Is the Cold Affecting my Bones?

When the weather starts to take a turn South it seems like individuals living in the cold climate begin noticing more aches and pains.  Elderly start to use that famous one-liner, “A storm’s a brewin.” to describe their joint pain.  Not only are the elderly being affected though.  It seems like patients affected by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia are experiencing increased pain with the changing of the seasons.

When the barometric pressure changes it can cause swelling and pain in the joints.  This pain is caused by the swelling that affects the nerves that causes the pain.  The effect of this pain is stiffening joints that can affect a person’s life activities from day-to-day.

So when the cold weather rolls in, here are a few things you can do to help:

• Exercise.  Doing regular exercise help lubricate your joint so they move more easily.
• Drink plenty of fluid.  You should be drinking half your body weight in water every day.
• Supply your joints with healthy fats.  Omega-3’s are vital for the health of your joints.  Salmon, trout, nuts, avocado, olive oil, and a supplement high in the DHA for of Omega-3 works great.
• Get routine chiropractic adjustments.

When you receive an adjustment, the joints of your spine able to re-align into a normal position which will relieve pressure and tension and allow the surrounding muscles to relax and results in pain relief.  Getting adjustments regularly can help prevent the pain that occurs with “stuck” joints.  The philosophy of The Joint...the chiropractic place, is to make it convenient and affordable to get regular preventative and maintenance chiropractic care.