Support Joint Health Naturally
Regardless of your patient’s age, joint inflammation is a possibility. There’s a they could be experiencing joint pain. It could be a matter of genetics, overuse, or a temporary injury. But it’s also true that joint inflammation is more common as the body ages — cartilage breaks down, lubrication isn’t as consistent or as easily made, and tendons get worn out.
People who experience joint inflammation are more likely to slow down or become more stationary because they assume that physical activity will only exacerbate the problem. This is particularly stressful for patients who were once very active, or would still like to be. Of course, as a practitioner, you know that while rest is certainly beneficial, it isn’t always the best course of action.
The good news for frustrated patients is that there are natural ways to support joint health — regardless of age — through both food and supplements. Here are some of the potential causes of inflammation, supplements that could help support the body, some foods to eat, and others to avoid.
Common Causes of Joint Inflammation
There are many causes of joint inflammation — some are chronic, and others are temporary — which may be managed with proper nutrition and natural therapies. However, the way in which you choose to address the inflammation may vary according to the type your patient is experiencing.
One of the most common ways in which joints become inflamed is simply overuse and strenuous exercise.
Overuse and Exercise
Joints can become inflamed from overuse. Of course, the term “overuse” is relative, and different for everyone. Someone who sits at a desk all day for their job, but walks around a theme park for a few days on vacation may experience stiff, aching knees or lower back pain because their body isn’t used to moving that much.
People who are just beginning to exercise after a long period of time away from such a routine, or those who are learning new techniques (like Barre, CrossFit, or Pilates) may find that their joints flare up and fight back a bit. Joints might get creaky and ache even when the patient is stationary, or twinge when they move.
Joint inflammation due to overuse and exercise can be remedied over time by the RICE method, which is an acronym standing for:
- Rest – This is relatively self-explanatory. Joint inflammation caused by overuse and exercise can be alleviated by periods of not using the joint very much. This doesn’t have to mean complete immobility, but sitting instead of standing is preferred in this case.
- Ice – Cold temperature treatments, or cryotherapy, restricts blood flow to the area, which makes it a very effective treatment for both inflammation and swelling (of course, swelling can also increase pain, especially in joints). The cold also dampens nerve activity, which decreases pain levels because the brain literally doesn’t get the signal. Some athletes have even taken to using whole body cryotherapy, which involves standing in a chamber for a period of time. This follows the same theory as sitting in an ice bath. Whether or not whole body cryotherapy is effective is .
- Compression – Wrapping the inflamed joint in a bandage or wearing a tight brace can help support the area while preventing swelling — provided that the bandage isn’t too tight.
- Elevation – Keeping the inflamed joint elevated above heart level helps reduce swelling pain, and throbbing. Elevation is helpful regardless of whether or not ice is being applied at the same time.
Damage to the Joint
Either through accidents, injuries, or overuse, joints and all their components can be damaged, leading to pain and inflammation. Bone erosions, ligament damage (such as tearing), and joint fusion (typically in vertebrae) can all be major barriers to keeping the body moving and active.
Understanding if your patient’s joint pain is caused by physical damage can be key in determining the best course of treatment, and how they can make lifestyle changes to avoid further damage in the future.
Muscle Weakness
One source of joint pain that patients often forget about has little to do with the joint itself, but instead is focused on the muscles surrounding the joint. Muscles take some of the pressure off joints, which can help alleviate minor aches and pains.
There are that patients with joint pain can strengthen their muscles — even low impact options can provide excellent benefits. For example, swimming is both cardiovascular and strength training. In many ways, it’s the perfect exercise.
For patients who may not be strong swimmers, there are water aerobics classes available at some gyms, which will still provide the strengthening benefits of water resistance, but will still be low impact, and won’t require anyone to do laps.
Foods to Support Joint Health
If your patients focus on incorporating into their diets, they can help reduce their joint pain. For most people, this is an important adjunctive therapy for both chronic and temporary joint inflammation.
Foods Commonly Linked to Inflammation
There are many foods that are frequently linked to inflammation in the body, and it should come as no surprise that the foods on the list are low in nutrients, and high in chemical additives and unhealthy fats.
- Processed and refined foods
- White flour-based baked goods (bread, pastries, etc)
- Fried foods
- Sugar
- Trans Fats (shortening, hydrogenated palm oils)
Because inflammation is a physical reaction of the immune system as it attempts to fight off a foreign body, it makes sense that highly processed foods would trigger such a response.
, professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, “some of the foods that have been associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease are also associated with excess inflammation.”
Furthermore, these foods are also often associated with weight gain — diets rich in processed foods, sugar, and fat don’t lend themselves to healthy weight and BMI. Weight gain also leads to excess pressure on joints, which can increase inflammation. However, Dr. Hu is careful to note that weight isn’t always a factor: “Some of the food components or ingredients may have independent effects on inflammation over and above increased caloric intake.”
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
While many diets discuss food restrictions as opposed to allowances, there are many foods that can help people with joint inflammation, including (but not limited to):
- Fatty fish and seafood (salmon, mackerel, tuna, crab, shrimp, oysters, mussels)
- Leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, collard greens)
- Legumes (peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas)
- Orange foods (sweet potatoes, oranges, carrots)
- Berries
- Cherries
- Nuts (walnuts, almonds)
- Seeds (flax, chia, pumpkin)
- Olive oil
- Ginger
- Turmeric
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is one of the most common anti-inflammatory diets because the foods it includes rarely inflame the body. This diet wasn’t “created” or “cultivated” the way something like Atkins or the South Beach Diet were — the Mediterranean Diet is simply a description of how people near the Mediterranean Sea eat on a daily basis. These healthy foods are readily available in this region of the world.
Researchers (specifically, Americans) began paying closer attention to the eating habits of the Mediterranean region after studies found that people who lived there were living longer, healthier lives and had decreased risk for many serious health conditions. Comparatively, they were faring much better than Americans.
The more we learn about how modeling our diets after those in the Mediterranean positively affects overall health, the more this type of diet is recommended to patients (regardless of age). Studies have shown that this diet is helpful for , , and lowering the risk of .
There’s actually some debate about which foods should be included in the “official” Mediterranean Diet because the residents of Mediterranean countries eat different foods — some fruits and vegetables might grow better in one country than others — but the basic principles are the same.
The Mediterranean Diet focuses on:
- Whole foods (as opposed to processed foods)
- Fatty fish at least twice per week
- Concentration on plant-based foods (lower meat intake)
- Lots of fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Healthy fats (mono and polyunsaturated fats, like avocados and olive oil)
- Herbs and spices
Supplement Ingredients to Support Joint Health
Glucosamine and Chondroitin
in joints is made from three different fibers: glycosaminoglycans (glucosamine, in part), proteoglycans (chondroitin), and collagen (specifically, collagen II, but more on that later). Of course, cartilage is the connective tissue that allows joints to move freely and keeps the bones from rubbing against each other, creating friction. The type of cartilage in joints is fibro, or fibrous cartilage and many practitioners consider it to be the strongest type of cartilage in the body.
Because they are two of the major building blocks of cartilage, many joint health supplements contain both glucosamine and chondroitin, though both can be purchased on their own.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is another type of glycosaminoglycan. It is a naturally occurring substance in the body, and its purpose within joints is to lubricate them. HA plays an important role in the protection of articular cartilage and the transport of nutrients to cartilage. Hyaluronic acid is present in other areas of the body as well (the other high concentration place in the body is in the skin and the eyes — again, lubrication).
In the joints, hyaluronic acid is crucial because cartilage doesn’t make its own lubricant — it doesn’t have blood vessels, nor does it have nerves. Furthermore, because cartilage doesn’t have blood vessels, it cannot heal as quickly as most other parts of the body. Cartilage needs hyaluronic acid to keep it healthy, flexible, and strong.
As is the case with collagen, we produce less endogenic hyaluronic acid as we age, which may contribute to joints feeling stiff.
Vitamin C
A fair amount of research has found that sufficient vitamin C intake can be helpful in supporting joint health and function. Researchers who conducted a systematic review of 38 years worth of studies “more weight rather than less weight seems to support the potential benefit of continuing to examine the role vitamin C might play” in joint health.
However, some research suggests that too much can have a negative effect. found that “higher vitamin C intake was associated with lower average cartilage T2, medial tibia T2 and medial tibia WORMS.
What we do know is that the body needs access to vitamin C in order to make collagen, which brings us to another important part of maintaining joint health.
Collagen II
is the most abundant protein present in the human body. While there are with multiple different functions, the amino acids present in collagen play an important role in building and maintaining cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Because of its many different purposes, collagen is often referred to as the “scaffolding” of the body.
All in all, collagen II makes up about two-thirds of cartilage, ligaments are about three-fourths collagen, and tendons are almost entirely made of collagen. It should go without saying that collagen is a significant factor in joint health and function.
Unfortunately, as the body ages, we deplete our collagen supply faster than our bodies can replace it via natural production. Over time, this affects the way our joints can move and physically support us.
To that end, a collagen II supplement may help support joint health. The theory behind this is that collagen can also help stimulate your body’s natural ability to make its own collagen, which would support existing cartilage.
Collagen supplements are not miracle workers, but have shown that people who take it report less joint pain.
Finding the Right Solution for Each Patient
Because each body and each person is different, there’s likely to be some trial and error when identifying activities or foods that trigger inflammation, or finding solutions that help decrease joint pain. For this reason, it’s a good idea to encourage your patients to keep a log or journal (even just a note on their phone) detailing how they feel day-by-day.
Some important things to include in this journal are:
- Their physical activity level
- What foods and beverages they consumed
- How much water they drank
- Any medications or supplements they took
Having all of this information written down can help both patients and practitioners identify patterns. For example, some people find that sugar is a trigger for inflammation. Their joints might not ache the day they ate an ice cream cone, but they do the following day. Having all of this data logged helps cut down on the guesswork, and allows for more accurate and targeted experimentation to find out exactly what works for each individual patient.
And of course, we’re here to help! We have plenty of resources for you and your patients to learn more about how to support joint health in everyday life.
Are you interested in learning more about joint health? Check out these articles with additional pro tips: