Most commonly, muscle stiffness can be treated at home by resting the stiff muscle, applying heat and cold, stretching, and massaging the muscle. More extensive treatments may include physical therapy and medications, depending upon the underlying condition.
Muscle stiffness will usually go away on its own in a few days. In chronic or recurrent cases, making simple lifestyle changes may help treat and prevent muscle stiffness. If muscle stiffness is a symptom of a more serious underlying condition, the outlook will vary depending on the cause.
Muscle stiffness is common, particularly after strenuous activity. This symptom can also occur with injuries, musculoskeletal conditions, or autoimmune diseases. Muscle stiffness can develop from insect bites or stings or be a side effect of certain medications.
A deficiency in magnesium is most likely to cause muscle stiffness because this nutrient is needed to keep muscles flexible and moving efficiently, as well as relaxed.
Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency can cause or worsen neck and back pain and muscle spasm.
Glucosamine, chondroitin, omega-3, and green tea are just a few of them. Glucosamine has been touted as an anti-inflammatory that helps keep the cartilage in joints healthy. Studies have shown some benefit for joint pain, but they are not conclusive. Natural glucosamine levels drop as people age.
In a healthy person, the stiffness will usually go away on its own; especially if it was caused by exercise or sleeping in an awkward position. However, if the person has an underlying health condition the stiffness can become chronic.
Stretching is one of the best ways to make your muscle flexible and reduce stiffness. It helps to increase blood circulation in the body and reduces inflammation and stiffness. Thre is no particular stretching exercises that you should do. Simply moving your head side-by-side or stretching your hands upwards can help.
Stock up on these superfoods your next trip to the supermarket! Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce joint pain and shorten the duration of morning stiffness. Bananas and Plantains are high in magnesium and potassium that can increase bone density. Magnesium may also alleviate arthritis symptoms.
The other benefits to choosing walking to keep active include: You can choose the distance and pace which suits you. Making movement part of your everyday, especially if you are working at home, is recommended to help ease stiffness and help posture. It's a free activity which can be done pretty much anywhere.
1. Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids , which are abundant in fatty fish such as salmon or tuna, are among the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements. These supplements may help fight several types of inflammation, including vascular inflammation.
Improvements were dose-dependent, with the highest vitamin D dose of 4000 international units/ day (IU/d) inducing a 10.4% reduction in arterial stiffness, discovered researchers from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
What's more, taking too much vitamin D can also negatively impact our health as well as our joint pain because our body simply can't cope! If toxic levels of vitamin D build up in the body it can interfere with your body's absorption of calcium.
It can be due to reduced blood flow, tight muscles and ligaments, fluid pooled in the body's lower extremities, or pins and needles sensations in the feet.
Low-impact exercises—such as walking, elliptical machines, or water aerobics—are easier on arthritis hip pain and arthritis knee pain.
Problems with the joints, (such as arthritis), bones (such as deformities), circulation (such as peripheral vascular disease), or even pain can make it difficult to walk properly. Diseases or injuries to the nerves, muscles, brain, spinal cord, or inner ear can affect normal walking.
Tart cherry juice is a natural anti-inflammatory. The doctor says 10-20 ounces daily can be just the trick. When debilitating knee pain made walking a grind (literally), my orthopedic specialist prescribed cortisone shots, simple exercises and tart cherry juice.
Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds and is a traditional remedy for easing pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis. The study found that ginger may alter gene expression and reduce symptoms of RA. Learn more about using ginger for arthritis pain here.
In theory, ginger can reduce the activity of several chemical substances that promote joint inflammation. Results from RCTs assessing its role in treating participants with osteoarthritis found that it has a high safety profile and can have moderately beneficial effects in reducing pain and disability.