How to reduce joint pain in cold weather?

How to reduce joint pain at home

When it's cold, keeping your body warm is the most important factor to avoid joint pain. Therefore, to reduce joint pain at home, you can apply the following measures:

- Warm the body by using blankets, air conditioners, heaters, etc. to ensure the body temperature and room temperature are suitable. It is especially necessary to keep the wrists, ankles, joints warm and absolutely do not go barefoot. Because when the body is cold, the limbs are the first place to lose heat. Therefore, you need to wear socks to keep your feet warm or wear gloves if necessary. When moving around the house, you should wear slippers, and when going out, you need to wear shoes, high boots to protect your feet. When it is cold, you should bathe with warm water and bathe in a place protected from the wind.

- If you are indoors and have joint pain, move gently around the house to warm up your body. This movement helps blood circulate throughout the body and helps you feel warmer.

Trời lạnh làm cách nào để giảm đau xương khớp?- Ảnh 1. — When it's cold, people should have a reasonable exercise and rest regimen to reduce bone and joint pain.

- When going out in cold weather, you should wear many layers of clothes to limit your skin's exposure to cold temperatures. In case of rain, you should wear a windproof, waterproof jacket because your body will lose heat very quickly when wet.

- Daily exercise is one of the factors that help prevent joint pain in cold weather. You need to have a gentle exercise regimen and reasonable rest, note that you should not exercise too hard as it will affect the joints. Exercise helps joints to be flexible and reduces joint pain, some recommended exercises to choose when the weather is cold and can be practiced indoors are yoga, pilates, stretching exercises, spinal stretching...

- In addition to exercise, you also need to pay attention to your diet such as: drink enough water, do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. Supplement foods containing vitamins, fruits, green vegetables and limit foods high in fat, eating too much red meat, processed foods, stimulants (alcohol, beer, cigarettes, etc.) ... If you are overweight or obese, you should lose weight and maintain a stable weight.

- Improve mental health by resting and relaxing properly, maintaining an optimistic and happy spirit.

Trời lạnh làm cách nào để giảm đau xương khớp?- Ảnh 2. — In cold weather, the elderly often experience joint pain, especially small and medium joints, knee joints, lumbar spine pain, cervical spine pain...

If you apply the above measures but the pain does not subside, you should see a doctor for examination and advice. Avoid letting prolonged joint pain affect your health and daily activities.

Why does cold weather cause joint pain?

When the weather is cold, the atmospheric pressure drops, causing the tissues in the body to expand, which can cause pain when moving and exercising. Some studies have also shown that cold weather can cause the fluid in the joints to thicken and make the joints stiff, causing pain and reducing mobility. Normally, the function of synovial fluid is to lubricate the joints and help the joints move smoothly.

Furthermore, when the weather is cold, some people's living habits change, which is also the cause of joint pain such as: lack of exercise, not drinking enough water, eating an unhealthy diet, seasonal emotional changes...

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Lien

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