How to reduce joint pain with at-home stretches

When it comes to living with fibromyalgia and joint pain, I know firsthand how painful, annoying and disruptive to life it can be. Fibromyalgia is considered a pain disorder, in which symptoms can include pain in the joints, muscles, and soft tissue.

This can feel uncomfortable, and painful and can be quite disruptive and distracting when trying to complete everyday tasks. For myself, I love writing and crocheting but joint pain in my fingers can be common when using my joints for great lengths of time. When my symptoms started to flare quite often, I began to look into alternative ways to reduce joint pain that I could do from anywhere.

What is joint pain?

Joint pain can feel similar to arthritis pain and can actually mimic similar symptoms when getting diagnosed. Joint pain can be brought on by many different things outside of fibromyalgia such as injury, broken bones, sprains, inflammation, overuse of joints, and osteoarthritis.

It’s important to speak to a medical professional so they can provide medical advice on your joint pain and provide necessary referrals or treatment options for your health. For myself, knowing I live with chronic pain and fibromyalgia I sought out a natural way to relieve the pain. So here we go with stretching at home to help ease pain in joints.  

How to prepare for stretching to reduce joint pain

When it comes to how to reduce joint pain stretching can be an amazing way to get relief quickly and from anywhere! When I’m taking time for stretching there are a couple of things I do to prepare to relieve pain in my joints.

One of the first things I do is ensure I have a good amount of space, often these stretches require some movement so ensuring you have a safe space to move around freely in is key.

When possible, I keep water near me to ensure I stay hydrated. Lastly, when I’m at home I bring out my yoga mat so I have somewhere comfortable to perform the stretches. When in public try to find as comfortable of a space as possible when you can.

Always ensure to check with a medical professional before performing stretches to help with your pain management to ensure this is a good fit for your health and condition. You can also speak to your physician about a referral to a pain clinic or physical therapist for additional support through physical therapy if needed.

Circling your Arms

This is one of the most basic stretches and I love how simple it is. You want to put your arms out to your sides and lift them so they’re parallel to your shoulder. From there you want to gently start to draw circles with your arms while keeping them as parallel to your shoulder as you can. Begin to make the circles larger, and then begin to make them smaller again. You can also change the direction of drawing circles by going clockwise and then counterclockwise with your arms.

This will help with reducing joint pain in your shoulders, and upper back. You can do this stretch for about 30 seconds, and can repeat it as necessary. Remember to go slow and if you feel pain stop the stretch and consult a doctor.

How to reduce joint pain with head-turning

At times one of the most painful joints I find is my neck, it can be so painful and disruptive to have pain symptoms coming from your neck. Here is a quick and easy stretch to help with pain relief for your neck.

Start by staring straight ahead, and then slowly and gently turn your head to face the right (without turning your body). Once you reach as far as you can without overextending hold it for a few seconds and then slowly bring it back to the middle. Take a deep breath, and then repeat going the other way. Do not force your neck and head to turn more than they should, be gentle and just go as far as it allows you to. You can repeat this up to 5 times to help reduce pain.

Hip Circles

Want to help get pain relief from hip pain? Hip circles are a simple way to get joint pain relief that is easy to do and doesn’t require a lot of stretching space. First, you want to stand up straight with your feet shoulder-length apart. From there gently place your hands on your hips and begin to rotate your hips clockwise.

Ensure your feet don’t move and you’re just making circular motions with your hips only. Go slowly, and repeat the circles 15 times. Once you’ve done 15 then you can begin doing them counterclockwise with the same instructions of 15 rotations again. You can repeat this stretch as necessary to help how to reduce joint pain.

Stretching your Quadriceps

If you get pain in your knees and lower legs this is a great stretch to help with pain relief and pain management of those joints. To start this stretch go near a wall, chair, or piece of furniture that you can use to steady yourself for balance as needed. Stand with your feet shoulder length apart and then begin to slowly bend on your knee while raising your foot backward. Raise your foot until you can grab your ankle and gently bring it towards your body. Once comfortably close to your body, hold this position for up to 30 seconds and then slowly release the leg bringing it back to starting position. From there repeat with the other leg using the same instructions. You can repeat this stretch up to 3 times, and ensure to stop stretching if you feel pain at all.

Hip Rotations

If you’re looking for how to reduce joint pain in your hips this is a great stretch that you can do at any time of day. You’ll want to find a space you can sit on the ground and a space that is wide for your to extend your legs out. Start with your legs straight out in front of you to begin the stretch. Then slowly begin to bend your knees and bring your feet together, so your knees are going wide and your feet are centered.

Once your feet are as close to your body as comfortable then gently place your hands on your knees. Apply a small amount of pressure to push the knees toward the floor. Ensure you’re only applying a small amount of pressure and it feels comfortable. Hold here for 15 seconds, and then relax and take your hands off your knees. You can repeat your hands pushing down gently on your knees 10 times.

Summary of how to reduce joint pain with stretches

When it comes to fibromyalgia pain and chronic pain it can be tough to find relief some days. One of the best things you can do is keep trying different pain-relieving ideas until you find what works best for you. If you want some ways to increase your mood with chronic pain be sure to check out my blog post here on chronic pain and mood!