Joint Pain Treatment Options and Relief Methods for You
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Wondering how to relieve joint pain? Joint pain treatment is likely at the top of your list of important things to read up on if you suffer from joint pain. We use our joints every day, all day. That’s why joint pain can feel so present in our lives. But don’t let that stop you from doing the things that make you you. Learn about the available joint pain treatments so that you can put together a plan to start feeling a little more like yourself again and get back to chasing your dreams.
Joint pain is extremely common, and can be experienced in just about any joint in the body. Research tells us that whilst 95% of people globally suffer from body pain at some point in their lives,1 in the over 55’s age bracket, joint pain and Osteoarthritis afflicts a higher proportion of the global population than muscular pain – that’s a lot of people with joint pain! 30% of people globally suffer from weekly back pain, and 25% of people suffer from weekly neck pain,2 and it can also affect the knees, hips, elbows, feet, and hands. It can range from mild to debilitating and can be chronic or acute.
There are a number of reasons you may be experiencing joint pain, including types of arthritis like Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout; bursitis, tendonitis (e.g. tennis elbow), hand-shoulder syndrome; or even common bruises, strains and sprains that occur in day-to-day life or sports injuries! Although Iodex’s over the counter products aren’t indicated for all of these causes of joint pain, we’ve outlined many different remedies and treatments for joint pain relief that, with your healthcare professional, can help get you on track to regaining your joy of movement. Always read the label to check if the cause of your joint pain is covered by our Iodex products!
It is important to understand what is causing your joint pain before you self-treat. If you are experiencing joint pain and you don’t know why, see your doctor.
In the below cases it is recommended that you visit a doctor, who may recommend light exercise or order one or more tests - such as an X-ray or blood test - to help determine the source of your pain and the most appropriate treatment:
- Your joint pain is accompanied by swelling, redness, tenderness and warmth around the joint
- Your joint pain lasts for more than 7 days with no signs of getting better
- Your joint is completely locked and immobile
- Your joint pain is accompanied by fever, but not other signs of the flu
- Your joint appears deformed
Home remedies for joint pain
Once you have ruled out the need for immediate medical attention, you may want to consider a number of home remedies for joint pain management. Home remedies can be straightforward, easy (we love easy!) and effective (we love effective, too!) ways to get joint pain relief so that you can get going again.
For short-term relief of joint pain, try out an at-home method like PRICE.
PRICE stands for:
- Protect the joint - Use a brace or wrap to protect the joint while it recovers.
- Rest the joint - Resting the joint will give it time to repair on its own. Continued usage can aggravate the joint, making recovery longer.
- Ice the joint - Applying ice to the joint can reduce inflammation. Just be sure to wrap your ice pack in a towel before applying it. Placing a bare ice pack directly to your skin is not advisable.
- Compress the joint - Compress the joint using an elastic wrap.
- Elevate the joint - Elevate the joint above the level of your heart.
If you experience joint pain, your natural instinct may be to keep still and stop moving – especially when it hurts to do so. However, keeping moving is key for promoting joint mobility and function, and treating your pain can help with this. The United States’ Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of weekly exercise as the sweet spot for maintaining joint health in some conditions.3 Added bonus: moving more can boost your mood, always a plus! So lace up your trainers and head out for a walk.
A key tip for how to relieve joint pain is diet. Maintaining a healthy weight is really important to reduce stress on your joints – especially weight-bearing joints, like your knees. There is also debate around whether certain foods, herbs or spices may help reduce inflammation throughout your body. Reducing inflammation is certainly key for getting some joint pain relief. There is some research that suggests that foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as virgin olive oil,4 walnuts, flaxseed, oily fish, or turmeric5) play a role in reducing inflammation. However there isn’t yet an overall conclusion on anti-inflammatory diets when it comes to pain relief, and the European Food Standards Authority has rejected some of those claims – so take them with a pinch of salt!6
Topical medication that you apply to the skin
Topical medications can come in the form of cream or gel that you apply to the skin covering the painful joint. Iodex UltraGel targets pain with its powerful, clinically proven NSAIDs Diclofenac.
Iodex Rapid Action Pain Relief Spray
It is a unique blend of 5 active ingredients. They are known to penetrate the skin, reduce internal inflammation and provide targeted relief from joint pain.
Iodex Multi-Purpose Pain Relief Balm
It is a power packed formula of 5 active ingredients – Gandapuro Tel, Nilgiri Tel, Turpine Ka Tel, Peppermint Satva and Lavanga Ka Tel. These ingredients are known to help provide a soothing relief from joint pain.
Medicated patches
Medicated patches are single-use patches that contain an active ingredient that releases over time, applied directly to the skin.
Heat patches
Heat patches are worn on the skin over the affected area in order to keep your muscles relaxed and loose for speedier recovery.
TENS devices
While transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation therapy is drug-free, it can be an effective way to address chronic pain alongside any medication.
If your joint pain is severe or persistent, you should seek advice from your doctor who will examine your injury and may offer you tests to confirm the cause and prescribe other treatments.
How does Iodex UltraGel work to relieve joint pain?
Iodex UltraGel is clinically proven to shorten your recovery time and provide relief from joint pain. Reason for muscle pain could be internal inflammation of muscles. Iodex UltraGel contains diclofenac, which works by reducing chemicals in your body that cause inflammation. Its Emulgel technology helps the gel to penetrate deep through the skin to enhance delivery of the active ingredient, diclofenac, to the site of pain and swelling, making it an effective pain reliever....
Iodex UltraGel’s Emulgel formulation allows it to permeate the skin 7 times deeper, thus treating the pain at its root. Gently massage the gel onto skin of the affected area, it penetrates and provides additional cooling and soothing effect at the site of pain and inflammation.
How to use Iodex UltraGel to relieve joint pain
Follow these simple steps to relieve joint pain with Iodex Pain Relief Gel:
- Open your tube of Iodex UltraGel
- Squeeze out an amount ranging in size from a cherry to a walnut, depending on the size of the affected area.
- Gently rub into the skin over the area where you are experiencing body pain.
- Reapply throughout the day as indicated on the label. Do not exceed recommended dosage.
As soon as your pain subsides, stop using Iodex UltraGel. If your pain and swelling do not improve within 7 days, or if they get worse, please consult your doctor.
Iodex UltraGel should only be applied to intact, non-diseased skin, and not to skin wounds or open injuries. It should not be allowed to come into contact with the eyes or mucous membranes and should not be ingested. Discontinue the treatment if a skin rash develops after applying the product.
How much Iodex UltraGel to apply to relieve joint pain
Iodex UltraGel delivers diclofenac, a highly effective anti-inflammatory, directly to the source of your pain.11,12 That’s why a little bit goes a long way. Apply between a cherry and walnut size amount, depending on the size of your affected area.
Other options for joint pain relief
Once you have explored medication and home remedies for joint pain, you may want to explore additional joint pain treatment options if you are still in significant pain.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy can help increase your range of motion by strengthening, loosening and warming up the muscles surrounding your affected joints. A physical therapist will work together with you to tailor you a series of stretching and strengthening exercises just for you.
Surgery
Surgery is considered one of the options depending upon the underlying cause of the joint pain. If you are not responding to treatment and have exhausted your options for medication and home remedies, when you consult with your doctor they may want to explore surgery as an option.
We know how important it is to find the best joint pain treatment that works for you. Because it’s not just relief for sore, achy, stiff joints – it’s regaining the courage to move and feeling free to focus on what’s important throughout your day. It’s feeling like yourself again.
Explore Iodex’s products for pain relief
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Health, wellness & your pain
Pain is rarely just physical nor is it always solved by taking medicine alone. Iodex is your ally in helping you take more control of your pain journey, from the way to sleep, to what you eat, mental wellbeing and complementary pain relief therapies.
