Having trouble logging in? Sign up for a free account Get unlimited access on Medscape. 10 Tips to Overcome Morning Stiffness by Roger ChuDo you find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning because of too much pain? Does it take an hour or two for your body to “warm up” and your joints and muscles to loosen before you can tackle the tasks of the day? If you answered yes, you are not alone. According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia affects more than 6 million Americans. That’s one in 50 Americans, with seven times more frequency in women than in men. And according to the NHIS, by 2030 an estimated 67 million Americans are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Morning stiffness is one of the more common complaints doctors hear about from patients with fibromyalgia, arthritis, rheumatism and those whose bodies no longer rebound after a day of activity—even gardening—like it used to. Don’t let morning stiffness cut your day short.
The Main Causes of Morning Stiffness The basic causes of morning stiffness are lack of daily physical activity, being overweight, having a poor diet, not sleeping properly, and being in an environment that tends to be cold and/or damp. Exercising on a daily basis (even walking while swinging your arms) is a great way to release those feel-good endorphins, get blood moving, and help clear nasty toxins from the body. Being overweight puts strain on your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A poor diet that is high in simple carbohydrates causes weak muscles, bad posture, and lethargy. A poor sleeping posture can lock your body in a bad position for hours, causing reduced blood flow to the local muscles, and a buildup of lactic acid, causing stiffness. Living or working in a cold or damp environment causes muscles to stiffen because the cold or damp affects the blood flow throughout the body. Relieving Morning Stiffness You’ll be happy to know that what is causing your morning stiffness can be avoided or corrected.
Here are 10 easy things you can do to make a big difference in your life. Be sure to get ample deep sleep so your body can repair and recharge. Forget about those troubles or conversations or tasks that need addressing; they can be handled tomorrow. Also, be sure to sleep either on your side or on your back, as stomach sleeping causes unnecessary stress on the low back and spine. If your room is drafty, seal the windows or door. If it is cold, try a space heater or use extra blankets to prevent that cold or dampness from stiffening your body. Do some easy stretches while lying in bed, then sitting up in bed, such as bending to the front and sides. This will stretch and loosen the muscles and help flush them with more blood. Take a hot shower. This serves as a means to induce sweating, promotes blood circulation, and releases muscle spasms. Simply stand under the warm water and relax. After you are warmed up from the shower, do some gentle knee bends. You can hold on to something for balance if needed.
These movements exercise almost 90 percent of the skeletal muscles. Find a counter, table, or chair and use your hands for support. Exhale and squat as low as you can go, then inhale and stand up again. Do 10 of these to get the morning blood flowing and keep the creaky joints silent. Drink the best water you can find. Often the tap water in our cities is not the freshest or safest. Even cities like Los Angeles have traces of psychiatric medicines and estrogen-like compounds in their tap water and these toxins can build up in your system over time, causing pain. It is advisable to drink either bottled water or reverse osmosis filtered water.Cut down on simple carbohydrates and start reading labels to avoid consuming more toxins. Simply eliminate all foods with artificial color, enriched white flour, and artificial flavors/sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup, crystalline fructose and aspartame). If you don’t know what it is, or have difficulty pronouncing it, avoid ingesting it.
Learn some coping mechanisms and stress-management techniques so that you’re not lying awake all night thinking about your problems. Learning how to deal with toxic people in your life will both allow you to sleep better and reduce the stress-induced muscle spasms that cause pain. Get some regular exercise. The idea is to go out and do some something physical with your body. Even a simple routine of 10,000 steps a day (buy a pedometer!) will greatly improve your health. Be the fashion police! You want to dress appropriately for these cold months, and you might do well to sleep in flannel pajamas or sweats. Remember, cold air causes muscles and joints to stiffen. Following these simple steps with a little dedication, along with making some minor lifestyle changes and improvements to your living environment, can help you overcome morning stiffness in no time. Robert Chu, PhD, L.Ac, QME, has studied the Chinese martial and healing arts since childhood. He specializes in Master Tung Acupuncture to help patients with musculoskeletal disorders, pain, infertility, cancer treatment-related side effects, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and thyroid issues.
Dr. Chu is a contributing editor and on the advisory board for The Healthy Back Institute. This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Ultraviolet light may help relieve pain in fibromyalgia syndrome patients, according to a preliminary study at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center conducted by dermatology, rheumatology, and public health sciences researchers. A report on the study appears in the January issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Dermatology Research at Wake Forest Baptist, said that this study was an outgrowth of a previous tanning addiction study in which participants reported anecdotally some improvement in their back pain. “We decided to look at fibromyalgia patients because there is such a big need for treatment,” Feldman said. “We knew from the tanning addiction study that the UV light was doing something for participants beyond the obvious.”
The recent study included 19 fibromyalgia patients who were exposed to both UV and non-UV rays in tanning beds for two weeks. Then they were divided into UV and non-UV groups for the next four weeks. All of the fibromyalgia patients received light treatments three times a week for a total of six weeks. The participants were treated with sunless tanning lotions to tan all participants because tanning might have indicated which group was receiving exposure to UV light. They were asked to report on their levels of pain as well as their moods. UV exposure resulted in limited improvement in pain, well-being and relaxation compared with the non-UV group. “People in the UV group reported a modest improvement,” Feldman said. “This was a small study and may indicate the need for a larger study.”Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness in localized areas of the neck, torso and extremities. In addition to pain, patients can experience stiffness, fatigue, sleep disturbances and other symptoms.
Other pain syndromes, such as irritable bowel syndrome or migraine headaches, are seen in individuals affected by fibromyalgia. The majority of the three to six million people who have fibromyalgia are women. “Fibromyalgia syndrome is the most common cause of chronic diffuse pain. Unfortunately, currently available medical therapies offer meaningful improvement in symptoms for less than half of the patients,” according to Kenneth S. O’Rourke, M.D., a rheumatologist at Wake Forest Baptist and a researcher on the study. “The evaluation of alternative therapies for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome, based on our increased understanding of how pain signals are generated and sustained, is an important pursuit at many clinical research centers.”Traditional treatments for fibromyalgia are medications, such as antidepressants, analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and non-pharmacologic approaches, most importantly regular participation in an exercise program. In a previous tanning addiction study, participants getting UV light treatments reported improvement in their arthritis and back pain, Feldman said.