenic acid (GLA)
  • Ginger
  • Bromelain
  • Ginkgo

Remember to check in with your doctor before trying these or other dietary supplements for joint pain relief, especially if you take any medications.

Do you take magnesium? Learn more about the benefits of magnesium supplements in this video.

4. Participate in Routine, Low-Impact Exercise

Get regular exercise to strengthen muscles and joints and reduce your risk of chronic joint pain and injuries.

If your joints bother you because of pain, consider low-impact workouts.

Examples include biking, swimming, walking, rowing, stair climbing, using an elliptical machine, or lifting weights.

Work your way up to higher-impact exercises as your joints become stronger, unless your doctor recommends you stick with low-impact workouts indefinitely because of arthritis, low bone density, osteoporosis, or an injury.

Workouts that can improve joint range of motion and muscle flexibility include yoga, Pilates, and tai chi.

Consider working these types of exercises into your everyday routine to optimize joint health.

5. Drink More Water

Drinking plenty of water is one of the best ways to optimize joint health and your overall health.

If weight loss is your goal, drink about 2 cups of water before meals to help you eat fewer calories.

Drink water when you first wake up each morning, before, during, and after workouts, and all throughout the day.

Many women need at least 12 cups of water daily to meet daily fluid needs, optimize joint health, and keep energy levels high.

To make sure you're consuming the amount of water your body needs, look at your urine.

It should be clear or light yellow in color vs. dark yellow.

Water is just one of the 6 healthy drinks you can sip on EVERYDAY! Find out the other 5 here.

6. Wear a Brace

Sometimes achieving joint pain relief is as simple as wearing a brace when you're physically active or moving your joints.

For example, if you experience elbow, wrist, or knee pain, your doctor might recommend wearing a soft brace around painful joints to better support affected muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Doing so can relieve discomfort and lower your risk of a severe injury.

If you experience a severe knee, hip, or ankle injury, you might have to rest your joint completely or undergo surgery before returning to physical activity with a brace.

7. Consider Physical Therapy

If joint soreness results from stiffness, weakness, or an injury, your doctor might recommend you undergo physical therapy to stretch and strengthen joints and reduce the risk of a serious problem.

Your therapist can show you which stretches and exercises are best for you based on your personalized needs, location of joint pain, and your overall health.

You can complete joint-strengthening exercises at home between physical therapy sessions to give you the best outcome.

8. Stretch Regularly

Stretch your muscles and joints regularly to increase range of motion, relieve chronic joint pain, and maximize mobility.

Before exercising, warm up your muscles for a few minutes and complete dynamic stretches.

Dynamic stretches are those that help stretch muscle fibers by moving certain parts of your body.

Examples include walking lunges, leg swings, and trunk twists.

You can do exercises similar to those you complete during workouts, but at a lower intensity with dynamic stretching.

After you're done working out, consider completing static stretches to optimize muscle and joint health.

This means you hold a stretch without moving your body, for about 20-60 seconds for each muscle group.

Stretching post-workout is one of the best ways to lower your risk of injuries and optimize healing.

Does stretching burn calories and help you lose weight? Learn the truth about stretching and weight loss.

9. Ask Your Doctor about Regenerative Medicine

If joint pain bothers you but you're not ready to try medications for joint pain relief, consider holistic regenerative medicine treatments.

This type of revolutionary pain relief solution uses stem cells or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from your own blood to stimulate new cell growth and healing, reduce inflammation, and relieve chronic joint pain naturally.

Regenerative medicine treatment for joint pain relief often involves a simple injection into painful or injured joints.

Your doctor might take a sample of your blood to isolate PRP in a centrifuge prior to each injection.

They can let you know if the procedure is a good option for you, and the number of sessions needed to maximize your outcome.

10. Try Massage

Getting a massage can stimulate healing in painful or injured muscles and joints.

It's a holistic way to boost circulation, relieve pain naturally, and diminish stress and anxiety at the same time.

To optimize joint pain relief, get a professional massage routinely or consider a foam roller, massage chair, or another massage device you can keep at your home.

Massage muscles and joints several times weekly if you can to achieve optimal joint pain relief.

11. Take Medications/Injections for Arthritis

If you have arthritis or another disease that affects your joints, your doctor might recommend you take medications or receive injections to relieve painful inflammation, joint stiffness, and discomfort, while preventing further joint damage and optimizing range of motion.

Ask your doctor if you're a good candidate for taking medications for joint pain relief.

This option might be the last resort if healthy lifestyle changes and all-natural, holistic treatments haven't worked.

Medication isn't always the answer, especially when it comes to blood pressure. Learn how to reduce diastolic blood pressure with these 7 EASY tips.

12. Consider Hot/Cold Therapy

Using hot and/or cold treatment is an excellent way to reduce joint pain and inflammation at home, especially after an injury.

Try alternating heat with cold packs on inflamed or sore joint tissues.

Apply ice or heat to joints several times daily until the swelling and pain subside.

If your discomfort continues long-term, try another pain-relief solution.

See your doctor if you suspect a serious injury or disease.

13. Avoid Alcohol and Smoking

Drinking alcohol and smoking can promote inflammation and sore or stiff joints, including arthritis flare-ups.

If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

If you can give it up entirely, all the better for your joints and overall health!

If you struggle to stop smoking on your own, your doctor can prescribe medications or recommend group or individual therapy to help you break nicotine addiction and obtain the quality of life you deserve.

14. Try Acupuncture

Studies show that acupuncture appears to help relieve joint pain associated with osteoarthritis.

An osteopathic physician can insert tiny needles into sore or damaged tissues while you relax on a comfortable chair or exam table.

Doing so stimulates healing and relieves long-lasting discomfort you might experience.

Multiple acupuncture sessions with your doctor can give you the best outcome.

They often personalize each treatment just for you!

Whatever you're going through, you've got to have the right attitude. Find out how to stay positive in hard times and become a happier person!

15. Get Motivational Support

With so many joint pain relief treatments to choose from, it's difficult to know where to begin.

Start by making healthy lifestyle changes, one at a time, to achieve optimal health and wellness.

This in and of itself can often ease joint discomfort.

Boost your fiber intake, eat whole foods, and get regular exercise and plenty of sleep (at least 7 hours per night).

Keep stress levels as low as you can by lightening up a busy schedule, getting a massage, taking the day off from work, getting outdoors, and exercising most days of the week.

If you struggle to make healthy changes you can stick with long-term, sign up for the Fit Mother 30X program to achieve the lifestyle you desire and motivational support needed for long-lasting success.

When you sign up for the Fit Mother Project program, you receive fat-burning workouts, custom meal and menu plans, online coaching support from health experts, and much more.

Joint pain relief is within reach! Get your free Fit Mom 3-Day Weight Loss Jumpstart today!

Erin Coleman
B.S. Nutritional Science, R.D., L.D. Writer, Fit Mother Project

Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian with over 15 years of freelance writing experience.

She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed her dietetic internship at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Prior to beginning her career in medical content writing, Erin worked as Health Educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Internal Medicine.

Her published work appears on hundreds of health and fitness websites, and she’s currently working on publishing her first book! Erin is a wife, and a Mom to two beautiful children.

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*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on joint pain relief.

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