Pain & Inflammation Archives - Synergy Rehab & Wellness

Pain and Inflammation Could Be a Thing of the Past with Diet Changes!

Did You Know a Nutritional Diet Could Help You Beat Your Pain?

Are you experiencing pain and inflammation in your joints? Many people may not realize that nutrition can play a crucial role in preventing and even eliminating these conditions in the body.

It’s important to understand what pain and inflammation are, the causes and symptoms, and how both nutrition and physical therapy can help.

Our innovative care strategies at Synergy Rehab and Wellness will help you find quick relief. Contact Synergy Rehab and Wellness regarding how we can help treat your pain and inflammation.

What’s the cause of my pain and inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s natural response when it’s trying to heal or protect itself. This, of course, is usually a good thing.

Inflammation is harmful when it becomes a chronic condition. Pain and inflammation are often connected.

According to Harvard Health, chronic inflammation can also lead to a variety of health ailments such as heart disease and diabetes.

What can I do about my pain and inflammation?

Nutrition can play a major role in how much pain and inflammation you struggle with. You may be eating foods that contribute to increased inflammation throughout the body. There are several types of foods that are known to cause inflammation.

The following are those most often consumed that can contribute to these conditions:

Processed Meats – Smoked meats, sausage, and bacon are normally processed and contain high amounts of sodium. Eating these foods can increase inflammation.
Added Sugar – Foods that have added sugar that isn’t naturally occurring can increase inflammation. Regular table sugar and corn syrup with high-fructose are the two main types of added sugar.
White Bread & Pasta – These refined carbs are often referred to as “empty calories” and can cause excessive weight gain, which can lead to inflammation.

Even what you drink can affect pain and inflammation. Soda is one of the worst culprits. Most sodas not only contain lots of sugar but unhealthy preservatives such as sodium benzoate. Excessive amounts of alcohol should also be avoided.

In addition to avoiding or limiting certain foods, there are many healthy foods you should include in your diet:

Fish – Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can naturally reduce inflammation. Salmon, cod, tuna, bass, and halibut are all great choices.
Garlic – By itself garlic may not be very appetizing, but it can add flavor to countless dishes. Garlic contains diallyl disulfide, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Beans – Try pinto, garbanzo, red, or black beans. They’re all good for easing inflammation and are also good sources of protein and fiber.

There are several symptoms associated with inflammation. These often include swelling, redness, joint pain and stiffness.

If you’re suffering from pain and inflammation changing your diet could improve your muscles, joints, and overall health.

Pairing physical therapy with nutrition

While changing your diet is a good start, it may not be enough to eliminate ongoing inflammation and pain. Physical therapy may be able to help reduce or even eliminate the pain you’re experiencing.

There are several methods a physical therapist may use. A few techniques could include manual therapies, dry needling, or even ultrasound treatments.

More basic methods might include using heat or ice therapy. A physical therapist may even give you stretching and motion exercises you can do at home.

Say goodbye to your pain

You would be surprised to find out that many still are unaware of the relationship between a healthy body and good eating habits. The benefits of this lifestyle have been proven time and time again as an efficient and surgery and prescription free way of treatment.

Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects multiple parts of the body, wearing down cartilage at the ends of bones causing them to rub against each other. It’s the most common form of arthritis and millions of people struggle with it everyday.

According to a study conducted in 2014, evidence collected during it suggested that patients with Osteoarthritis benefited from an improved diet and exercise, helping to alleviate the pain in overweight and obese patients.

Healthier living should always begin with physical therapy, people who can recommend the right steps and directions to take to help you achieve a healthier body.

This can include them giving you the tools and advice you need to, or a referral to a dietitian or someone else who can help.

Ready to find relief?

Closely watching what you eat and drink may be able to dramatically decrease the pain and inflammation you experience. The American Physical Therapy Association states that there is an obvious link between nutrition and pain.

Physical therapy may also help as well. Make sure to find a physical therapist that has experience specifically treating pain and inflammation.

Call Synergy Rehab and Wellness today to receive more information.

How to Relieve Your Aches and Pains Once and For All

Do you ever wake up feeling stiff and achy, as if your body is being weighed down by a pile of bricks? Everyone wakes up feeling like this from time to time – you might have had a tough workout the day before, you might have spent an excessive amount of time on your feet running errands, or you might even be coming down with a cold. These are all common reasons why people might wake up feeling achy. However, if you find that it becomes a frequent occurrence, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for your pain or stiffness, you may want to contact a physical therapist. Stiff and achy joints may certainly be the product of a minor issue that can be easily remedied. In other cases, it could be due to a larger, underlying issue that a doctor may have to diagnose. Whatever the case may be, physical therapy can help. Give Synergy Rehab & Wellness a call today to see how we can relieve your aches and pains!

Why do I ache in the mornings?

Sometimes your joint tissues can become irritated from overuse throughout the day, without you even realizing. When you fall asleep, you are almost completely immobile for several hours, which can cause inflammation of the tissues to grow thicker and further irritate the affected area. As a result, you wake up in the morning feeling stiff and achy. In most cases, this feeling will begin to ease quickly, after you get up and walk around. This is because movement causes the inflammation to become liquid-like, allowing pain to lessen. A simple remedy to avoiding achy morning wake-up calls is hydration. Staying hydrated allows your body’s tissues to function at their normal pace, whereas dehydration slows down your chemical processes. This will keep your tissues from becoming overly inflamed, easing irritation.

What if it’s more serious?

If your doctor has diagnosed you with a more serious medical condition that impacts your joints and tissues, physical therapy may be the next step. It is a common and effective treatment plan for pain relief that most doctors will suggest. Here are some of the most common ailments that can be relieved with the guidance of a physical therapist:

Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Gout
Bursitis
Lupus
Bone cancer

All of these conditions can cause aches, pains, and stiffness. Physical therapy treatment plans for these conditions will focus on helping you achieve a greater range of motion in your affected joints or limbs, in addition to providing pain relief. These work to improve overall function and help you get back to your normal mobility.

Tips for maintaining limber joints:

Your physical therapy regimen will be dependent upon your specific symptoms and/or diagnosis. However, many physical therapists will also suggest at-home remedies, in addition to your specialized treatment plan. Here are some tips that your physical therapist will likely share with you on your journey toward wellness:

Sleep it off. Getting a good night’s sleep creates an endless cycle of benefits, especially when it comes to physical therapy. Sufficient amounts of sleep will increase your ability to exercise effectively, which in turn will help you sleep better at night. Your sleep and exercise habits go hand-in-hand, and the results of one will always affect the other.
Eat right. Consumption of brightly colored fruits and vegetables can help alleviate pain. These healthy foods have more antioxidants and vitamins, which fight off the inflammation that leads to pain and irritation. A better diet also helps you to get better sleep and helps your body receive more benefit from exercise – thus, adding to the endless cycle of benefits.
Stand up straighter. Proper posture is a great way to avoid unnecessary aches and pains. If your work requires you to sit at a desk for long hours, or if you stay sedentary for long periods of time every day, try to get up every half hour for some light stretches. Relieve joint pain by moving around and keeping your circulation going. Try to avoid slouching or hunching at your desk, making sure that your spine is straight and your shoulders are back.

Physical therapy can help:

You don’t have to be an athlete to work with a physical therapist. In fact, you don’t even have to be in shape to work with a physical therapist. Many people avoid physical therapy due to embarrassment, but your physical therapist will help you create a treatment plan for your specific needs, and he or she will never judge you. Rather, he or she will encourage and support all the achievements you make along the way! Most of the exercises and stretches that your therapist will recommend are simple to perform and don’t require any special equipment — and most of our patients are just regular people (not super athletes.) We would love to help you along your journey toward long-lasting pain relief. Call our office to schedule an appointment today, and we’ll help you solve your aches and pains once and for all!

Eating Right: A Simple Technique for Reducing Pain and Inflammation

Do you deal with chronic pain or inflammation in your daily life? It isn’t uncommon, but it is avoidable. While exercise is a crucial part of your physical therapy regimen, proper nutrition can also play an important role. The foods you eat work to fuel your body and eating the right ones can help you recover much quicker from painful or uncomfortable conditions. Exercising regularly, reducing your stress intake, and keeping a strict nutritional diet all work together to help limit and alleviate your pain and inflammation. For more information on how nutrition can help you, contact Synergy Rehab & Wellness today at our Verona, VA, or Waynesboro, VA location – to schedule a consultation with one of our physical therapists.

Why we experience inflammation:

Your immune system can naturally respond to injury, ailment, or other harm through inflammation. If you have an infection, wound, tissue damage, or buildup of toxins in your body, the immune response is triggered to deal with it. Without inflammation, injuries wouldn’t be able to heal; however, if this process goes on for too long, chronic inflammation can occur. This can lead to serious health conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, or even some cancers. If you experience persistent pain, it is wise to contact a physical therapist as soon as possible, as it may mean that the inflammation has become chronic.

Traditionally, chronic inflammation has been treated through strict rest and medication. However, a lack of exercise can actually make inflammation worse, as it constricts joints and causes muscles to stiffen. Additionally, medications come with a whole slew of side effects, some of which can be dangerous and/or habit-forming. Luckily, pain and inflammation can be treated in much easier and healthier ways – such as diet.

Beat inflammation with a nutritional diet!

Nutritionists have had patients report great success in turning around their symptoms by adopting an anti-inflammatory diet. Inflammation is your body’s way of trying to heal, which can be accelerated through a nutritional diet that complements the removal of toxins.

The three basic components of an anti-inflammatory diet are:

Lots of veggies!

Raw broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage are the best options when sustaining an anti-inflammatory diet. They can be cooked if you prefer, but raw vegetables are generally better for speeding up the inflammation process. You’ll want to eat up to nine servings per day, and you can substitute fruits for a couple of those servings to break it up, if it becomes too much. Otherwise, the timeless saying “eat your veggies,” is key.

Take it easy on grains and dairy.

In order to strengthen your body’s immune response, you’ll want to avoid simple carbs and sugars. Unfortunately, that means no donuts, no pastries, and no white breads. Dairy products should also be extremely limited, so very little cheese or milk with anything. Whole grains, such as barley, oats, brown rice, and wheat are best.

Avoid red meat altogether.

It is best to avoid red meat while participating in an anti-inflammatory diet. If this proves difficult, red meat is okay in small doses; however, it should be an extremely rare treat in your diet. The proteins in red meat require extra work from your kidneys to process, so it will slow down the healing process if you eat a lot of it. One small piece of steak, one time per week, should be your maximum limit. Luckily, chicken and fish are just fine for an anti-inflammatory diet. Enjoy them with all of those servings of vegetables!

More helpful tips:

If you stick to the diet listed above, you should see your pain and inflammation symptoms start to reduce very quickly. In addition to a nutritional diet, you can also help fight inflammation through:

Weight loss: If you have some unwanted weight, getting down to your ideal body weight will help with your pain and inflammation.
Stress management: If you’re feeling mentally stressed, your body can become physically stressed – causing more inflammation and a longer recovery rate. Taking time to relax can actually allow you to heal quicker!
Daily exercise: Exercise will keep the muscles warm, which can alleviate pain or stiffness, and stop the inflammation from becoming worse.

Contact us today if you’d like to speak with a physical therapist about pain management or additional advice on how to reduce inflammation!

An Active Lifestyle Can Improve Your Health. Try These 5 Activities to Get Moving.

If you spend your days hobbling painfully from your bed to your reclining chair and back, the notion of pursuing any kind of vigorous activity may be the furthest thing from your mind. The truth, however, is that getting active can vastly improve your health, your comfort, mobility, and overall quality of life. Here are five activity suggestions from our physical therapist that you might genuinely enjoy adding to your lifestyle.

Activity #1: Walking

Walking is one of those ideal activities that requires no special equipment and makes perfect practical sense. If you have to make a short trip, why waste gasoline when you can get some fresh air and low-impact exercise instead? Walking gives your circulation a healthy boost without making excessive demands on your body. It also gets your weight-bearing joints moving — and that’s a huge benefit if you struggle with arthritis.

Activity #2: Running

Running is more demanding on the heart, lungs, and knees than walking, but these demands can turn to be very good for what ails you. The famous “runner’s high” you may have heard so much about seems to offer its own pain-reducing benefits for chronic pain sufferers. The phrase “No pain, no gain” also seems to apply here. That routine e you get from running could encourage your brain to step down its baseline pain sensitivity, making your other aches and pains seem less bothersome.

Activity #3: Cycling

Cycling gets you where you want to go while offering a number of health benefits. The aerobic workout can help you improve your heart health, while the simple act of operating the bike exercises your balance and builds leg strength. If you have back pain or knee problems, cycling is also lower-impact than running.

Activity #4: Swimming

If even walking hurts too much these days, maybe you should take a dip in the pool instead. Swimming is tremendously helpful for people with arthritis or extremity injuries because the water eases the forces of gravity on the body. Even if you can’t swim, try some healthy walking or dog-paddling in the water.

Activity #5: Weight Training

Lifting weights isn’t just for “muscle-heads.” Weight training can help you build the muscle tissue that helps to support your joints. Stronger muscles tire less easily and are less vulnerable to painful strains. Working with weights also helps you maintain your bone density and avoid age-related muscle wasting.

Part of Your Balanced Physical Therapy Program

You can pursue any or all of these activities at your leisure, or you can ask our physical therapist about integrating them into a full-scale physical therapy program. The latter approach could prove especially wise if you’re rehabilitating an injury, unsure of your exercise tolerance, or battling a particular chronic pain issue.

Our physical therapist can evaluate your health and prescribe the right activities for your needs and goals. At the same time, you may be able to enhance the benefits of your activities with other safe, helpful modalities such as massage, ultrasound therapy, dry needling, cold and heat treatments, acupuncture or laser therapy. These therapies can promote tissue repair, ease inflammation, reduce pain, and increase your ability to keep moving and having a great time.

Don’t Take Pain or Illness Lying Down — Get Moving and Visit Our Physical Therapy Center

Life is too wonderful to spend it in bed or in your chair. Get up right now and schedule a visit to Synergy Rehab & Wellness Center. It’s the healthiest move you could possibly make!

Did You Know Nutrition Can Relieve Pain and Inflammation?

Are you living with chronic pain or inflammation? If so, there may be a simple solution for you: changing your eating habits. Proper nutrition can play an important role in managing your discomfort. Many people live with chronic pains every day, unaware that simply eating the right foods can actually help them find relief. Maintaining a healthy diet, in addition to frequent exercise and reduced stress, can help alleviate your inflammation and chronic pain. For more information on how nutrition can help you find relief, contact Synergy Rehab & Wellness in Staunton and Waynesboro, VA today.

Why do we experience inflammation?

In many cases, inflammation is natural. Without inflammation, injuries would not be able to heal completely. It is the body’s way of promoting healing in response to physical harm or sickness. Pain and inflammation typically go hand-in-hand, so if you are feeling pain in a certain area, there’s a good chance that it’s also inflamed. With any wound, infection, tissue damage, or buildup of toxins in your body, your immune response will be triggered in order to initiate the healing process, thus resulting in inflammation.

While inflammation generally is a positive response, chronic inflammation can be an indication of a deeper underlying condition. Without treatment, chronic inflammation can lead to much worse outcomes, such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. If your pain or inflammation has persisted for three months or longer, it is important to consult with a physical therapist as soon as possible, in order to get it under control.

Treating pain and inflammation with nutritious foods is a natural, easy, and healthy way to ease your discomfort.

A nutritious, anti-inflammatory diet:

Several patients who choose to participate in an anti-inflammatory diet report a significant decrease in symptoms. You can help speed up the healing process as the body purifies itself during the inflammation process by switching to a diet that complements the removal of toxins. The three basic components to an anti-inflammatory diet include:

Less dairy and grains. In order to strengthen your body’s immune response as much as possible, you’ll want to try and avoid simple carbs and sugars completely. That means no pastries, no donuts, and no white breads. Dairy products should also be extremely limited, so be mindful of serving very little cheese or milk with anything. Whole grains such as barley, oats, brown rice, and wheat are best when practicing an anti-inflammatory diet.
Less red meat. It is best to avoid red meat altogether in an anti-inflammatory diet, but if you must add some in there, it should be very scarce. One small piece of steak, one time per week, should be your maximum limit. The proteins in red meat require extra work from your kidneys to process; therefore, eating a lot of it will slow down your healing process. The good news is that chicken and fish are just fine for an anti-inflammatory diet.
More vegetables. One of the best ways to reduce inflammation is to increase your veggie intake. This diet is most successful if you eat up to nine servings a day, with the vegetables preferably served raw. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli are some the best options. It is okay to substitute fruits for a couple of your servings, in order to break it up, but vegetables should be your main ingredient for the most part.

Contact us for assistance:

The diet above should help reduce your pain and inflammation. Additional steps you can take to relieve discomfort and improve your health include exercising daily, managing your stress, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

If these tips don’t prove to be successful, or if you’d like more assistance in making them a part of your everyday lifestyle, don’t hesitate to contact Synergy Rehab & Wellness. We’ll set you up with a consultation to discuss how we can help you achieve your health and wellness goals!

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