The Best Home Remedy for Instant Hip Joint Pain Relief
Hip joint pain can be brought on by a variety of factors, including arthritis, bursitis, overuse, improper body alignment and gait issues. Regardless of the cause, heat in its many forms is often the best and most fast-acting home therapy for relief.-
How Heat Works
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To effectively use heat to alleviate hip pain, its healing properties have to be understood. Heat helps relax muscles around joints and provides temporary relief to inflammatory disorders such as joint sprains, muscle spasms and various forms of arthritis. Heat increases blood flow to muscles and connective tissue and reduces joint stiffness and pain.
However, it's not always appropriate to use heat. Injuries that have just occurred and pain that has just appeared is better treated with ice than heat.
Heat Therapy Patches
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Moisture combined with heat can be doubly effective. The easiest way to apply moist heat is to purchase over-the-counter heat therapy patches, which are available in most drug stores. They can be applied directly to the hip or any other area and provide soothing moist heat. This provides targeted pain relief and is particularly useful while on the go. Many of these patches are odorless and can be left on for hours.
Make Your Own Moist Heating Pad
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If you're at home, you can create a moist heating pad very easily. Put a wet towel in the dryer at the highest setting, then remove it while it's still wet and hot. Immediately place the hot towel against the part of your hip that hurts and layer a dry towel over it to maintain the heat. This will cool down and need to be moistened and heated again for the next application.
Moist Heating Pad
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An even more convenient home option is to purchase a moist heating pad. Look for one that is easy to clean, has an absorbent sponge and various heating settings. Heat with these pads is usually recommended for 10-20 minutes once or twice a day, or repeatedly throughout the day.
Take a hot bath.
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Hot water stimulates blood flow and helps expedite wound healing, which is beneficial if you have suffered trauma to your hip. For extra soothing and relaxation, add epsom salt to your hot bath. You can also add soothing herbal salts such as lavender and chamomile. Draw a hot bath, but make sure it's not so hot that you burn yourself. The bath will gradually cool, so the hotter it is when you begin, the more heat your hip will receive.
Another benefit of a hot bath is that, unlike localized heating pads, you can treat and soothe all of your joints and muscles at once. Plus, it's a very relaxing treatment for your whole body.
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