Share your tips for managing joint pain throughout the winter months - £200 voucher to be won

My hip joints have been playing up for quite a while and even lying in bed they would start to ache. Amazingly this £7.99 cushion from Amazon has worked wonders. I just place it between my knees when I go to bed and it's not too big so it does not take up much room. Within a few days I didn't experience any more pain in bed and during the day my aches and pains have vastly improved. It also helps to stop my legs getting too hot too. I'd certainly recommend it. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FDWQ7JZ?tag=gransnetforum-21

Warm baths, join pain medication and stretching exercises help. Knee pillows are great and keeping active seems to help.

I find CBD very helpful in managing my pain.

I do a lot of dog walking and I find that helps my back ache and I also try not to sit down for long periods of time also a hot water bottle helps.

Yoga is a great option but start before you have problems with your joints to help prevent issues

I find that restricting the amount of potatoes I eat means that I have fewer symptoms. Potatoes are from the nightshade family - plants from this family are thought to make arthritis worse.

I think easing yourself gently in to the day is very important. Make sure to have a variety of fresh healthy foods of colour to get all the vitamins or minerals possible during the day. Everyone is different and have varying degrees of pain but I have to say I do use GOPO and it is marvellous and I wouldn't be without it. I also take Q10 but I suspect this helps in other ways. Being able to exercise regularly eg going for walks is good for physical and mental health. We certainly need the best of both at present.

I had a really bad fall while playing badminton. I underwent chiropractic treatment for the next three months. When I wasn't getting better an x ray was taken and I was found to have a badly smashed vertebra.

My way of dealing with the pain that followed was to walk, walk and walk some more. Aided by heat pads, ice packs and painkillers I walked for at least an hour a day, sometimes more.

I got a dog two years ago and he gave my walks more purpose again. It's great to have such a lovely companion.

Running a hot shower on my back at the start of the day helps, dressing warmly in cold weather ( I have just moved 400 miles north ! )

Anything warm! I have tight, fingerless gloves that help my wrists and fingers. I also do dishes by hand in warm water and hold on to my hot coffee and tea cups. For my knees and hips, I have fleece blankets, long cotton socks, heavy skinny stretch pants, and, of course, my cat and dog who love to cuddle up against my sore hip or lay across my knees!

I have arthritis in my spine and I'm currently recovering from a nasty dose of covid19 so I'm somewhat hampered in my efforts to stay mobile. At any other time I would be walking my dogs as much as possible as I find it's essential to stay mobile, to keep the supporting muscles supple. I view the bones as bricks and the supporting muscle as the mortar - a wall's no use if the mortar is poor.
At present I simply can't do this and have just ordered a treadmill so I can rebuild my muscle tone and monitor my recovery.
To anyone worried about the dogs, they're being walked most days by my husband.

Turmeric with BioPerine Along with Pilates helps immensely with my arthritis

I have arthritis in my hands, hips, knees, ankles, and feet! I have had to come up with management strategies. For my hands it is using a stress ball several times a day to keep mobility, I do this even during flare ups, just more gently.

For the lower extremities I don’t sit for longer than an hour, even if it just to walk around my apartment for 5 minutes, staying mobile throughout the whole day really helps.

I also do a gentle yoga 4 days a week. Maintaining flexibility means less pain for me.

During the Covid restrictions we have had to shield so my proper exercise of decent walking and swimming have been impossible. I discovered early on that the old knees especially, were beginning to stiffen up a bit.

As others have said I make sure that I don't 'sit' for any long length of time but move around regularly. I also have my list of 'Use it or lose it' exercises, each for a few minutes twice a day.

I have also been taking a 'One-a-day' Cod Liver Oil capsule to keep the joints oiled and have had no problems.

I drink a small shot of aloe vera gel each day. A friend became a distributer for the company and recommended it. I tried it and was a bit sceptical as it was quite expensive, but about 15 years down the line I have few problems with my joints. One year I went camping and didn't take the gel as I didn't want to take up space in my coolbox. By the end of the week the pain was returning! I became a distributer myself but I don't sell to others, I just get my own supplies more cheaply and don't have to order through my friend who now lives 50miles away.
As a result of the lack of pain now in my knees I've become more active, have lost a lot of weight and no longer think twice about climbing stairs. If you want to try it I'm sure there will be a distributer near you. I'm not sure if I can give the company name on here but PM me if you can't find online.

This issue is topical for me as I have been suffering from acute knee pain since before Christmas despite being reasonably slim, active and doing Pilates about 4 times a week. I am grateful for the above suggestions and will certainly try them, particularly turmeric and black pepper. I agree that movement and heat help.

I've lived my lived my life while having Cod Liver oil tablets and think it's made a real difference with my joints.

I have an arthritic spine which drives me mad. I do take pain killers, but as little as possible. After a busy morning of housework or gardening I do find that lying flat for an hour helps me get through the rest of the day.

Turmeric works for me. I haven't had to take any painkillers for months. Took about 3 days before I noticed any pain relief, now I only get twinges if I walk too far, and i still dont need to take a painkiller. I'm 83, have arthritis in my back, elbows, hands and knees, have had both knees replaced, both of them were done over ten years ago, and they were showing signs that they needed to be done again, then my right hip was starting to be painful.i was having great difficulty getting in and out of the bath, and decided to try turmeric after I had to get my son to help me get out. Have no problems now.

Yes Maggie Maybe isn’t Schellea of Fabulous Fifties on YouTube helpful! Had cause to try her exercises for relieving tense neck muscles and they worked a treat. Plus I love how often she tells me I’m amazing

Oh, Cs783, does she tell you that as well? I thought Schellea and I were special friends.

I use both heat and cold and try not to let the joints stay still for too long. Acupuncture can also work

Turmeric does wonders

I'm not sure I'd describe it as 'managing' joint pain as it never really goes away! I do try and ease pain as much as I can but it's a bit of a losing battle. I try to keep warm as the colder it gets, the more it hurts - warm clothing, layers if needed + thick duvet on the bed and an electric blanket and/or hot water bottle on really cold nights. I try to include things in my diet like oily fish but admit I don't eat anywhere near as much of it as I probably should because I don't really like it! I do have pain medication but even the MST (morphine) only takes the edge of it - I'm reluctant to increase the dose as it is always a case of weighing up the benefits of pain relief with side-effects of the drug and not wanting to spend most of the day asleep or 'zombiefied'. I do eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. I use essential oils in the bath, oil burners and, when I can be bothered, to massage into my joints and muscles (or at least the places where muscles should be - vanishing as I get older). I've found Emu Oil rubbed in helps a little. In the past I've taken supplements like cod liver oil, evening primrose oil and starflower oil, but don't use anything regularly now. My partner has just got some cod liver oils as he's getting joint pain so maybe I'll try it again - he did get green lipped mussel supplements before and said they did ease the pain enough for him to be able to work but I didn't try them. I also have to be careful as some of the supplements have lactose as an ingredient and I'm lactose-intolerant. I've read a few articles and note people commenting here about the benefits of turmeric and have been thinking of trying to include more of this in our diet - if I fail in that approach I might consider supplements. I often think joint pain is one of those horrible things we learn to live with and sort of accept it will get worse as we get older - it would be nice not to have any pain though.

I find that two turmeric help my aches and pains and started working very quickly. Worth a go!

daily walks and stretching