Did you know that roughly 10% of American adults say that they experience a lot of body pain? That comes out to an estimated 23.4 million people feeling pain on a regular basis.
Body aches can be anything from debilitating to chronic annoyance. Still, there are some ways to alleviate aches and pains from the comfort of your own home.
Such home remedies are often cheaper and easier to implement than traditional medical methods. Here are a couple of ideas that you can try at home to alleviate body pain.
Relieve Body Aches Through Exercise
To start with, consistent exercise can go a long way toward relieving pain. Although your instinct might be to rest and avoid moving the body part that’s causing you discomfort, that can actually make it worse overall.
Different types of exercise can help with different types of pain. If you have back and knee pain, gentle walking and swimming can help your limbs get moving without putting too much pressure or weight on them.
Alternatively, for shoulder or joint pain, slowly circling your arms or legs can help to soothe pain in the associated joint. Avoid any strenuous exercises like lifting weights unless told otherwise by a professional.
Use Temperature to Soothe Your Body
Ice and heat therapy can also be done at home. This can be a quick remedy for joint or muscle pain.
Taking a hot bath can help to soothe pain all over your body, or if you’re only uncomfortable in one area of your body, you can apply hot and cold towels to the affected area. This can be especially helpful in alleviating back pain.
Eat Well to Manage Pain
Home remedies can also involve your diet. For example, cherry juice contains anthocyanins, which have natural anti-inflammatory properties, perfect for muscle pain.
Eggs are also high in protein, healthy fats, and leucine, which is an amino acid that encourages muscle recovery. This makes them an excellent choice for people who experience pain after intense sport or exercise.
As in any area of health, the importance of water can never be underestimated. Staying hydrated keeps your electrolytes balanced in the right way, as well as helping you to avoid muscle cramps and weakness.
Speak to Your Doctor
Sometimes, home remedies may not be enough and you do need to seek professional advice and medical pain management. Your first port of call should be to your general doctor, who may then make a specialist recommendation based on your symptoms.
While some people avoid seeking out medical advice due to cost or uncertainty around health insurance, rest assured that there are affordable pain management options out there.
Final Thoughts
Body aches are exhausting and can really affect your quality of life in a number of ways. Hopefully, these methods can help improve the comfort and health of you and your loved ones.
For more guidance and advice on health and related topics, browse through the articles in the health section of our website.
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