A Longer Winter Equals More Joint Pain

The groundhog officially saw no shadow, meaning an early spring this year. However, the last few weeks have been anything but signs of an "early spring"! With the large amount of snow accumulation, the power outages, the heavy wet snow, and the endless hours of shoveling, is it a wonder why your back and joints are talking to you?

Winter time brings about different aches and pains than the rest of the year. The colder weather tends to irritate existing Osteoarthritis pain. In general, we are more sedentary than the rest of the year due to shorter daylight hours, less activity outdoors, and our natural tendencies to hibernate and be comfortable. A sedentary lifestyle can also aggravate the pain of Osteoarthritis, as well as contribute to muscle tension, lack of blood flow, and reduced endorphin flow that helps us to "feel good". Lastly, the days of shoveling the driveway for those of us not lucky enough to have a snow blower can aggravate joint pain as well. Shoveling puts your back in compromising position, increasing tension on precious ligaments and tendons, as well as putting 220 percent more compression onto your discs! (the jelly donut shaped shock absorbers between the vertebral bones)

Here are some tips to surviving the rest of the winter without pain!

1. Keep Mobile. It may be extremely tempting to sit on the couch watching your favorite TV show, but the more you move, the better you will feel. Exercising helps to reduce pain and increases blood flow for healing injuries.

2. Use Your Supporting Back Musculature When Shoveling. During shoveling, keep your knees bent and your body in either a lunging or squatting positing. Keep the snow shovel as close to your body as possible. Don't reach to throw the snow into a pile, lift it properly and drop it. Keep your belly button tightened by pulling it into your spine. This helps to use all those small important muscles that create a brace for your spine.

3. Drink At Least 8 Glasses of Water a Day. ("What does this have to do with pain?!") Our body is made up of 75-80% water. Research shows a mere 2% loss of water can cause symptoms, a large one being chronic pain.

4. Get More Magnesium in Your Diet. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer, which may help sore achy musculature. Healthy sources of Magnesium are in oat, bran, or rice products, almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, and even dark chocolate! So stock up on some healthy snacks.

5. Supplement Vitamin D into Your Diet. Vitamin D deficiency can cause symptoms of chronic pain. Hardly any of us New Englanders get the proper amount of Vitamin D during the winter months, since it gets activated in our skin by being in the sun. A proper dose is approximately 2,000IU per day. Always consume calcium with a vitamin D supplement for proper absorption. (Always talk with your doctor before taking any supplements to see if they are right for you)

6. Heat Things Up. If you are experiencing chronic achy muscles or Osteoarthritis pain, using a moist or dry heating pad for 10-20 minutes on the area of pain can be beneficial for pain reduction. Note that if you have a new injury or inflammation, this is not a good choice, as it can make pain worse. New injuries require icing for 15-20 minutes to reduce pain and inflammation.

For more information on pain relief options, please contact Dr. Misty Kosciusko at New Horizon Chiropractic & Wellness (401) 683-6430 or visit us at www.newhorizonchiro.com