Get Joint Pain Relief Without Pain Pills

If you suffer from any kind of joint pain, then you know what a misery it is.  Pills help, but you may not like taking them for fear of developing an addiction, or you might be worried about how they’ll interact with some of the other medications you’re on.

Fortunately, there are many viable alternatives available that will help take the edge off of the pain you’re experiencing.  Here are a few to consider:

Alternate Ice and Heat

If you’re just using ice, or just using heat, you’re not getting the maximum benefit from it.  By alternating ice and heat though, you’ll find that your pain level will drop significantly.  The trick here is to not use either for an extended period of time.

Start with ice and leave it in place for no more than fifteen minutes, then switch to heat.  Then thirty minutes of neither and go back to ice.  You’ll be amazed at how well it works!  It’s also worth mentioning that you can get the same basic effect by alternating something like Icy Hot and Biofreeze on the area that’s causing you pain. Although if you’d rather not spend the money on these products, ice and heat are both easy to come by.

Capsaicin

Capsaicin is the stuff in peppers that makes them hot.  It can also be found in a number of pain relieving creams and ointments and is incredibly effective in terms of providing pain relief.  In fact, a study conducted by Case Western Reserve University found that eight out of ten participants who suffered from arthritis had less pain after applying capsaicin-based ointment four times a day for two weeks, making it a great alternative (or addition) to pain medication.

Bulk Up On Omega3s

Fish oil tablets are good for you for a variety of reasons, but many people aren’t aware that Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties.  If you suffer from any kind of joint pain, taking 1000mg of fish oil every day will help ease the pain in your aching joints.

The bottom line is, there are options available besides pain pills.  Experiment with these and mix and match as you prefer.  Your joints will thank you.