You got the juice

We all need juicy joints!

I am speaking about your joints and a common problem we have with them--arthritis. Arthritis means inflammation or swelling of one or more joints and describes over 100 conditions that affect joints, tissues around the joints, and other connective tissue.

A common misconception is that arthritis is an “old person’s disease.” In fact, arthritis can arise in many forms and affect people of all ages, including children and adolescents. Specific symptoms vary depending on the type of arthritis, but usually include joint pain and stiffness. Of course, if you’re experiencing joint pain, stiffness, or other symptoms, talk to your doctor. They can help diagnose the cause of your symptoms and recommend a treatment plan.

As a yoga therapist, I am offering you a four-point approach to help juice up your joints and perhaps help reduce pain.

Movement

One of the best things you can do for your joints is to move them. I will always remember a friend in her late nineties using her fancy walker, telling me, “Motion is lotion,” meaning that movement lubricated her joints. While you may not want to move because of the pain, usually after some initial movement your joints don’t feel so cranky. Swimming and water aerobics are good choices because the buoyancy of the water reduces stress on weight-bearing joints. Walking, biking, and gentle yoga are forms of exercise that can improve joint function. Range of motion exercises are important. People often keep their affected joints bent (especially those with pain in their knees, hands, and fingers because they are more comfortable in that position. While this may relieve discomfort, holding a joint in the same position for too long can cause loss of mobility. Pay attention to your joints, whether sitting, standing, or engaging in activity and practice good posture. You don’t need a lot of time to exercise; consider approaching exercising your joints in in small bite-size pieces. As you are reading this, point and flex your feet a few times and make circles with your feet to lubricate your ankles. Stretch your fingers out fully. Do hip circles while you are brushing your teeth.

Besides moving your joints, you need to build strong muscles to help stabilize weak joints and protect them against further damage. Target specific muscle groups. For instance, pumping your quadriceps to stabilize your knees can be helpful. Avoid activities that involve high impact and repetitive motion, such as running, jumping, tennis, high impact aerobics or anything that repeats the same movement, such as a tennis serve. If you experience a great deal of pain, by all means back off.

Relaxation

While relaxation cannot take away the pain, it can help you manage it. Tense muscles amplify pain in the joints, and by relaxing and engaging your parasympathetic system (also known as your rest and digest system), you can decrease the amount of pain you may be experiencing. Relaxation therapy can take many forms, such as meditating, gentle stretching, breathwork, listening to classical music, or spending time in nature. A regular meditation practice can help with arthritis symptoms. The key word here is “regular.” Guided imagery or a mindfulness meditation coupled with breathwork can make a world of difference in pain management and reducing stress. Having a massage might also reduce stiffness temporarily. Be sure to communicate with your massage therapist about where your arthritis affects you.

Diet

Water helps lubricate joints and tissues and is important for joint health. According to the Arthritis Foundation, “if there’s a magical elixir you can drink, it’s water. Hydration is vital for flushing toxins out of your body, which can help fight inflammation. Adequate water intake can help keep your joints well lubricated.” Excess weight also puts extra stress on weight-bearing joints, and losing weight may increase your mobility and limit future joint injury. Avoid added sugars and highly processed foods. If you smoke, quit.

Heat/cold treatments

Do not discount the value of utilizing heat and cold treatments to relieve pain and achiness. A long warm shower or Epsom salt bath does wonders to ease stiffness. Using an electric blanket or heating pad can reduce discomfort overnight. Cold treatments may help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. A bag of frozen veggies wrapped in a towel on a painful joint may provide quick relief. Of course, never apply ice directly to the skin.

Staying active, managing your weight, drinking water, and making changes to your diet are just a few natural ways to ease arthritic pain. You can be said to “have juice” when have influence. You can complain when your television set isn’t receiving enough “juice” (electricity) to work. You can be said to possess “creative juices” as you add a rhyme to the card you bought. Those are all wonderful forms of juice—but none of them can compete with joint juices. Go back to Number 1 above—and start moving. Feel free to share your thoughts with me: ashton@ashtoncannon.com.

Ashton Graham is an educator, book publisher, photographer, cowgirl and yoga teacher. Visit www.ashtoncannon.com to subscribe to her weekly newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: You got the juice