Most people associate joint pain and chronic pain flares with cold weather, often due to decreased circulation and exposure to the cold. However, all types of weather changes can affect chronic pain, including the joyful summer heat that's about to arrive.
If you're living with chronic pain, knowing how to get relief in every type of weather is crucial to living a productive lifestyle. At Delmarva Pain and Spine Center, Dr. Shachi Patel offers a range of pain management techniques, including joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, and regenerative medicine.
Dr. Patel treats many types of chronic pain that cause discomfort all year round, including sciatica, CRPS, and neuropathy.
People living with chronic pain don't get relief for just a season; it affects every aspect of their lives, whether it's cold out or hot and humid. Cold weather is notorious for exacerbating chronic pain. Still, many people have the same effects in the hot summer weather.
With summer here already, you're probably wondering how the heat affects chronic pain. Just as the cold causes bodily changes, the heat also leads to changes that increase pain, and they include:
All these changes can lead to a worsening of chronic pain symptoms, particularly in individuals with arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. While you can't control the weather, there are many ways to ease pain this summer.
You don't have to fear summer, even with chronic pain. Making simple lifestyle changes and listening to your body can go a long way in managing pain.
Dr. Patel offers the following tips to help her patients manage chronic pain throughout the summer heat, and they include:
Dehydration is one of the causes of chronic pain flares during the summer. Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day to prevent painful flares from overheating during warm weather.
Layering clothing may seem counterintuitive during the summer, but it can help keep pain under control for some. People with fibromyalgia and CRPS may find sun exposure especially painful. Layering clothing with SPF shirts and applying sunscreen helps protect the skin from the sun's rays.
Although you may want to get out and make the most of the warm summer months, overdoing exercise may exacerbate chronic pain. It's essential to ease into exercise and physical activity to avoid painful flare-ups.
Overheating can occur easily and lead to increased inflammation and pain. If you feel yourself getting hot, head into the air conditioning, go swimming, or cool off by drinking ice-cold water. The sooner you cool down, the quicker the pain goes away.
Dealing with chronic pain is difficult, even in the heat of summer. Practicing mindfulness activities like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing helps you navigate any pain flares that may arise during the summertime.
If these tips aren't enough to get your pain under control, Dr. Patel offers IV vitamin therapy, trigger point injections, and ketamine infusions to help with stubborn chronic pain flares.
To learn more about our pain management treatments, call our Newark, Delaware, office to schedule an appointment or request a consultation with Dr. Patel on our website.
