Joints are where two or more bones meet in your body. There are many joints in the body: hips, shoulders, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, and there are even others. Joints move freely and smoothly because of the tissue between the bones. The swelling occurs when fluids build up in those tissues. Luckily, there are many home remedies for swollen joints that can help.

Causes of Swollen Joints

Joint swelling can be a sign of an underlying issue. Some of the underlying issues can include the following: dislocation; torn ligaments or tendons; gout; bone breaks; osteoarthritis; rheumatoid, septic, or psoriatic arthritis; and sprains.

What are Some Symptoms?

For the most part, the only symptoms are swelling, pain, discomfort, and or stiff in the affected joint.

If you have had a recent fall or injury, you should speak with your doctor to make sure that you are not suffering from one the mention causes. If you have broken or dislocated a bone, if you have arthritis or gout, if you are have torn or sprained a ligament or tendon, you need your doctor to give you proper medicine.

Home Remedies for Swollen Joints

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

When dealing with swollen joints, apple cider vinegar can help alleviate some of the pain. Apply the apple cider vinegar directly to the affected area or you can add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two tablespoons of honey to a glass of warm water and drink it. The drink should have the same effect as applying topically.

 

2. Epsom Salts

Magnesium is in abundance in Epsom salts. The magnesium helps the muscles to relax while helping to draw extra fluid from the joint tissues. Three times a week, take 15 to 20 baths with a half cup to a cup of Epsom salts and you should see some kind of improvement.

3. Ice and Heat

Ice packs can help the inflammation itself goes down and give the added benefit slightly numbing the affected area. A heating pad helps to get the blood flowing and this in itself can relax joints and muscles, thus easing the pain. You can use one for 10 minutes and then switch over the other. If that does not work, use one for ten minutes, wait five minutes, and then use the other for ten minutes.

 

4. Ginger

Ginger has components that stop inflammation and the stop of inflammation should lessen the pain that you are feeling. You can get ginger tea or add the spice to your meals. There are also lotions with ginger in it that you can buy over the counter or you can add ginger powder to lotions of your own to apply to the affected area.

5. Turmeric

Turmeric works very much in the same way as ginger, but it is much stronger. Many studies have shown that turmeric is just as strong as ibuprofen. You can get turmeric in teas and lotions.

 

6. R.I.C.E

This tip one that works for sprains and strains though should be able to help with breaks as well as the uncomfortableness in general. R.I.C.E stands for rest, ice, compress, and elevation.

Rest can help your body to heal more quickly; the ice helps to calm the pain and some of the swelling; the compression can be done with a real brace or with simply an elastic-cloth bandage; and elevating the swollen limb above your heart can help the swelling to go down.

 

7. Exercise

When you are suffering from swollen joints, the movement might be the last thing you want to do. However, gentle movement such as swimming, walking, and yoga can actually help the swelling a lot. Keeping a sore joint still can make the stiffness worse. You do not need to spend too much time (about 20 minutes a day) with exercise and do not push yourself. This tip most for those with arthritis.

8. Diet

This is another important tip for people with arthritis and gout. You want to keep yourself at a healthy weight. If you are overweight, it is more pressure than needed on your joints and can cause you even more pain. Being overweight can make your joints swell more and make them become stiffer.

 

9. Healthy Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are hugely important when it comes to keeping your body healthy and it can help to ease the pain and stiffness that can come with arthritis. You can get omega-3 from fish and some nuts.

 

10. Vitamin D

Calcium is important for keeping the body healthy because it supports bones, neurons, and does a lot more than just those two things. Vitamin D helps you to absorb the calcium that you are getting. To get vitamin D, you can eat more eggs, fish, and dairy products. You can also take vitamin D supplement pills or spend more time in the sun.

11. Dietary Changes

There are different foods that you can add to your diet that can help to clear your body of the inflammation. You should add whole grains, garlic, olive oil, fruits, fish, veggies, onions, and nuts to your diet.

 

12. Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is amazing because it stops the production of a stress hormone. Without the stress hormone, you should feel less pain because the lavender oil will be able to calm some the swollen joints. You can put a drop or two of the lavender oil into a lotion and work it into your skin or you can use for aromatherapy.

13. Do the Dishes

This tip more for those of you who are unfortunate enough to suffer from arthritis. The gentle heat of the water can help to calm the tightness of the muscles and joints in your fingers and hands. The gentle and repeated exercise of cleaning the dishes can also help to further relax your hands by gently loosening them.

 

14. Capsaicin Cream

This is something that should be able to help you with the pain in your joints that comes with the swelling because the ingredients in this homemade paste stop a compound that is known and substance P. Now, this substance P is something that sends pain signals to the brain.

To make the mixture, you need two or three teaspoons of olive oil and enough ground up cayenne to get a paste or cream like consistency. You then apply the cream to the painful joint a few times a day. Do not be surprised if the first couple of times it gives you a light burning feeling. That will go away after a week or so.

 

15. Green Tea

Green tea anti-inflammatories and is amazing at lessening cartilage damage because of the detoxing bowers it has. Try to enjoy three or four cups of the tea a day to feel the best results.

16. Chamomile Tea

This tea is not to be drunk, but to be applied right the joint that is giving your trouble. To make this mixture, you use a normal amount of water as you would for a single serving, but you use four tea bags and let it steep for 20 minutes while being covered. When the 20 minutes are you up, you need to squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the bags. With a cloth, you can then apply the tea to the painful joint.

This chamomile tea mixture works so well because it has anti-inflammatories that help to ease swelling and thus the pain of the swelling.

17. Cloves

Adding even just half of a teaspoon of cloves to your daily diet can lessen the pain and inflammation in your joints while helping your body not to get arthritis.

 

18. Music

This one might sound a little crazy, but it is really interesting. Studies have found that listening to your favorite music can help to lessen most kinds of pain because hear the music that you like can trigger hormones that make you feel pleasure. So whether this just placebo or if it really does help, is there really a point in questioning how something so simple works if it works well enough?      

Which of these home remedies for swollen joints will you try? Comment below!

 

Sources

https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/natural-arthritis-remedies/

https://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/arthritis-natural-relief#qa

https://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/knee-pain-home-remedies#rice

https://arrowheadhealth.com/home-remedies-for-muscle-and-joint-pain/

https://www.healthline.com/symptom/joint-swelling    

Cover Photo by Becky Stern