5 Tips for senior citizens struggling with body pain

 

The most common problem for senior citizens everywhere is body pain. Whether it is in their joints or back, some sort of ache always creeps in with age and can start to make you feel helpless or interrupt your regular activities.

Overtime with our experience at Antara Senior Living, our experts have identified the following few techniques that work almost universally to give you immense long-term relief and enable you to feel whole and healthy again.

1. Cold and Heat Compress:

If you feel your muscles tensing or in a spasm, lightly massage that area with a hot towel, or heating pad. You can also take a hot water bath for deep relaxation if you feel a little sore after exercising. Be sure to regulate the temperature here because your skin might be very sensitive to the heat.

To ease pain or swelling in a particular spot, a cold compress with an ice pack will help you reduce the swelling. For this treatment, gently massage the cool pad in the area where you feel pain and stop when it becomes numb. 

Both of these treatments can be applied for about 15 to 20 minutes every day about 4 to 8 times a day, depending on the severity of your pain. If you are conducting these treatments yourself, be careful while handling the compress pads.

2. Massage:

When your pain is not in a particular region or in general over your back or limbs, regular massage therapy will help your muscles relax. 

Use a special warm oil or lotion and remember to loosen yourself as much as you can. Apply only gentle pressure and use light strokes.

Getting the treatment through an expert massage therapist about once a week is highly recommended as it will put you in a state of composure.

3. Exercise:

Exercising is important at any age to stay fit. If not something as rigorous as swimming or biking, even a regular walk at a normal pace will help you stay active.

Your muscles can often spasm from long inactivity, and regularly moving your body will help them stretch. 

While exercising, remember to only do what you can. If you start experiencing some pain in a joint, take that as a sign and move on to another exercise. Your motive with physiotherapy is not to strain yourself but to break your spell of inactivity and encourage oxygen to flow through all parts of your body.

Don’t take the easy way out by only sticking to the simplest movements but also don’t put excess pressure where it might harm you. Experiment with different exercises and balance them out throughout your day.

4. Medication:

Natural and clinical changes to your diet schedule can help you ease your pain.

With the recommendation of your doctor, you can opt for over the counter pain relievers or try some proven home remedies. 

Turmeric and Willow Bark are some of the most prominent pain relievers that you can consume with your tea or food. Turmeric is already a common ingredient in Indian food, so don’t shy away from turmeric-rich curries. To consume willow bark, you can brew it in your tea or chew on it dry. 

The chemicals found in these will help you quickly relieve your body pain but must be supplemented with the other methods for a more long-lasting solution.

5. Sleep Right:

With sleep as with exercise, the treatment lies in the balance. Oversleeping can lead to a state of inactivity or muscle spasm, while not getting enough sleep will make you restless and can give you back and neck pain because of stress or insomnia.

Your body shape also changes with your old age so try a different sleeping position to see if that makes a difference to your pain. When you can’t lie flat on your back, sleep sideways or with pillows to avoid pain.

You can also use the support of pillows under your feet, arms, or stomach, based on where it hurts the most, and if it helps you relax. Consult with your doctor before changing your position though, to ensure that you don’t cause more pain. Your physiotherapist should also be able to give you more personalized directions about the perfect position for you.

Conclusion:

While there are many other tricks like meditation and spray on relievers, these are some of the most natural and effective methods based on our experience with senior members. 

If you find that a lot of this support which you will need is lacking in your vicinity, Antara Senior Living is never too far away from you. So feel free to reach out to us at +91 120 4954444 or contactus@antaraseniorliving.com and we will do everything we can to help you!