Pain-Relief for Aches and Joint Pain In The Elderly
by Helen Chow, ND
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A big majority of elderly people simply put their physical aches ranging from neck pain, nerve pain, joint pain, lower back pain and more down to aging and simply try to laugh it off and then suffer their pain in silence.
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And when the nagging aches get persistently intolerable, they may self-medicate to eradicate their joint pain, until one fine day that pain becomes chronic, and their life becomes one big intolerable, painful hell. This is when you will need professional help, physical and perhaps, even mental help for psychological relief.
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Elderly Aches and Pains
As we strive to enjoy our golden years, we will undoubtedly face many health challenges. And many elderly people, to take away the emotional challenge of growing old, may take to changing houses, or buying new agedcare furniture to cheer themselves up, both for creature comforts as well as for enjoyment and aesthetics.
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Viewed from the psychological health point of view, these actions are most valuable and important as they make life in later years enjoyable and comforting.
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However, we must also remember to address the physical aspects of aging. With old age, our share of aches and pains seemingly appear out of nowhere. Where once we were agile and supple, capable of multiple feats with our bodies, now we can’t seem even to be able to grip the lid of a small jar of our favourite jam strongly enough to open it! Damn!
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Advice: Persistent pains and aches in the body should be attended to, as they can become chronic and disrupt daily activities.
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Daily discomfort or pain, can be a grave source of concern, as these can occur in or around your joints, your hands and feet, as well as along your spine, and legs as in sciatica.
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Pains which are persistent and don’t disappear after more than 3 months are termed chronic. Such chronic pains could be the symptoms of underlying diseases including arthritis, degenerative spinal disc disease and even cancer.
5 Common types of aches and pains suffered by elderly people
Joint pain and inflammation in the fingers, knees, hips and spine- Lower Back Pain
- Joint stiffness in the morning
- Nerve Pain
- Neck pain
Stiff joints and bodily aches and chronic pains in elderly patients are best treated using multiple, appropriate ways simultaneously. The end goal is to help the afflicted person regain their physical functions as much as is possible and, additionally, to prevent and/or control potential disabling disorders.
5 potential sources of aches and pains in elderly people
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
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The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is often a debate for the medical fraternity. Could our diet be a cause of our arthritic pain? Or our lifestyle? Most agree this is an auto-immune disease where the body attacks itself. Bones get deformed with time. The associated pain can be severe, sometimes in late stages of the disease, often to the extent of even being at par with the pain in experienced by cancer patients.
. - Osteo Arthritis
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Both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis are forms of musculoskeletal disease which result in joint pain, inflammation and stiffness.
These afflicted elderly people often experience prolonged morning stiffness and warm, tender and swollen joints.
. - Frozen shoulder
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This often affects people from ages of around 40-70, although young people can also suffer from it. The connective tissues around the shoulder joint thicken and tighten, and so result in the shoulder ‘freezing’.
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A frozen shoulder causes pain and stiffness in the affected area. The cause may be from arthritis or from the shoulder’s prolonged immobilisation arising from bad posture and sitting positions, as well as from immobilisation after surgery.
. - Degenerative Disc Disease
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Degenerative disc disease usually start at age 40 and gets progressively worse as one reaches 60 and beyond. Neck pain and lower back pain and neck pain are 2 very common sources of chronic nerve pain suffered by the elderly.
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With age, the discs in the neck and lower back can degenerate. When this happens, the soft material inside the discs may protrude from within the discs, or they may rupture, and so result in pressure on the surrounding nerves or spinal cord.
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Slipped discs in the elderly are a common cause of lower back and nerve pains. It all depends on which discs are the culprits: the elderly person can experience sciatica, shooting pain in the buttocks and all the way down the legs, or lower back pain, or neck pain and aches.
. - Bone spurs
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These are calcified growths which occur, and can be found in the neck, shoulders, hips, knees, feet and along the spine. Pain occurs when these bone spurs press or put pressure on surrounding nerves, ligaments, tendons and muscle.
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Pains include neck pain, foot pain, hip pain, lower back pain and joint pain in all areas which are affected. Signs of bone spurs putting pressure on surrounding nerves include numbness and tingling.
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Ageing is a common cause of bone spur growths. You just have lived many years, and the body is getting older! Disc degeneration and sports injuries also contribute to the formation bone spurs, in both the elderly and also the young.
Pain-Relief Treatments
Your physician/medical doctor and/or health therapist may advise the following mixture of pain-relief treatments for you:
- For joint pain, neck pain and lower back pain:
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It is a good strategy to avoid prolonged bed rest as this avoidance will help relieve these types of pain. So do not lie in, in the morning when you wake up. Make yourself get up, and start getting out and about with your daily activities.
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Exercise and movement do help relieve joint aches and pains. So join an exercise group, or undertake an exercise you love, like swimming or cycling. Physical exercise will also help you lose any excess weight which might also possibly contribute to joint pain. Staying mobile is a big plus against pains and aches in old age.
. - Your physician may prescribe you conventional pain relief medications which may include a short course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help reduce joint pain and inflammation.
. - For nerve pain relief, your same physician made advise you to take anti-convulsant and anti-depressant medications.
. - For your backaches, neck and lower back pains, you may be advised to use muscle relaxants.
. - To strengthen your back and abdominal muscles, to reduce joint pain and improve flexibility, use the services of a good physiotherapist. It is a good idea to consult a physical exercise professional to help you devise exercises specific to you for obtaining relief from pain.
. - Your doctor may give you various injections of local anaesthetics with small amounts of steroids to give you some form of relief.
. - A final invasive option is surgery.
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For natural pain relief, you may wish to consider the following remedies:
- Capsaicin
Capsaicin is the chemical constituent found in hot chili peppers. It is a fantastic natural pain-relief remedy. It does this by removing the sensation of pain from its source to the central nervous system. The downside of this is that the desired relief is not instantaneous, and may take some time to come into effect.
. - Ginger
Ginger is an all-round anti-inflammatory and pain-relief root, and good for joint and muscle pain.
.. - Devil’s Claw
Native to South Africa, Devil’s Claw is THE herbalists’ herb for arthritis and rheumatism. It is used for reducing pain and inflammation in arthritis and lower back pain. Caution: Pregnant women and people who suffer from gallstones or stomach/intestinal ulcers should refrain from using it.
. - Feverfew
Feverfew has been used since antiquity for headaches, migraines, stomach aches, and toothaches. It is also very effective against pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. It contains parthenolide which has anti-inflammatory properties. -
White Willow Bark
White willow bark is brewed and drunk like tea. Its chemical constituent, salicin, reduces aches and pains. This herb is a good pain-relief remedy for lower back pain and osteoarthritis, headaches and other pains and aches. - Fish oil
The presence of Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil makes fish oil a most effective natural pain-relief remedy. Omega-3 fatty acids possess anti-inflammatory properties which help reduce pain by reducing the inflammatory response.
. - CBD oil
CBD oil comes from the cannabis plant, from which also comes the recreational drug, marijuana. Yes, marijuana gives a high, but CBD doesn’t! CBD oil is one miraculous, effective pain-relief remedy! It acts directly on the receptors in the brain and immune system to reduce the sensation of pain.
. - Cloves
The active ingredient in this spice is eugenol. Eugenol is a natural pain-relief remedy. Cloves are well-know pain-relievers for toothaches, headaches and inflammation caused by arthritis. Use cloves regularly in your cuisine!
. - Resveratrol
Resveratrol comes from the skin of red grapes and berries. It is a potent antioxidant and helps fight pain and inflammation in the body. Thus it is an effective natural remedy for bodily aches and joint pains. It is also a very effective form of protection against the risks of heart disease and cancer. Resveratrol helps regulate pain at the cellular level.
. - Tumeric
Turmeric is the ultimate natural anti-inflammatory, great for all kinds of inflammation including arthritis pain and inflammation. It contains an antioxidant, curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Tumeric acts as a protection officer for the body from against free radicals which are highly toxic and damaging to cells and tissues..
Shop for Pain-Relief Products
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Water, Water, Water: The Water Miracle for Aches and Pains!
“Medications are palliatives. They are not designed to cure the degenerative diseases of the body.”
Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D
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.And last but not least, step up your intake of water. According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D, your body simply craves water which cures many health problems.
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He claimed that sufficient water intake can prevent and cure arthritis as well as prevent and cure back pain, among many other cures.
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Rheumatoid joint pain and arthritis, again according to Dr Batmanghelidj, MD, are signals of water shortage in the painful, affected joint. Pain-killers are palliative and do not cure the underlying problem. Furthermore, pain-killers increase the damage to the affected individual. Intake of water and small amounts of salt can cure this problem.
Lower Back Pain and Ankylosing Arthritis
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According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D, lower back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are also caused by water shortage in the spinal column and discs, which are the water cushions that support the weight of the body. He advised that these conditions should be treated with an increased intake of water. This may not be an ‘orthodox’ treatment, but, apparently, a very effective one.
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Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D further cautioned that not recognizing arthritis and lower back pain as signs of dehydration in the joint cavities and treating them instead with pain-killers, manipulation, and eventually surgery, in time, osteoarthritis will be the end-result when the cartilage cells in the joints have eventually all died. In time, this will lead to deformity of the spine and crippling deformities of the limbs.
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So drink and enjoy water as you would enjoy vitamins! if you knew they would get rid of your pains including back pain and arthritis as taught by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D!
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