If you find yourself always in the kitchen, cooking, and cleaning and have no time to hit the gym, don’t worry, turn your kitchen into your workout place.

Cooking is an unavoidable job unless you are okay spending on outside foods. Cooking takes up most of the hours of our day and can be so tiring that taking time out for a workout never happens, not even in dreams. Well, anything is possible if you think so. Hence, so what you don’t get time out of your kitchen, you can add some kitchen workout to your cooking routine. You may ask, is that necessary?

Yes, don’t be in a notion that you are working all day in the kitchen; hence, you don’t need to workout especially to keep your joints strong and healthy. In fact, your everyday household chores put a lot of stress on your joints. To take that off, you need to do some exercises focused on each joint.

But, how can one exercise while cooking? Well, there are a lot of empty slots while cooking that you never notice, like, waiting for the oil to heat up or water to boil, allowing a baked dish to cool down or a marinate or batter to set. In between all these, instead of waiting to do nothing, fill up the blank space with something useful. Below are the few simple stationary exercises you can do easily while cooking.

1. Stove Squats

While your meal bakes in the oven or your food cooks on the stove, you can work on your leg joints. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Combine your fingers behind your head, and keep your elbows wide and chest high. Slowly, lower down into the squat position, bending your knees to a 90-degree angle as if you are sitting in an invisible chair. Rise back up and repeat.

2. Kitchen Lunges

Lunges can give your quads and glutes a good stretch even without weights. Hence, while waiting for the veggies or meat to cook, stand facing the counter or stove. Keep your upper body straight, shoulders back and relaxed, and tighten your core. Step forward with one leg, lowering hips until both knees are bent at an approximately 90-degree angle, with most of your weight on the heel of another leg. When both knees are close to forming a 90-degree angle, reverse the movement and return to standing. Perform 15 reps on one leg before switching sides.

3. Counter Pushups

Make use of your kitchen counter for your arm workouts. Position your hands firmly on the edge of the counter, around shoulder-width apart. Keep your feet away from the counter, so your body forms a straight line from heel to head. Lift your heels up, tighten your core, and bend your elbows. Slowly lower your chest toward the counter. When your chest almost touches, reverse the movement and press yourself back to start.

4. Forearm Plate Lifts

Your arms are used continuously while cooking. Give them a good stretch by working on the forearm muscles. Hold a small plate in one hand and slowly raise your arm out to the side so that it’s aligned with your shoulder. Now, bend at the elbow, making an L shape. While holding the plate, move your wrist up and down. Repeat and switch hands. If you feel a burning sensation in your forearms after a few reps, you’re doing it right.

5. Cleanup Calf Lifts

Simply stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and flat on the ground. Slowly raise your heels to your tiptoes and hold for a few seconds, then lower back down. If you are unsteady on your feet at first, take the support of the counter to help balance yourself. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Conclusion
As you can see, these are simple kitchen exercises that you can do anytime without much effort. Following the above will help you make your joints healthy and keep them in good shape as well.

You can read here for more joint health knowledge.

We are familiar with a lot of pain-relieving balms, some of which even guarantee to ward off ages-old joint pain. When certain surgeries sometime fail to solve chronic joint pain issues, will an ointment ever make it go away for real? Sounds funny, isn’t it?

Analgesic pain-relieving balms that fall under topical painkillers are pain medications that are applied directly to the skin instead of being swallowed or injected. They are readily available at any nearby local drugstore and claim to be excellent joint pain remedy ever. They work in different ways for different conditions but are commonly used to treat musculoskeletal pain and some types of neuropathic pain.

Analgesic pain balms come in various forms and categories like herbal, chemical, or a mix of both. Some are counterirritants that produce hot, cold or tingling sensations, NSAIDs with anti-inflammatory properties, general over-the-counter (OTC) pain relieving balms, and prescription creams that come in stronger concentrations. But, do such ointments for pain relief or arthritis creams really work? Are there any side-effects of using them? Let’s find out.

The pain-relief balms or arthritis creams only work for minor pain or strain. And yes, there are few side-effects reported which are mentioned below;

1. Skin irritation

Analgesic balms can cause skin irritations to some, especially those with sensitive skin. It may cause severe itching and redness as well. Wash the arthritis cream away on the spot if you feel any such sensation on your skin.

2. Allergic reactions

Some people can be allergic to some of the ingredients in the analgesic cream which may cause rashes, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, chest or throat tightness, tingling sensation, swelling, fluid accumulation around the eye, puffy face from water retention, etc.

3. Chemical burns

Certain chemicals used to prepare pain balms when coming in contact with the skin may cause burns or blisters. A moderate amount of burning sensation is normal in analgesic balms but it if it is severe, then you may notice a burn or blister.

4. Overdose

Regular and frequent application of arthritis creams can cause permanent skin damage. It can be lethal and may affect your over health as well. Inhaling its smell, or internal consumption can even cause death.

Usually, the side-effects go away within a few hours of washing the cream from the affected area. But in some cases, the symptoms may persist. Hence keep in mind the below tips while using arthritis cream;

● Always follow the instructions and apply accordingly
● Do not use on children younger than two years
● Do not ingest
● Never apply on open wounds or irritated, sunburned, and chapped skin
● Do not rub the pain balm harshly on the skin
● Seek immediate medical care if the symptoms are extreme
● Don’t cover the application area with heat pads, cold packs, or bandages.
● Do not mix it with other products
● Wash your hands before and after the application of the cream
● Limit your use to four times per day, unless the package suggests otherwise

Conclusion
Topical analgesics may work on minor aches and sprains, but in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis where the pain is deep and chronic, pain balms may fail to reach beneath or may give only temporary relief. The major reasons why people apply analgesic cream are its instant pain-relieving, easy-to-use and carry properties, but, why depend and take a risk on such solutions when you get all these from an electrotherapy device? SONICTENS guarantees a 100% natural and permanent pain-relief with no side-effects at all and is light-weight and portable too. So, make the right decision and stay safe.

When medical science was not so advanced, people used natural ways to treat any pain or medical condition. Natural herbs, acupuncture, yoga, massage, such were the methods applied for natural healing, and then there was Music Therapy, an interesting treatment method for pain relief.

Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Various studies have been conducted, and it has been proved that music has healing power. Listening to music significantly reduces the intensity of pain as well as it even alleviates anxiety and depression that one feels due to painful conditions like arthritis.

What does music therapy do? How can a piece of music bring down the pain we feel? Let’s understand all.

How our brain responses to music and reduce pain?

Upon turning on music, our brain reacts to it and stimulate the central nervous system, which releases the body’s natural painkillers endorphin and impacts our endocrine, autonomic, and immune activity. Music activates our limbic system, the “emotional brain,” thereby leading to the experience of a broad range of music-evoked emotions, memories, and the senses. The increased levels of brain chemical dopamine due to the effect of music produces feelings of enjoyment, and substance P, which eases the pain and discomfort we feel.

How does music therapy work?

Music is no magic to ward off joint pain as soon as you listen to it. Consistency is the key in it. Music therapy needs continuous sessions and patience for treating joint pain. It slowly and gradually works on our pain to reduce it to zero.

Music therapy is also said to have the ability to stop the area of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for bringing forth negative emotions such as stress. Music influences our sleep cycles, moods, and other factors that contribute to a range of physical and emotional benefits. Therefore, when in pain, listening to music can distract us from pain, working as self-medication just like deep breathing and relaxation.

What type of music is suitable for joint pain relief?

There is no specific music for joint pain relief. Any music you personally like to listen all the time or that which makes you feel good, happy, and calm, can work for you. Although classical music has been found useful in easing pain from chronic osteoarthritis, for some, soft melodies, instrumental, even heavy metal or rock music brings down the sensation of pain because it is the brain’s reaction to music that makes the difference and not just the music.

Music tips

Create your own playlist to battle pain. Listen to it whenever pain encounters or anytime you like. Make sure the music you are listening to is not extremely emotional, sad, or one that can bring up many negative memories for you as it can rev up your nervous system. Concentrate on your breathing and heart rate and try to synchronize your heartbeat to the beat of the music, deep breath, relax, and enjoy the music.

Conclusion
The benefits of music therapy are numerous like it relieves stress, relaxes our nerves and muscles, enhances our mood, reduces depression and anxiety, promotes faster healing, etc. but, music as a joint pain treatment is something epic and compelling. You can also combine it with electrotherapy device like SONICTENS, Combo3 Plus or US 111 as a home remedy for joint pain for a better, faster, natural and permanent relief.

Knee, back, neck, shoulder, leg, we encounter pain in every other joint of our body, almost every day. And what do we do? Apply a pain relief gel, cream or spray or take a painkiller and let it go. But, does the joint pain really go away? No, and it never will.

Pain in the joints is not something to be taken lightly. Experimenting with different joint pain treatment methods and delaying proper and right treatment will only make it worse. Avoiding joint pain can even make you lose the range of motion of your joints. Scary, but it is the truth. Then, what can be done to protect your joints and keep them in good shape? The answer is nothing, but we all know – “Exercise.”

The common questions that arise upon hearing the word exercise are, “whether it is safe to exercise when in pain?” or “how to exercise when the joints are aching, won’t it worsen further?” No, in fact, the more you keep your joints unused, the sooner you will become incapable of moving them at all.

Take a look at the benefits of exercises for joint pain, and you will know.
Joint pain exercises;
● Make the joints flexible and strong.
● Aids in losing weight which means less pressure on the joints.
● Help relieve pain and joint stiffness.
● Improve joint function and range of motion.
● Stimulate the blood flow into the joints.
● Give more energy to get through the day
● Strengthen the bones and muscles.
● Make it easier to get a good night’s sleep and to stay in a good mood.

We understand that when chronic joint pain and stiffness conquer the joints, even the thought of getting up and moving feels painful. But, no joint pain can be defeated sitting on a couch. Don’t freak out as to keep your joints healthy and active; you don’t need to run a marathon in a day, the below-mentioned few simple exercises are enough.

1. Swimming

Water supports our body weight and lifts the strain off painful joints allowing us to move them more fluidly. Hence swimming, water aerobics, and other gentle water exercises are good for joint pain relief. They increase flexibility, range of motion, strength, and aerobic conditioning; they even help in weight control, boost mood, and improve sleep; in short, it is suitable for overall health.

2. Strength training

With time our joint become weak; hence, it is necessary to keep them healthy by practicing strength training exercises. There are various joint strengthening exercises that you can easily practice every day without any help.

3. Pilates

A low-impact activity, Pilates, is apt for people living with arthritis. Pilates stabilizes the joints and focuses on strengthening and improving control of muscles around them. These low-impact arthritis exercises can ease pressure on your hips and other joints.

4. Walking

Need not to say; walking is something we do every day, all the time. It is free, simple, need no training, and is very much beneficial. You can do it almost anywhere. Walking not just ease the stress and pain in the joints, it also helps in losing extra pounds, improve cholesterol levels, strengthen bones, keep blood pressure in check, lift your mood, and lower your risk for several diseases. A well-fitting and supportive pair of shoes is all you need to get started. Start with walking for about 10-15 minutes at a time and slowly walk farther and faster, until you’re walking for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week.

5. Homely activities

There are various ways to make your joints fit, strong, and active at home only. Start your joint pain treatment at home by getting engaged in gardening, cycling, yoga, tai chi, house cleaning, etc.

In a nutshell
Whatever the joint pain causes may be or whatever the joint you are facing discomfort with, keeping them active is the best solution to alleviate the pain, stiffness, soreness, and swelling out of it. Just, start slow, hydrate, don’t overdo, take rest, relax, and use electrotherapy machine – SONICTENS to keep joint pain at bay.

Believe it or not, our neck hurts almost every day with us ignoring it all the time. Actually, most of the time, it’s our actions that are inviting neck pain. But then, every painful condition can be prevented.

In the present times, our daily activities include staring into a desktop/laptop for long hours at job or home, scrolling our mobile screen, carrying out household and other chores all the time, and sleep late at night, that’s it. You can guess how much stress our neck joint undergo daily. Henceforth, pain in the neck is a common condition today.

Of course, there are other neck pain causes apart from our lifestyle habits like an injury or trauma, cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, trapezitis, whiplash or a sudden jolt, sprain or strain during sports, degeneration or wear and tear due to arthritis or old age, etc. but, let’s see how you can prevent chronic neck pain with few simple preventive measures.

Sleeping tips

Your sleeping position, mattress, pillow, everything contributes to neck pain. Sleeping on the back is generally considered best for the spine, but for the neck, place a pillow under each arm to take the strain off it. If you have the habit of sleeping sideways, place a pillow of around 4 to 6 inches thick, depending on the density of the pillow material and the distance between the neck and point of the shoulder to prevent your head and neck from turning or bending unnaturally to either side.

1. Neck pain from the pillow is awful

Use a pillow that maintains and supports the natural curve of your neck to avoid it. Use a flat or an orthopedic pillow that has a more profound depression where the head lies and provides extra support under the neck. If comfortable, sit in a recliner, or buy an adjustable bed where you can keep the upper part of the body at an incline and use a small or relatively flat pillow.

2. Tech-neck tips

Yes, you heard it right, tech-neck is what majority of us suffer from today. Working on a computer or at a desk all day, mobile usage, lesser breaks, all these causes neck pain and stiffness. Well, you can avoid that by making a few changes. Use a chair with a headrest and adjust it at a proper height to prevent yourself from looking down with your neck flexed forward. Adjust your keyboard and monitor as well. If using a laptop, place it at an eye-level position. No matter how comfortable your office chair posture is, get up and move. Perform neck stretches for pain relief.

While using mobile or tablet, hold it close to eye level to avoid sloping your head forward or bending your neck down. Buy a holder to give rest to your arms and to elevate your device. Use headset, earbuds, or speakerphone to speak rather than keeping phone between your ear and neck.

3. Lifestyle tips

Keep your neck muscles in good shape by practicing neck pain exercises regularly. Never ignore your neck pain as minor aches can be warning signs of something big. Drink enough water and hydrate the discs—the porous structures that lie between the vertebrae in your neck. Never carry uneven weight on your shoulders as it will cause both neck and shoulder pain. Wear seatbelt to prevent whiplash.

There are differences in neck pain too. Make sure you take the right treatment. For example, the neck on the left side indicates inflammation, muscle strain, a pinched nerve, while neck pain on the right side means degeneration or wear and tear, bad sleeping position, etc. Whatever the cause may use electrotherapy device called SONICTENS for natural neck pain treatment.

Conclusion
Making small changes can prevent your neck pain from turning chronic. Keeping your phone away as maximum as possible, taking breaks, exercising, and relaxing is the least you can do to keep your neck joint hale and hearty.

The way how the parts of a human body are connected internally is indeed fascinating. They are so interlinked with each other that if one suffers from pain or discomfort, the others too start feeling the same. Take our joints, for example. Pain in the shoulder joint can even induce pain in the neck, back, arms, and so on. Hence, it is necessary to treat the root cause of pain to prevent others from aching.

Our shoulder joint is no different from others. In fact, it is one of the most complex joints in the human body, having a combination of several bones, tendons, and muscles. The ball-and-socket joint called shoulder that allows our arm to move in a various range of motion, surprisingly, has no bony connection to the rest of the skeleton hence is the most unstable one.

Long-sitting job, poor posture, hardcore exercises, lifting heavy weights, an injury, dislocation, frozen shoulder, bicipital tendinitis, rotator cuff injury, cervical radiculopathy, osteoarthritis, etc. build up the tension in our shoulder joint which if not released can trigger shoulder pain and stiffness. Here are a few simple stiff shoulder exercises that will help release the tightness of your shoulder as well as the neck joint.

1. Shoulder rolls

● Sit or stand, keeping your back straight.
● Breathe in and slowly lift your shoulders toward the ears.
● Move the shoulders back, squeezing the shoulder blades together.
● Hold here for a few seconds and slowly lower your shoulders back down.
● Reverse and repeat.

2. Cross-arm stretch

● Bring your left arm up to your chest level.
● Bend the left arm at the elbow & grab your left arm by your right hand.
● Stretch out to your shoulder and hold for 30 seconds.
● Repeat on the other side and relax.

3. Cat-cow Pose

● Position your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips.
● Inhale and fill your belly with air and drop it down as you look up at the ceiling, lifting your chin and chest.
● As you exhale, engage your abdominals, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your spine.
● Inhale and come back to the cow pose, and exhale and return to the cat pose.
● Repeat this a few times paying attention to your shoulders.

4. Ear to shoulder

● Sit with a straight spine and slowly lean your head toward your right shoulder.
● Try to go as far as possible without straining or lifting your left shoulder.
● Use your right hand to deepen the stretch and to pull your head down gently.
● Hold for a few seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

5. T, Y, and I movements

● Stand with your back to a wall and palms facing out.
● Slowly bring your arms up to make a T shape, keeping your arms and back in contact with the wall.
● Now continue bringing your arms up to make a Y shape and lastly an I shape, touching your thumbs overhead.
● Focus on keeping your shoulder blades flat against the wall (not allowing them to stick out or wing).
● Hold each shape for few seconds and repeat.

In a nutshell
Shoulder stretches have numerous potential health benefits because when a muscle stretches, its fibers and the surrounding fascia, or bands of connective tissue, extend to full length. By releasing the tension of your tight shoulders, you will improve their mobility, reduce stress and relieve pain, lessen the risk of muscle and joint injury, and improve your posture. Moreover, shoulder stretching exercises also enhance the function of the neck as well as the arms. Ins short, regular practice of stiff shoulder exercises along with the use of electrotherapy device like SONICTENS can keep your shoulders smooth and flexible.

Almost all of us are living with at least one chronic pain condition. Chronic pain interrupts with the daily routine so severely that life becomes depressing for those living with it. We came across one such painful case which we are sharing with you that shows how any chronic pain can be conquered naturally.

Case Study – Overview of Chronic Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain is one of the leading chronic pain complaints encountered by physical therapists worldwide. Various causes of back pain have been reported among which, back pain due to prolonged sitting hours is the commonest due to the highest rate of sedentary desk job of people. While inactive lifestyle, any severe back disorders, a side effect of any other health conditions, injury, or trauma, are the other reasons for lower back pain. Following is a case study of Chronic Lower Back Pain (CLBP) that is proof of how one can overcome chronic pain.

Patient History

A 30-year-old male was diagnosed with CLBP who had no history of any chronic disease or condition or injury. When asked about lifestyle, he said, “10 to 7 desk jobs, traveling for work, irregular gym visits, and late night sleep.” There is no doubt how he developed chronic pain in the lower back. He weighs about 88 pounds and hardly works out. He often takes painkillers to get rid of sharp pain in the lower back to avoid taking leave from work. Troubled with back pain for over a year, he experimented different treatment methods to anyhow put an end to it.

Investigations:

His tests revealed degenerative changes in the lumbar spine, predominantly at L1 and L3. Disc projection was noted at L4-L5 with grade 1 spondylolisthesis.

Medication:

Meloxicam (anti-inflammatory) and Tramadol (weak opioid analgesic), were prescribed to him.

Assessment Findings

Due to CLBP, he experienced notable functional limitations daily like bending, lifting, or any other kind of trunk movements. The constant pain affected his work and behavior. He used to lose his control quickly and was often moody and irritated. He was banned from driving a vehicle by his doctor. He feared about disability and becoming permanently bedridden.

How SONICTENS helped?

Tired and on the verge of depression, he came across UltraCare PRO’s electrotherapy devices online. After going through a bunch of positive reviews about its products on Amazon, Flipkart and all and reading about the electrotherapy itself, he decided to go for it.

SONICTENS, a sleek and simple electrotherapy machine that is a combination of two very well-known treatment modalities, ‘Therapeutic Ultrasound’ and ‘TENS ( Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) therapy, has proven its worth in treating several chronic pains and discomforts. Unlike two individual products – ultrasound machine and TENS unit, SONICTENS gives you both in one easy-to-carry device. Recommended even by pain specialists and physiotherapists, the combined treatment of SONICTENS promotes faster healing, safely, and naturally, without any side effects.

The therapeutic ultrasound waves of ultrasound therapy produce a deep heating sensation that accelerates the healing process by stimulating the blood and oxygen flow towards the painful area. While, the TENS unit in it generates gentle massaging electrical impulses that travel via electrodes placed on the affected area, blocking the pain signals from reaching the brain and helping the body to heal itself naturally by increasing the production of the body’s natural pain killer, endorphins.

After bringing SONICTENS home, he started his back pain treatment regularly and even carried it to his work due to its portability. Within a week he started seeing a notable difference in his back pain which he hasn’t felt in a year. The sharp pain which made him difficult to sit at work or forced him to take a painkiller started reducing and within a month, back pain was almost a guest visitor for him.

Results
No more back pain
He started driving which he loved the most
He can bend or lift and even dance around freely
No more anxiety, fear or depression
He feels relaxed at the end of the day and hence sleeps well.

Conclusion
Chronic pain is not something one has to live with forever. It is treatable with capable electrotherapy machines like SONICTENS and others. Like him, you too can end your chronic suffering; you just need to take the step.

Going weak in the knees appears to be a good idea only in a romantic situation, other than that, it is a matter of concern.

Week knee is like an invitation for an injury. A slight carelessness or overload and you are done. And if you think that only the constant overuse of knee joint can make it go weak then guess what, even underused can trigger pain in the knee joint. Surprised, well, there are other reasons that cause weakness in the knee joint, and they are; weak – glutes, calves, and quadriceps.

Hence, it is essential to strengthening the muscles around the knee accurately, the quadriceps and hamstrings as they are the ones who keep the knees stable and healthy for an extended period.

Our knees are already equipped with natural shock absorbers called cartilages, but, that doesn’t mean you can do anything, and your knees will be safe. Any excess strain on them can wear them out, causing knee osteoarthritis. Also, if you are staying immobile for a very long time, your muscles will become stiff, and your knees will hurt. So then, what to do? Well, there are some knee strengthening exercises that can help strengthen the muscles around the knees, enough to keep you going for a long time. Let’s see which are they.

1. Squats – Squats are one of the best knee strengthening exercises as they work up on all the lower body muscles, including quadriceps, hamstrings, and hips. You can start with wall squats and then move onto standard squats when you feel comfortable. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, firmly planted on the ground. Slowly start bending your knees as if sitting back into a chair. Keep the back straight and push your butt back. The knees should not go forward beyond the toes. Raise your arms ahead to help with balance. Hold for a few seconds and repeat.

2. Straight Leg Raises – An excellent exercise for knee arthritis, straight leg raises work mainly on the quadriceps, the muscles in the front of the thigh which are the ones that absorb shock before it reaches the knee joint. Begin by lying flat on your back. Bend one knee, placing the foot flat on the floor. Keep the other leg straight and raise it to the height of the opposite knee. Hold for 3-5 seconds, then lower and repeat on both legs.

3. Lunges – Another best muscle strengthening exercise for knee joint is lunges as they work upon all the muscles around knees. Simply, step forward and bend your knees, lowering your back knee toward the floor. Push your front foot off and stand back up. Repeat using another leg. You can do this by holding weights later.

Benefits of knee strengthening exercises

For people living with knee arthritis, knee pain exercises are a must because they cause pain reduction, improve the range of motion and function, makes the cartilage healthier, in short, keep them young and fit.

Some knee care tips

• Never perform any exercises for knee pain without a warm-up.
• Wear knee supports while working out to avoid excess pressure on your knee joint.
• Avoid hardcore knee strengthening exercises at the beginning. Start simple and gradually increase intensity.
• Use the electrotherapy device called SONICTENS after a workout to ease the sore muscles or any post workout knee pain. You can also use it regularly if you have any painful knee condition.

Medical science is continuously finding solutions to help us live a pain-free life. A lot of painkilling medications have been discovered in the form of tablets, steroidal drugs, injections, creams, sprays, and others to make the pain go away at the very instant. It is indeed a great thing but does the pain really go away?

Analgesics (an-al-gee-sics), the medical name for painkillers, are the medicines made to control pain, reduce fever, and even decrease inflammation. Different types of painkillers are available today which serve more than one purpose. There are;

Over the counter painkillers: aspirin, acetaminophen, paracetamol

Anti-inflammatory drugs: Also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or naproxen

Compound painkillers: A combination of two different painkilling ingredients into one, such as caffeine, oxycodone.

Opioid painkillers: Drugs that are available only on prescription like codeine, tramadol, and morphine.

Painkillers are so readily available in medical stores that people are misusing it by buying it without any prescriptions and popping them in whenever they are in pain. While they do help in relieving the pain, they also induce specific side effects in our body that can cause acute to even chronic damage. Here are some side effects of consuming painkillers;

• Drowsiness
• Poor concentration
• Memory problems
• Kidney/liver disease/failure
• Constipation
• Slower breathing rate
• Weak immune system
• Cardiovascular diseases
• More delayed reactions and movements
• Dullness
• Mood swings
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Skin Rashes

Natural Therapies – Alternative Treatment Methods

Natural therapy is a range of alternative medical techniques and remedies to treat any physical illness or disorders using natural ingredients and methods, without invading or causing any side effects, and promoting self-healing for the body to heal quickly and easily.

Since chronic pain takes quite long to go away, popping some painkillers is not the only solution to treat it because most of them reduce or kill the pain for a short period only. They hardly work on the root cause to give permanent relief.  But worry not, nature and our own body have the solution for all problems.

For natural pain relief, you need to look around as there are a few plants and herbs that possess the ability to reduce or even kill the pain for well and good, like; Lavender, Rosemary, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Cloves, Turmeric, Ginger, Capsaicin, Valerian root, etc. Each has pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects that help our body’s natural ability in healing itself.

There are also certain natural pain remedies that are non-invasive, readily available, effective, and free from side-effects like;

Acupuncture

Also known as traditional Chinese medicine, it is a way of releasing the blocked life energies from one’s body that is causing pain or discomfort.

Yoga

Mindful meditation, breathing exercises, joint strengthening yoga poses, are known to be other natural pain remedies that help our body heal on its own without any harmful effects.

Exercise

The more you are physically active, the less you will be in pain. It is absolutely true. Regular exercising will keep your joints and your internal organs going on smoothly.

Ice and Heat Therapy

The primary treatment for any pain and discomfort is this natural therapy. Icing or heating the affected area stimulates the blood flow, release the tension accumulated, and relaxes the muscles of the affected area like nothing else.

Ultrasound Therapy

Physical therapy is the best known, safest, and 100% natural therapy that anyone can try even at their home. With the invention of electrotherapy machines like SONICTENS, US111 or COMBO3 PLUS, chronic pain can now be treated permanently without any side or after effects of it.

Conclusion

Never try to treat yourself using painkillers. Avoid taking any painkillers for a long time even if it is prescribed as they can do more harm with time than you have ever imagined.

Usually, a runner or any sportsperson or even a common man who is busy rushing with daily errands, whose Achilles tendon, the largest tendon in the body, is being used continuously, are the ones who become the prey of Achilles Tendonitis.

A confusing pain that affects the Achilles tendon, a tight band of fibrous tissue that joins the calf muscles to the heel bone (calcaneus) and runs down the back of the lower leg, which is the origin of the pain, also makes the hip joint hurt severely. Hence, it becomes often difficult to figure out what is hurting, whether it is the heel or hip?

Athletes have a lot of unstable movement patterns that increase the risk of getting their joints injured. Since our joints are connected in some way, when the Achilles tendons become inflamed due to their overuse, they can create instability in the hip joint, making it weak, stiff, or painful. The hip mechanics of any one of us can get disturbed upon putting an extra strain on our lower leg or the hip joint.

Cause of Achilles Pain That Can Affect Hip Joint

Undoubtedly runners, gymnasts, dancers, other sports players are more prone to develop Achilles tendon pain due to their quick changes of motion, other possible reasons are;

• Wearing high heel or incorrect or worn out shoes
• Having a flat foot that causes the arch of the foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons
• Skipping warm up before exercise
• Tight leg muscles or tendons
• Suddenly increasing the intensity of exercises to finish something quickly
• Prematurely running or climbing on uneven surfaces

Achilles’ pain increases with time. It starts slowly in the Achilles’ tendons spreading all over to the leg muscles up to the hip joint. With time the hip hurts continually making it difficult to sit or move around.

Achilles Pain Home Remedies

Pain in Achilles is treatable. There are precise Achilles pain treatment methods that need no involvement of any medical expertise, are non-invasive and can be carried out by anyone at home like;

1. RICE Therapy – Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. Doing this to your Achilles tendon can help reduce the effect on your hips to a great extent.

2. Practice Achilles tendon pain exercises – Increase strength and range of motion of your hip joint by doing any of the following;

Knee hug to hip-flexor stretch – Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and slowly bring your left knee up and towards your chest. Grab the knee with both your hands and pull it in as close as you can into your chest. Hold this stretch for 20 to 40 seconds and release. Next, kneel on your right knee slowly taking your left foot backward, giving it a good stretch. Return to start and repeat on the other side.

Spider man stretch – Take the push up position. Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the floor, outside your right hand, keeping your left leg straight. Return to start and repeat on the left side.

Seated Stretch – Sit upright in a chair. Bring your right ankle to rest just above your left knee, keeping your right knee open. Rest your hands on your shin, and lean your torso forward to deepen the stretch. Return to start and repeat on the left leg.

3. Ultrasound Therapy – Make use of physiotherapy equipment like SONICTENS or Combo3 Plus to relax the stiffness of your hip joint and reduce the pain or any discomfort you may feel in it. For better results, you can combine ultrasound therapy with R.I.C.E method, i.e. U.R.I.C.E.

Final Thoughts

Achilles’ tendonitis pain can be prevented by taking some precautionary measures like; shuffling exercises between high-impact and low-impact aerobics, wearing correct shoes that support the arch and protect the heel well and above all, taking it slows in whatever you are doing.