Painful joints

As you get older, joints tend to ache.  But don’t panic, there are lots of different possible treatments you can try.  Have a look through these tips for ideas:

Supplements

Herbal supplements

There are a huge range of herbal supplements out there for joint pain.  One of the best known is glucosamine.  I’ve tried taking Glucosamine tablets for my joints, but didn’t feel that it made any difference, although some people do rave about it.  Another option is curcumin.  I’ve been taking Nu U Nutrition Organic Turmeric, Curcumin and Black Pepper for a couple of years, and it has really made a difference.  Or you could try Boswellia serrata capsules (also known as Frankincense), which is based on an Ayurvedic remedy for joint pain.

Clinical trials have shown some improvement in arthritis through the use of boswellia serrata, and curcumin, but no improvement through the use of glucosamine.

Cannabidiol is a component of marijuana, but does not cause a high.  It has been claimed to have a wide-range of health benefits, but there is little scientific evidence to back them up.  One of the health benefits claimed  is that it can reduce arthritic pain.  If you suffer from painful joints symptoms, it might be worth trying.  You can currently buy CBD+ Oil from Holland & Barrett in the UK.

Click here for our tips on taking supplements.

Cider Vinegar

Cider vinegar is an old remedy for joint pain.  You can either try drinking the vinegar or making a poultice from it:

To drink it, put 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and honey in a glass of water and stir vigorously.  Repeat several times a day.

To make a poultice, soak a cloth in some apple cider vinegar diluted in warm water.  Put on the affected area, and keep in place with some cling film.  Wrap over a towel and leave it until it cools down.  Repeat as needed.

Green tea

Some studies have shown that drinking green tea can help reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.  You will need to drink 2-3 cups of green tea a day though.

Diet for joint pain

Lose weight

It’s boring but true, losing weight can help to reduce the pressure on your joints.  Try our tips here.

Food to reduce inflammation

Research is pointing more and more to a link between inflammation in your gut, stress and painful joints.

For example, preliminary research suggests that improving the bacteria in your gut can help with joint pain.  Prebiotics help keep the good bacteria in your gut healthy, and so may also be helpful in improving joint pain.  Probiotics are foods that aim to add good bacteria to your gut.

Foods that are high in prebiotics include garlic, onions and leeks, chicory, mushrooms, asparagus, bananas and broccoli.

Examples of probiotic foods include probiotic yoghurt, or fermented foods like pickles, sauerkraut or miso soup.  Unpasteurised cheeses are another great food for the gut, especially parmesan.  It may be best to eat probiotic products on an empty stomach to get the best results, so think about having a probiotic yoghurt, kombucha tea or miso soup for breakfast.  Actimel seems to be the brand of yoghurt that has the most research backing.

Other foods that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can also help reduce joint pain.  Onions and garlic are great antioxidants as well as being prebiotics.  Generally, foods that are high in omega 3 oils are also high in anti-inflammatories.  Great sources of omega 3 oils are salmon, mackerel, anchovies and soya beans and other soya products, olive and rapeseed oil, walnuts, flaxseeds, hazelnuts and green leafy vegetables.

Other foods for painful joints

One cause of painful joints can be that you are not eating enough vitamin E.

Try adding foods high in vitamin E and selenium to your diet.  Good foods for vitamin E include sunflower seeds, salmon, avocado, red pepper, mango and kiwi fruit.  Foods high in selenium include eggs, cheese, mushrooms, oats, and chicken.

Other good foods to try are red and orange fruits such as strawberries, cherries and oranges and nuts like almonds and walnuts.  Cherries are particularly helpful if you suffer from gout.

If you think your pain might be caused by a damaged tendon, try eating jelly.  Research has shown that the gelatin found in jelly can help to repair tendon injuries, particularly when taken with vitamin C, so try drinking a glass of orange juice too.

Click here for recipe ideas.

Cut down on sugar

Joint pain and muscle cramps can be a side effect of diabetes.  Even if you don’t have diabetes, sugar has been linked to inflammation in the body, including in the joints.

Try to keep a diary of when you get joint pain, alongside when you eat sugary or high GI foods (foods with a high glycaemic index) to see if there is a link.  Sweets and sugary drinks have a high GI, as do white bread, potatoes and rice.  The NHS has a handy summary here.

Foods with a high (GI) cause a spike in your blood sugar.  Chocolate is a better option for a treat, as it does not have as high a GI as sweets.  Combining foods like cheese or butter with high GI foods (a cheese sandwich or mashed potato with butter) lowers the overall GI (but doesn’t necessarily make it a healthy choice).

Exercise

It might seem crazy, but doing more exercise can help with joint pain.  Any exercise is good, but you could try weight lifting or yoga to help build the muscles that support your joints, or dancing or walking (especially with poles – try googling Nordic walking).  Always tell any instructor about your joint pain, so they can advise you on the most appropriate exercises for you.

Leg raises and lunges

For knee pain, leg raises and lunges are meant to strengthen the muscles in the front of your thighs.  The idea is that the greater the support given by your thigh muscles, the less pain you will get in your knee joint.  You could try climbing the stairs or walking widths in a swimming pool or straight leg raises from a chair.  As your muscles get stronger, move onto squats.

Massage, acupuncture, chiropractic and aromatherapy

If you can afford them, these are all great options to try to reduce your joint pain.

Other ideas

WD40

My Dad swears by spraying WD40 onto painful joints.  However, the company that makes WD40  is quite clear that it is not a medicine and should not be used on the skin.  Other options that are probably safer are Tiger Balm and Comfrey Balm

Nettles

Recent studies have shown that nettles are anti-inflammatory, and so can improve joint pain. Some new research suggests that nettle stings may be helpful for painful joints.  The idea is to sting yourself where you have pain.  Maybe it works, but maybe it just distracts you from the pain – let us know what you think.  If you’re not that into pain, you could try nettle tea or nettle capsules instead.  Or, if you fancy trying the pain method, but can’t find any nettles, try using chilli cream instead.  You can buy chilli muscle rub from Amazon, but remember to use gloves to apply it, or you could find yourself in a lot more pain.

Note that nettles may interfere with diabetes, heart and blood pressure medication, so see your GP if you have any concerns.

Magnets

There’s no scientific evidence to back this up, but my husband finds magnets really help his dodgy shoulder and knee.  Try typing magnetic supports into Amazon for some reasonable priced options.

Copper

Again, there is no scientific evidence to back this up, but an old remedy is to put a 2p coin in each of your shoes to help reduce joint pain.

Hot packs and cold packs

Simple solutions like applying a hot water bottle, or an ice pack, or having a hot bath  can help with short term relief by slowing down the nerve impulses that are causing the muscle spasms.

Infrared heat lamp

If you are prepared to spend a lot of money, infrared heat lamps have great reviews for reducing joint and muscle pain.  They are also supposed to ease cold symptoms and can be used to treat acne and rosacea.  The Beurer 300W infrared heat lamp has great reviews on Amazon.

Useful links

The BDA have produced factsheets on rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, which give the official advice about the impact of food and diet on arthritis.

The Versus Arthritis website has some great exercise suggestions for managing pain here and here.