Winter – A season that usually offers a tremendous sigh of relief to most people living in India, after having to cope with a scorching summer. However, this doesn’t necessarily apply to seniors, and there’s a valid reasoning behind it. Even a mild drop in outside temperatures can lead to joint pain in old age.
What’s more, with ageing, the severity of joint pain tends to increase as well and it is downright necessary for seniors to handle it in the most efficient way possible. Here are some of the tips that might help you escape such joint pains in the future.
Stay active throughout winter
Let’s assume you go for walks regularly but choose to stay indoors for a couple of days amidst cold outside weather. This quickly leads to muscle tightness and bone stiffness, and this particular process is far more rapid during cold weather.
Hence, look to give your knee, ankle, shoulder and elbow joints some activity through mild warm-up and cardiovascular exercises.
- Stretching your arms up and down
- Rolling your shoulders forward and backward
- Rolling your wrists and ankles in a circular motion
- Brisk walking & similar exercise for knee joint pain
However, if you do have weak joints and are incapable of doing such exercises, you may even opt for physiotherapy. Athulya Home Healthcare offers physiotherapy at home – Chennai, Bangalore, and Kochi, covering a wide array of physical discomforts and complications.
Foods to avoid in monsoon
There are quite a lot of foods that tend to show their bad side during cold weather and can be even more hazardous for senior citizens. Let’s start with processed foods – Avoid consuming packaged food products that possess preservatives. Here are some of the food products that come under this particular category:
- Instant noodles
- Chips and crisps
- Cookies
- Ready-to-eat meals
- Bread
- Sauces
Then, there are fried food products that can cause a whole lot of damage to the elderly. Fries, burgers, samosa, etc, can cause inflammation in your body. But, of course, we’d advise you to stay away from these food products not only during winter but also during other seasons, considering their negative effect on your heart.
Do not consume over-cooked food as they are most likely to be out of all vital nutrients, consequently affecting the strength of your joints. Also, in case of unbearable pain, get home medicine delivery to reduce the risk of further worsening the situation with mobility.
Stay warm and cosy
One of the biggest tasks during winter is to maintain an optimal body temperature. But, how could you accomplish this feat? Well, here you go!
Wear proper clothing. If necessary, consider wearing even two layers of clothing which is easily the most efficient way to stay warm and cosy. Also, consider taking hot showers which could add a bit of resistance against your body temperature dipping.
Diet for strong bones during winter
Staying active throughout winter is not the only factor that’s going to keep your bone joints healthy. You must also plan a proper diet that could provide much-needed assistance in maintaining bone strength.
- Try to have seasonal fruits and vegetables between meals
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, as winter has proven to hinder humans from feeling thirsty.
- If needed, take Vitamin D-based food or supplements to avoid bone pain.
If possible, try infusing the below-mentioned food items into your daily meals:-
- Ginger & Garlic
- Olive oil & Mustard oil
- Fruits (Oranges, Berries, and others)
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Green Tea
- Soybeans
Get a massage to ease off the pain
Need a break from walking every day? Try getting a massage instead. Not only does a massage relax your body, but also warms up your body. Studies have proven that getting a massage once a week for at least eight weeks reduces bone pain.
Quite interestingly, that’s not it! Massages also help in reducing stress and lowering heart rate and blood pressure.
Check out Athulya Home Care Services
If you fear that your bone joint problems are only getting worse with time, we suggest you book a home visit from Athulya Physiotherapy Healthcare. This renowned healthcare has multiple specialists and medical experts who are well capable of understanding the root cause of your bone problems.
Athulya Homecare schedules therapy sessions at your convenience and promises a smooth recovery from all kinds of bone-related issues.
