Matthew Hospital

People who suffer from arthritis are more likely to experience osteoarthritis symptoms. The intensity of the feeling of knee pain in winter is often linked to barometric pressure. In winter, there is a reduction in the pressure exerted by the air around us. This drop in pressure can cause the tissues around the joints to swell resulting in increased pain. The other possible cause of knee pain in winter can be explained from the influence of heat. Fluid in tissues becomes more viscous during winter. As a result of this increased viscosity, the elasticity of the muscles decreases, resulting in winter aches and pains. 

Some scientists believe that the higher pain intensity in winter is to be more of a psychological thing. Seasonal affective disorder is more during winter, and people suffering from mental depression seem to sense more pain during winter as the weather restricts outdoor activities. Improper intake of food also causes knee pain in winter due to undigested material. Even though winter arthritis is uncomfortable, the following tips help to make the joints work better and make you withstand the season easier.

Tips to Manage Joint Pain in Winters

1. Physical activity in winter can reduce winter aches and pains and enhance overall health benefits. Low impact activities like aerobics, swimming in a heated pool, weight training, and riding a stationary bicycle can reduce stiffness, increase the blood flow, and support the knees. Thus, winter arthritis can be well managed by doing exercises.
2. Diet also plays a vital role. Eating a balanced diet that comprised of low saturated fat, lean proteins, more fiber, and refined carbs helps to improve body functions during the winter. Drinking water throughout the day helps to reduce winter aches and pains. It is essential to consume easily digestible foods like vegetables. Consuming vegetables like carrots and cucumbers that have diuretic properties can help to eliminate waste products from the body.
3. Vitamin D deficiency may worsen osteoarthritis. It is necessary to take a supplement vitamin D or ensure to make your diet is vitamin-D rich. Fish oil is a potent source of omega 3 fatty acids. Increase your intake of milk, a rich source of protein and calcium that help to strengthen the bones. Exposing the body to sunlight help to obtain vitamin D.
4. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen can be used to reduce inflammation and pain. Injecting a viscous substance can decrease the friction of the bones and ease the condition.

Home Remedies for Knee Pain in Winters

1. Wrap the inflamed knees with blanched cabbage leaves. This can cool down inflamed knees.  Aloe vera also helps to reduce inflammation.
2. Comfrey (symphytum officinale) can act as an anti-inflammatory agent. Create a compress using mashed root or comfrey tea soaked bandages can also be used to reduce inflammation.
3. Applying an ice-pack can help to reduce swelling and alleviate winter aches and pains. While applying ice-pack, ensure to cover the entire knee. Applying a bag of frozen peas to the area also works well. While using ice or heat therapy, make sure to do them carefully as over agressive and over doing it, can cause problems. 
4. Steam therapy also helps to reduce pain in your knees. Soak your knee in a steaming hot water for 15 minutes. Applying hot water bag also can relieve knee pain in winter effectively.
5. Winter aches and pains all over the body can be relieved by administrating massage therapy by a professional.
6. Avoid applying strain or pressure on your knees. Take adequate amount of rest to reduce pain and swelling.

These are basic guidelines to help you. Contact your doctor for further management.

Lower back pains may underline a host of diseases, some of the most distinctive being the degeneration of lumbar disc and strain of back muscles. If left unattended, these acute durations of severe pain can lead to further complications, beyond the scope of both active and passive physical treatment regimes. Hence, it is always recommended to attend to these minuscule symptoms as soon as they are detected.

How physiotherapy works wonders in lower back pains:

1. Physiotherapy is recommended when lower back pains are frequent, or stretch for days at a time. Most medical literatures, which shower their unanimous support in favour of physiotherapy for back pain, make note that physiotherapy relieves pain, as well as improves the functions, which are most likely to be affected by this disorder.
2. Pain emanating, following a surgery, is recognized as one of the most significant aspects where benefits of physiotherapy are more visible. Generally, patients are advised to undergo physiotherapy sessions after surgical procedures irrespective of age and gender, unless the move is contraindicated in specific cases.
3. Muscular spasms and muscle shrinking is a highly familiar phenomenon observed in individuals who are relatively less active. Muscle shrinking can often be attributed to very low usage of certain muscles, while muscle spasmcan occur when neurons at the affected muscles are irritated. Physiotherapy is observed as both the first line as well as the second line of treatment regimen in such occurrences; a routine for gradual and slow stretching is recommended by physiotherapists involving the muscles of legs, hips, abdomen and lower back, based on their intensity of pain.
4. Advanced stages of a physiotherapy treatment regime upgrade the simple stretching exercises to more rigorous ones like specific stabilizing drills, exercises involving balancing machines and/or exercise balls. This aspect of physiotherapy caters to the secondary spine muscles of the human body.
5. The area of the body considered to be the core of lower back pain (lower back muscles and muscles of abdomen) requires more than just stretching or exercises involving machines. Workout focused on these core areas are based on a complex set of exercises, which may have to be improvised such that the aforementioned muscles absorb the maximum shock.
6. In addition to these conventional exercises, which are based on applications of gravity, some centres offer a different environment for individuals who are unable to perform activities in normal conditions. The concept of aquatic pools addresses the issue, and makes exercising quite an easy feat for the physically challenged individuals.