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Joint inflammation and stiffness can be frustrating to put up with. Ease stiffness and bring down inflammation with our self-care tips for sore and achy joints.
Summary
1What are inflamed and stiff joints?
Our joints are points in our body where two bones meet or join. If your joints become inflamed, you may notice symptoms like flushed red skin, pain...
2What causes joint stiffness and inflammation?
From injuries to ageing to long-term medical conditions, there are many possible causes of joint pain and stiffness...
3Treatment for joint inflammation and stiffness
Although joint pain can be niggling and persistent, at-home treatments and self-care can work wonders to reduce your levels of stiffness and inflam...
Inflamed and stiff joints can be a real pain, literally!
So if you roll out of bed feeling achy, sore and stiff, or generally feel like your joints are against you, this article is just what you need.
Joint inflammation and stiffness can affect your day-to-day and can be tiring and frustrating to put up with. Join us as we discover some of the main causes and highlight what you can do to treat your symptoms and stay active.
What are inflamed and stiff joints?
Our joints are points in our body where two bones meet or join. If your joints become inflamed, you may notice symptoms like flushed red skin, pain or tenderness, swelling and heat around the joint.1 This can lead to pain and irritation, leaving your joints feeling stiff and achy.2
Depending on the cause of your joint discomfort, you may feel most stiff in the morning, with your joints loosening up after a few hours of movement and activity.2 However, your stiffness may also get worse as the day progresses.2
While we can experience inflammation and stiffness in any joint in the body, the hands, feet, hips, knees and spine are typically the areas most commonly affected.3
What causes joint stiffness and inflammation?
From injuries to ageing to long-term medical conditions, there are many possible causes of joint pain and stiffness. Some of the main examples typically include sprains and strains, tendonitis, wear and tear on our joints as we get older, and long-term conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.2-7
You can find out more about the causes, symptoms and treatments of joint pain in our dedicated joint pain guide.
When to see a doctor
It’s important to see your GP if you’ve been experiencing joint stiffness and inflammation for more than two weeks, the pain is getting worse or affecting your normal activities and sleep.3
They’ll be able to determine the cause of your symptoms and provide any medical treatment if you need it.
Treatment for joint inflammation and stiffness
Although joint pain can be niggling and persistent, at-home treatments and self-care can work wonders to reduce your levels of stiffness and inflammation.
Here are a few of our favourite ways to help soothe your sore and achy joints.
Hot and cold therapy applied to your joints can act as temporary pain relief and help bring down inflammation.8,9
Heat therapy works to reduce stiffness by increasing your body’s circulation.3 So why not try applying a heating pad or hot water bottle, or having a soak in a warm bath or shower?
For the best results, you should apply your chosen heat therapy to your affected joints for around 15 to 30 minutes every two hours.9
Always remember to wrap heating pads and hot water bottles in a towel or cloth to prevent your skin from overheating or burning.8,9
Applying cold packs or compresses (a bag of frozen peas works perfectly) can also help to reduce swelling and inflammation in your joints. Protect your skin by wrapping whichever cold pack you decide to use in a towel, before holding it on your affected joint for ten to 15 minutes at a time, reapplying every two hours.8,9
Taking over-the-counter pain relief, like paracetamol and ibuprofen, alongside these therapies can also be helpful.3
If you decide to enjoy a lovely warm bath for your heat therapy, it might help stiff joints even further to add in a generous sprinkle of Epsom salts.
Although the benefits of an Epsom salt bath haven’t been scientifically proven, they’ve been used traditionally for hundreds of years to help ease muscle soreness and stiff joints.10
The thinking behind this therapy is that your body may be able to absorb small quantities of magnesium and sulphate through your skin, which could help with the relaxation and functioning of your joints.10,11
Take a look at our guide to using Epsom salts for more tips on drawing the perfect bath.
Making sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs can go a long way in helping it function well, and this includes keeping your joints healthy, moving and pain-free.
That said, however, it can be difficult to get the right levels of minerals and vitamins through your diet alone, which is why certain supplements can be a great way of relieving and protecting your joints with professional medical guidance.
First up is omega-3 fatty acids. Found in fish oil supplements and flaxseed, omega-3 is thought to possess strong anti-inflammatory properties and has been found, in very few studies, to potentially reduce joint pain, stiffness and swelling.12–14 Simply take your supplement if recommended by your doctor or sprinkle some flaxseeds on your food to up your intake.
Emerging research has also found that a sugar called glucosamine sulphate could play an important role in relieving joint pain and swelling, and may support healthy cartilage (a type of tissue found between joints and bones) in those who have osteoarthritis. Scientific data, however, is limited and further research in humans is needed. 13,14
A yellow chemical called curcumin, commonly found in turmeric, is also believed to have positive anti-inflammatory effects on the joints, helping reduce swelling and tenderness of the joints. There are, however, limitations, and higher-quality studies are needed.15,16
For more information on how supplements can help relieve your joint pain, take a look at our guide to joint care supplements.
While high-impact exercises such as running, aerobics and sports can be great for our physical and mental health, sometimes they can be too much for our joints.2
If you’re experiencing inflammation and swelling in your joints, especially after exercise, we recommend taking things down a notch and opting for more low-impact types of exercise. This includes activities like walking, cycling, swimming and stretching.17
Low-impact exercise will still get your heart rate up, so you’ll reap all the physical benefits, but your joints will be under much less strain. Low-impact workouts can also help strengthen the muscles that support, protect and move your joints and improve the range of motion of your joints (how far they bend or move), resulting in less joint pain overall.7,17
By swapping your HIIT class for a yoga class instead, your joints might be much happier.18
Exercising regularly can also help you maintain a healthy weight, or lose some extra weight you might be carrying. This can help reduce the impact and strain put on joints in your back, hips and knees.7,19
The final say
From doing laps in the pool to supporting your diet with joint-friendly supplements, there are plenty of things you can do at home to reduce your discomfort and stay loosey-goosey.
Just remember, if you’ve been sore for more than a couple of weeks, or if your movement is impacted, it’s best to get checked out by a doctor – it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
The advice in this article is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP or healthcare professional before trying any supplements, treatments or remedies. Food supplements must not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet, and a healthy lifestyle.
- 1. Juneja P, Munjal A, Hubbard JB. Anatomy, Joints [Internet]. Nih.gov. StatPearls Publishing; 2024 [cited 2024 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507893/
- 2. MSD Manual Consumer Version. Joint stiffness [Internet]. [cited 2024 March 11]. Available from: https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/home/bone,-joint,-and-muscle-disorders/symptoms-of-musculoskeletal-disorders/joint-stiffness.
- 3. NHS. Joint pain. [Internet]. [cited 2024 March 11]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/joint-pain/.
- 4. NHS. Arthritis. [Internet].[cited 2024 March 11]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/arthritis/.
- 5. Quintero JA, Raluchukwu Attah, Khianey R, Capitle E, Schutzer SE. Arthritis and Diagnostics in Lyme Disease. Tropical medicine and infectious disease [Internet]. 2021 Jan 29 [cited 2024 Jun 10];6(1):18–8. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7931108/
- 6. NHS. Bone cancer - Symptoms. [Internet]. [cited 2024 March 11]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bone-cancer/symptoms/.
- 7. Physical Activity for Arthritis [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2024 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/physical-activity/index.html#
- 8. Villa-Forte A. Joint Pain: Many Joints [Internet]. MSD Manual Consumer Version. MSD Manuals; 2023 [cited 2024 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/home/bone,-joint,-and-muscle-disorders/symptoms-of-musculoskeletal-disorders/joint-pain-many-joints
- 9. NHS. Ice and Heat Therapy [Internet]. [cited 2024 March 11]. Available from: https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ice-and-heat-therapy.pdf.
- 10. Damor DC, et al. A comparative study to assess the effectiveness of epsom salt with hot water versus plain water on pain and functional performance among arthritis patients at selected hospital, udaipur. Int J Health Sci Res [Internet]. 2023 Sep 12 [cited 2024 March 11];13(9):137–49. Available from: https://www.ijhsr.org/IJHSR_Vol.13_Issue.9_Sep2023/IJHSR21.pdf.
- 11. Gröber U, et al. Myth or reality—transdermal magnesium? Nutrients [Internet]. 2017 Jul 28 [cited 2024 March 11];9(8):813. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579607/.
- 12. Kostoglou-Athanassiou, I., et al. The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on rheumatoid arthritis. Mediterr J Rheumatol. 2020];31(2):190–4. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362115/.
- 13. Cordingley, DM., et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for the management of osteoarthritis: a narrative review. Nutrients. 2022;14(16):3362. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9413343/.
- 14. Glucosamine [Internet]. Versus Arthritis. 2018 [cited 2024 Jun 10]. Available from: https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/types-of-complementary-treatments/glucosamine/
- 15. Peng, Y., et al. Anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin in the inflammatory diseases: status, limitations and countermeasures. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:4503–25. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8572027/.
- 16. Calderón-Pérez L, Elisabet Llauradó, Judit Companys, Pla-Pagà L, Noemí Boqué, Francesc Puiggrós, et al. Acute Effects of Turmeric Extracts on Knee Joint Pain: A Pilot, Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medicinal food [Internet]. 2021 Apr 1 [cited 2024 Jun 10];24(4):436–40. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8080919/
- 17. NIAMS. Exercise for Your Bone Health [Internet]. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. 2023 [cited 2024 Jun 10]. Available from: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/exercise-your-bone-health
- 18. Fishman LM. Yoga and Bone Health. Orthopedic nursing [Internet]. 2021 May 1 [cited 2024 Jun 10];40(3):169–79. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34004616/
- 19. Arthritis Foundation. Fat and Arthritis. [Internet]. [cited 2024 March 11]. Available from: https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/fat-and-arthritis.
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