One of the many reasons that people retire to Florida is that as we age, especially if we have sustained injuries, the cold weather may cause us to feel stiff and achy and even bring on pain.
Even living in Florida there are a few weeks of the year where the air chills and you may experience a difference physically even here in the tropics.
If you have arthritis in any of your joints those are the hardest hit. This is true for both inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis. You can literally feel it in your bones. The fall in barometric pressure that happens with a cold front is one possible explanation. It can cause joints to expand resulting in pain.
Additionally, colder weather can increase the thickness of synovial fluid which acts as the shock absorber for your joints. It can make you feel stiffer and more susceptible to pain. The answer may even be buried as deep as being encoded at your DNA level. Genes that are found to promote inflammation are increased during winter while genes that decrease inflammation are suppressed.
Winter doesn’t have to mean pain. We have a few tips to help.
Stay active: Physical activity helps to relieve pain. So do not skip those walks or work outs. Even gentle range of motion exercises are very helpful if you are not up for a full walk or cannot make it to the gym.
Keep Warm: Heat is helpful for keeping blood flowing to the joints. Warm showers, baths, warmer clothing, heating pads, electric blankets, gloves, warm tea or coffee, whatever you can do to warm up, it can help.
If your hands get cold and painful: try compression gloves. They will help your circulatory system keep the blood flowing easily in and out of your extremities.
Keep your Vitamin D levels up: We lack sunlight skin exposure in the winter due to cold, so your body isn’t naturally making as much. You need a minimum of 700IU Vitamin D a day to keep your body running well. Keep in mind some arthritis drugs can interfere with and drop your vitamin D level. Supplement if needed.
Get Adjusted: Eliminating subluxations can help your body move better mechanically. It helps your nervous system send messages to all of your organs and can alleviate pressure and pain even for arthritis sufferers.
Make your appointment today with the office of Kaster Chiropractic. 239-332-2555.
Chiropractor | Nutritionist in Ft Myers, FL.
Chiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent it as soon as possible?
Kaster Chiropractic and Associates – Chiropractic and nutrition in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.
239-332-2555