Six Easy Ways to Ease Joint Pain

1. Keep active to ease joint pain

Yep that’s right! Keeping your body moving will be beneficial to those aches and pains.

When you’re inactive the synovial fluid in your joints hardens and resembles a thick gel. But when you start to move the fluid warms up which allows it to better lubricate your joints.

So why not go for a walk or do a light gym session to loosen up? Adding low impact exercise like yoga or pilates into your routine is a great idea too as it can strengthen muscles and improve flexibility and range of motion whilst being easy on the joints.

2. Stretch often to assist joints

Remember to stretch! Stretching and warming up is one way to prevent injury and minimise joint pain during exercise. So what should you do?

Warm up

Whether you’re at the gym about to smash out a leg session or outside about to go for a run, you should warm up. Warming up your muscles and joints before high intensity exercise helps ease your body into the movements and can prevent injury. Use some light weights or bands to warm up the various muscle groups and perhaps do some stretches.

Include mobility work

Don’t forget about mobility! Mobility work is really beneficial for your joints as it can help increase your range of movement by addressing multiple elements within one movement. Overall, mobility can help you get more out of an exercise by improving your form and flexibility.

There are plenty of mobility routines on the web so do a little researching on what is good for your chosen sport. Limber 11 is a popular routine for strength training and is great before squats or dead-lifts. Think foam rolling, band work and other all-encompassing movements.

3. Supplement to support joints

We have two supplements at Bulk Nutrients which are essential for promoting good joint health and may also ease joint related aches and pains.

Joints Complex

Joints complex combines Glucosamine with MSM and Chondroitin to provide a three-pronged approach to joint health.

MSM can assist with reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis. One study found that the combination of Glucosamine and MSM produced better improvements in swelling and joint pain than if they were taken separately.

Chondroitin has also shown some benefits in reducing joint pain for patients with osteoarthritis.

So if you’re sick of joint pain, give our Joints Complex powder a go.

4. Build up strength in opposing muscles

Often sore, achy joints are caused by muscle imbalances up or downstream to the joint. If your shoulder and upper back muscles are weak then that may be causing the tightness in your elbow. A health practitioner such as a physiotherapist is best to diagnose any issue like this.

Even if this isn’t the case, building up the strength of opposing muscles can help reduce your pain as a good balance in strength allows the muscles to hold the joint in the most functional and least painful position. For example, if you have a sore hip, stronger quadriceps, abdominals, glutes and hamstrings can provide support to the hip and in doing so take some of the pressure off it.

5. Fats are your friend when it comes to joints

Omega 3 fatty acids definitely have a place in maintaining good health as well as helping to ‘grease’ the joints.

Fish oil and krill oil have proved in multiple studies to be beneficial in reducing inflammation and pain associated with sore joint and joint-related illnesses such as osteoarthritis. Krill oil is often preferred over fish oil as a much lower dose is needed for the same benefits.

Other sources of omega 3 fatty acids include nuts and seeds as well as oils. Flaxseed oil is particularly high in omega 3’s. Check out what’s recommended by the Australian Heart Foundation.

6. Hit the pool to ease joints

Grab your swimmers and jump in! Exercising in water is a must for those experiencing joint pain. The buoyancy of water supports your body weight which takes the pressure off your joints and of course, minimises pain.

Not to mention it’s great exercise! The Arthritis Foundation highly recommend water walking for improved joint health as it provides 12 times the resistance as air. So when walking in the water you’re strengthening and building muscles even more so with the added resistance.

If you're looking to make a team sport, Water Polo might be for you.

There you go Bulk fans! If you feel joint pain from time to time or if you have a long term joint issue, these easy tips might be able to provide some relief from your aches and pains! Let us know how you find them.