Stiffness and Joint Pain

mheebner

Hey all,
I was wondering what, if anything, you guys take to help with stiffness and joint paint. I'm into week three of this journey. I am watching my caloric intake and exercising 6 days a week, Three days cardio, three strength training. Before I started this I had some joint pain and stiffness ( sitting at my desk and then having to get up to do something, after sitting on the couch for a while, getting out of bed, etc) and I thought losing weight and exercising would help. Well so far it hasn't made a difference, and as soon as I 'warm' up a little its not an issue.
Is there any kind of supplements or something that helps with this ?
Thanks

kjg1965297

When you first start an exercise program you can expect that. I am the same way and I was told I don't warm up enough. I will take Tylenol if it gets too bad but I don't want to mask anything my body is telling me. I had to start slowly in respect of my size and medical situation. After 5 minutes on the elliptical I too am warmed up and have no pain but the next day stiffness sets in. I try to grin and bear it. Maybe its age!!!!!! lol

grimendale

Ibupofen can help with DOMS, as it is an anti-inflammatory. Light exercise and stretching can also help relieve muscle soreness; the stiffness will be worst after a long period of inactivity such as sleeping or sitting at a desk. As your body adjusts, you should stop experiencing this soreness.

BreytonJay

Stretch before and after a workout. Hold each stretch for at least 20 seconds. I have problems with my knees so I also foam roll to release the tightness in my thighs. Once the muscle loosens up it tends to relieve the pressure on my knees. Google myofascial release, i think is the technical name, for ideas about pressure points and foam rolling. It really helps me.

Sleeved114

Gloucosamine and Chondroitin help me with those same problems. You can find the supplements in Move-Free and other products from Costco or most pharmacies. My doctor told me to take fish oil and I have been doing that as well.
Good Luck.

willdob3

You're not talking about DOMS so I suggest some nutritional changes for a couple weeks just to see if they might make a difference in how you feel. After two weeks you can add them back and see if you feel worse.

First, no sugar & no processed foods. All the junk is inflammatory. You might want to try eliminating wheat. Getting these things out of my diet almost completely eliminated my stiffness & joint pain.

allshebe

According to your counter, you probably haven't lost enough to help your joints much yet. On cardio days, start slower, give yourself a nice slow warm up, a few minutes of maximum intensity and then a gradual, slow cool down, Over time, increase the duration of high intensity and probably work up to having multiple intervals of maximum effort, but that's a ways in the future (if you want to avoid more than a little stiffness between workouts).. On weight days - work with a trainer for a while to make sure your form is good and that you're lifting the "right" weight and number of reps to start. If it's too painful from day to day, it's really hard to stick with a program. Start at the "marshmallow" level if that's where your current fitness level is. You won't make any progress if you shred something critical from overdoing and end up having to "rest and recover" for 6-12 weeks (it takes at least that long for soft tissue injuries to heal, especially once you hit middle age)

Blesmols

This might sound odd, but even though I am 43, I do exercises designed for elderly people. I basically mean range of motion exercises. They are more oriented to functionality and flexibility than they are for weight loss, but they help me considerably. I'm not physically predisposed to doing yoga. I tried and it was almost impossible for me. You might also consider doing more strenuous exercises in a pool. It actually makes the exercises burn more calories from the water resistance, but it helps suspend your weight enough that it reduces impact on joints.

As a final situation, if you can, see your medical provider. It is possible that from weight that you may have some mild issues. Right now they have some less invasive techniques for helping joint troubles. My uncle is nearly 80 and he had rooster comb injections. He said it made him feel like a new man. In my humble opinion, I like to rule out issues I can't fix on my own, so I can focus on making the methods for the ones I can fix more effective.

Good luck!

FitnessBeverlyHills

I recommend taking a Glucosamine or MSM Complex supplement. However if you are feeling a lot of stiffness and joint pain it is probably because you need to stretch more. Have you tried Pilates? I see a lot of clients who work at a desk job and have poor posture with very limited flexibility. It can really cause a lot of stiffness, back pain, joint pain, and can even lead to injuries during your weight training if you are not properly stretching after your warm up.

dlbredesen

I have found that the more I move the less I hurt. Try Tylenol Arthritis or Aleve, both are long acting so you can take a dose in the morning and a dose at night. Your body is probably adjusting to the increased activity.

leebesstoad

Well as someone who is an expert in stiffness and joint pain (I should be since I now have 2 artificial hips and 1 artificial knee), I take plenty of ibuprofen and glucosamine and chondroitin. They help.

mheebner

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really think that as I lose more weight, and therefore more pressure off my joints, the better this will get.
I do warm up for all workouts...10 mins on the elliptical before lifting, and now that I've started C25K, walking for 5 min before jogging. I also usually cool down using the treadmill or elliptical as well. Stretching however might have to be something I start working on as I never stretch.

I will look into the supplement ideas, and maybe consider some type of class after I lose some more weight.

MyJourney1960

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really think that as I lose more weight, and therefore more pressure off my joints, the better this will get.
I do warm up for all workouts...10 mins on the elliptical before lifting, and now that I've started C25K, walking for 5 min before jogging. I also usually cool down using the treadmill or elliptical as well. Stretching however might have to be something I start working on as I never stretch.

I will look into the supplement ideas, and maybe consider some type of class after I lose some more weight.

Yes, sounds like you might want to learn some after exercise stretches. I do a set of simple yoga exercises , especially after weight training, about 10- 20 minutes. It's very helpful.

get10fit2013

Not that I'm an expert, because I haven't bought it yet myself, but I hear Osteo biflex with Vitamin D3 is the way to go. I'm buying some this weekend. Stretching could be all you need, but if you don't see a huge difference after a week or so, I'd try it. I've heard somewhere on here I think about someone being referred for surgery that actually only had a vitamin D deficiency. I figure the med I mentioned would kill two birds with one stone. Just a thought.

mheebner

Well as an update...I've lost a little more weight and have added some stretching into my daily routine. The difference is huge. I am experiencing zero stiffness and/or joint pain the last week or so.

Thanks for the advice on stretching...seems to be helping quite a bit.