Natural & Medicinal Arthritis Pain Relief Tips for Winter

It's common for arthritis pain to flare up during the winter months for several reasons:

• Lower temperatures can increase the thickness and viscosity of synovial fluid, which is what lubricates our joints. This can result in our joints being stiffer and make movement more painful.
• Drops in air pressure when it’s cold can cause muscles, tendons, and other tissues to expand, putting more stress on your joints.
• You may exercise less in the winter, increasing stiffness and worsening pain.
• Your vitamin D levels may reduce in the winter. Vitamin D is vital for bone health and may play a direct role in keeping our joints healthy.
• If you suffer from the winter blues, you may feel arthritis pain more intensely, even if it hasn’t really gotten any worse.

While these factors, both individually and collectively, can make winter a particularly challenging period if you have arthritis, it doesn't have to be this way.

Let’s look at how to relieve arthritis pain during winter.

Natural Ways to Relieve Arthritis Pain During Winter

Before reaching for the medicine cabinet, there are many things you can do and potential lifestyle changes you can embrace that may help naturally relieve arthritis symptoms during winter. Follow these natural relief tips—supplementing with taking pain medicine in line with doctor recommendations where needed—to see the best results.

Optimize Your Diet

There's no such thing as the "arthritis diet." However, certain foods can help relieve arthritis symptoms, reduce inflammation, and improve joint pain.

The best way to eat if you have arthritis is to broadly follow the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in whole foods, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans. Highly processed foods and those high in saturated fat can cause inflammation and make your arthritis pain worse, so aim to eat as naturally and as healthily as you possibly can.

If you suffer the winter blues and often reach for comfort foods at this time of year, satisfy a sweet tooth with healthy options like fruit rather than a chocolate bar, candy, or cake.

Continue to Exercise

While it's natural to spend less time outside in the cold weather, that doesn’t mean we should stop moving during the winter.

What are your options?

• Join the gym. Most gyms offer monthly subscription options, so join up so you have somewhere to go during the winter and then cancel when you can go outside again.
• Exercise at home. You can do many simple exercises at home, from bodyweight exercises to low-impact kettlebell workouts that will keep you moving. You can exercise in your armchair if you suffer from limited mobility! There are many excellent videos on YouTube that will give you ideas for exercises or even routines to follow.
• Stay active at work. If you work in an office, it’s easy to fall into the trap of sitting behind your desk all day, especially if you take your lunch so you don't have to go out into the cold. Set a timer or use the Pomodoro technique – where you work for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break – to ensure you get up and keep moving.

Regular physical activity can help keep your muscles strong, relieving stress on your joints. Exercise also helps reduce bone loss and may help control swelling and pain around your joints. Regular activity also aids joint lubrication, which plays a significant role in reducing stiffness and pain.

Manage Your Weight

Watching your diet and continuing to exercise will ensure you manage your weight effectively. Studies have found that for every pound of weight you lose, you reduce the pressure on your knees by four pounds every time you take a step.

Carrying less weight around other joints can also help reduce pressure and inflammation throughout your body.

OTC Medicine for Arthritis Pain

Voltaren Arthritis Pain Topical Gel

This arthritis pain gel is an over-the-counter purchase despite being prescription strength, with an active ingredient of Diclofenac Sodium. You can use it four times per day for up to 21 days but should only use it on two areas of your body at a time.

Ensure you read the product information and consult with your physician before you start using this product, as diclofenac can cause a severe allergic reaction, especially if you have an allergy to aspirin.

Pain-Relieving Jet Spray

If you need temporary relief from your arthritis symptoms, this cold pain-relieving jet spray, which you can use up to four times a day, is a worthwhile choice.

JointFlex Arthritis Relief Cream

This JointFlex Arthritis Relief Cream stands out as one of the most outstanding pain relief products for several reasons:

• It works immediately
• It is long-lasting, yet you can still use it up to four times a day
• You can continue to use it daily as long as you wish, although you should see your doctor if your symptoms worsen or don't improve

It also has a pleasant scent and won’t leave your skin stained or feeling greasy, meaning you can apply it easily and discretely wherever you are.

Arthriten Maximum Strength Inflammatory Pain Formula

These Arthriten Maximum Strength Inflammatory Pain Formula caplets can relieve joint pain, muscle aches, and mobility discomfort for six hours.

Note that it contains aspirin and caffeine – so choose an alternative if you’re sensitive to caffeine or have trouble sleeping after you start taking these.

Tylenol 8 HR Arthritis Pain Caplets

If you’re looking for a non-aspirin over-the-counter medicine to help combat your arthritis symptoms, these Tylenol 8 HR Arthritis Pain Caplets are an excellent choice.

The active ingredient in these caplets is acetaminophen (paracetamol), and you can take two tablets up to three times a day. As well as reducing pain from arthritis symptoms, these caplets may reduce any common cold or fever symptoms you're experiencing during the winter.

Are There Any Supplements That May Help Relieve Arthritis Symptoms?

While there is no evidence these supplements directly help arthritis, both vitamin D and omega 3 may help relieve your symptoms.

Vitamin D – which our body relies on sunlight to produce, which is why our levels reduce in the winter – can aid our bone and potentially our joint health, while omega 3 can reduce inflammation.

Manage Your Arthritis With Trusted Products from Thrifty White Health Essentials

Here at Thrifty White Health Essentials, we have a broad range of arthritis and general pain relief products that will help you manage your arthritis symptoms during the winter as well as the rest of the year.

Remember you should also follow healthy lifestyle principles like eating a balanced diet and regular exercise, and speak to your physician before you start using any over-the-counter medications or supplements.