Joint pain can range from the minor through to the debilitating. Given that our joints are the connections between bones, movement is required, common and often unavoidable. Learning to deal with joint pain, therefore, is a part of everyday life for many people.

Whether your joint pain was caused by disease or injury, we take a look at some of the most effective ways of dealing with this increasingly common ailment.

Cold therapy

The simple application of an ice pack to the affected area should be one of your first solutions.

Research indicates that cold temperatures reduce blood flow around a joint and, therefore, reduce tissue swelling. Applying an ice pack to the afflicted joint for 15 minutes at a time, every hour or so, can greatly help you to manage the pain.

Physical therapy

When it comes to reducing joint pain to manageable levels, undergoing physical therapy or enjoying a massage can really help to work wonders on the affected area.

It’s best to seek professional help when it comes to physiotherapy or massage. These professionals are extremely knowledgeable about the way in which the human body moves and will be able to greatly assist you in regaining some mobility, as well as relieving much of the pain that you are currently being forced to endure.

Drugs

If natural treatments are not having the desired effect, there’s nothing wrong with resorting to over-the-counter or prescription, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs for assistance with combating the pain that you’re feeling in your joints.

Medicines such as ibuprofen and aspirin can be extremely useful when it comes to relieving joint swelling and stiffness, especially if the pain in your joints has become unbearable, in the short term.

A final option

When it comes to joint pain, sometimes the pain really can just get to a stage where it is utterly unbearable and all manner of natural remedies, cold therapy and prescription drugs fail to have a meaningful impact when it comes to relieving your pain.

In this scenario, surgery could well be a viable option, and given how far medicine has come in recent years, procedures such as hip and knee replacements really are less painful and more affordable than you might initially think.

So, if your hip is causing you agony or for more information about knee replacements, click here. If you’re a member, benenden health could help you put your joint pain behind you and give you an altogether new lease of life.