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Joint Pain Treatment Options and Relief Methods for You

Wondering how to relieve joint pain? Joint pain treatment is likely at the top of your list of important things to read up on if you suffer from joint pain. We use our joints every day, all day. That’s why joint pain can feel so present in our lives. But don’t let that stop you from doing the things that make you - you. Learn about the available joint pain treatments so that you can put together a plan to start feeling a little more like yourself again and get back to the movement you love.

Joint pain is extremely common, and can be experienced in just about any joint in the body. Voltaren found that whilst 95% of people globally suffer from body pain at some point in their lives1, in the over 55’s joint pain afflicts a higher proportion of the global population than muscular pain – that’s a lot of people with joint pain! 30% of people globally suffer from weekly back pain, and 25% of people suffer from weekly neck pain2, and it can also affect the knees, hips, elbows, feet, and hands. It can range from mild to debilitating and can be chronic or acute.

There are a number of reasons you may be experiencing joint pain, including types of arthritis, gout; bursitis, tendonitis (e.g. tennis elbow), hand-shoulder syndrome; or even common bruises strains and sprains that occur in day to day life or sports injuries! Although Voltaren’s over the counter products aren’t indicated for all of these causes of joint pain, we’ve outlined many different remedies and treatments for joint pain relief that with your health care professional can help get you on track to regaining your joy of movement. Always read the label to check if your joint pain cause is covered by our Voltaren products!

When to see a doctor about joint pain

It is important to understand what is causing your joint pain before you self-treat. If you are experiencing joint pain and you don’t know why, see your doctor.

In the below cases it is recommended that you visit a doctor, who may recommend light exercise or order one or more tests - such as an X-ray or blood test - to help determine the source of your pain and the most appropriate treatment:

  • Your joint pain is accompanied by swelling, redness, tenderness and warmth around the joint
  • Your joint pain lasts for more than 7 days with no signs of getting better
  • Your joint is completely locked and immobile
  • Your joint pain is accompanied by fever, but not other signs of the flu
  • Your joint appears deformed
woman holding the elbow

How much Voltaren Emulgel to apply to relieve joint pain

Voltaren Emulgels deliver diclofenac, a highly effective anti-inflammatory, directly to the source of your pain. That’s why a little bit goes a long way. Apply between a cherry and walnut size amount, depending on the size of your affected area.

Home remedies for joint pain

Once you have ruled out the need for immediate medical attention, you may want to consider a number of home remedies for joint pain treatment. Home remedies can be straightforward easy (we love easy!) and effective (we love effective, too!) ways to get joint pain relief so that you can get going again.

For short-term relief of joint pain, try out an at-home method like PRICE.

PRICE stands for:

  • Protect the joint: Use a brace or wrap to protect the joint while it recovers
  • Rest the joint: Resting the joint will give it time to repair on its own. Continued usage can aggravate the joint, making recovery longer.
  • Ice the joint: Applying ice to the joint can reduce inflammation. Just be sure to wrap your ice pack in a towel before applying it. Placing a bare ice pack directly to your skin is not advisable.
  • Compress the joint: Compress the joint using an elastic wrap.
  • Elevate the joint: Elevate the joint above the level of your heart.

If you experience joint pain, your natural instinct may be to keep still and stop moving – especially when it hurts to do so. However, keeping moving is key for promoting joint mobility and function and treating your pain can help with this. The United States’ Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of weekly exercise as the sweet spot for maintaining joint health in some conditions.3 Added bonus: moving more can boost your mood, always a plus! So lace up your trainers and head out for a walk.

A key tip for how to relieve joint pain is diet. Maintaining a healthy weight is really important to reduce stress on your joints – especially weight bearing joints, like your knees. There is also debate around whether certain foods, herbs or spices may help reduce inflammation throughout your body. Reducing inflammation is certainly key for getting some joint pain relief. There is some research that suggests that foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as virgin olive oil,4 walnuts, flaxseed, oily fish, or turmeric5) play a role in reducing inflammation.

Medications for joint pain

What can you take for aching joints? There are a number of medications that can help reduce inflammation in your joints and that can relieve stiffness and pain.

Topical medication that you apply to the skin

  • Topical medication that you apply to the skin: Topical medications can come in the form of cream or gel that you apply to the skin covering the painful joint. Voltaren Emulgels that target pain with our powerful, clinically proven NSAID are: Voltaren Triple Effect Emulgel 1.16% and Voltaren Emulgel 12 Hour 2.32%.

If your joint pain is severe or persistent, you should seek advice from your doctor who will examine your injury and may offer you tests to confirm the cause and prescribe other treatments.

Voltaren Emulgels for joint pain relief

You can use Voltaren Emulgel for your aching joints, so you can get back to doing the things you love. Voltaren Emulgels are designed to beat pain by acting with a triple effect on your pain by:

  1. Relieving pain
  2. Fighting inflammation
  3. Speeding recovery

We have two different Emulgels for joint pain treatment, to better suit your needs.

  1. Voltaren Triple Effect Emulgel 1.16%
  2. Voltaren Emulgel 12 Hour 2.32%

Need a little more? Need a little less? We’ve got you. Both our Voltaren Triple Effect Emulgel 1.16% and Voltaren Emulgel 12 Hour 2.32% come in different pack sizes for your convenience.

How does Voltaren Emulgel work to relieve joint pain?

Voltaren Emulgels work by delivering diclofenac, a potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), right to the root of your pain. Unlike non-medicated cooling gels and heat patches that work only by physical action (cooling or heating the skin), diclofenac works by relieving pain and reducing inflammation at their source.

After applying Voltaren Emulgel the Emulgel technology included in all our gels aides our clinically proven NSAID (Diclofenac) to permeate the skin and penetrate directly to the area affected by inflammation, as effectively as pills. The diclofenac is then retained at the source of pain and helps block the production of some of your body’s neurotransmitters that cause the feeling of pain, tenderness and swelling.

How to use Voltaren Emulgel to relieve joint pain

We believe joint pain relief shouldn’t be a pain, follow these simple steps to relieve joint pain with Voltaren Emulgel:

  1. Open your tube of Voltaren Emulgel removing the cap (see table for our range of caps)
  2. Squeeze out an amount ranging in size from a cherry to a walnut, depending on the size of the affected area.
  3. Gently rub into the skin over the area where you are experiencing body pain
  4. Reapply throughout the day as indicated on the label. Do not exceed recommended dosage.
  5. Start to regain your joy of movement. Feel better
Easy Open Cap No Mess Applicator Cap
Tamper evident tabs located on each side of the flip-top cap will break when the cap is opened for the first time. Before first use check if the tamper evident tabs are not broken. The first time you use the tube you’ll have to break the tamperevidence seal. To remove the seal before first use, remove the transparent protective cover and then unscrew the applicator. Use the star-shape groove located at the side of the applicator to remove the tamper evidence seal of the tube. Screw the applicator back on the tube before dispensing the gel.
Just flip the cap lid. Use a finger, thumb, side of your hand or even edge of a table against the underside of the cap lid to open the flip-top cap. Easy peasy! To open, simply pull up the white part of the applicator and squeeze the gel through onto the pad to apply.

Use up to 14 days for soft tissue injuries, like sprains or strains. As soon as your pain subsides, stop using Voltaren Emulgel. If your pain and swelling do not improve within 7 days, or if they get worse, please consult your doctor.

Voltaren Emulgel should only be applied to intact, non-diseased skin, and not to skin wounds or open injuries. It should not be allowed to come into contact with the eyes or mucous membranes and should not be ingested. Discontinue the treatment if a skin rash develops after applying the product.

How much Voltaren Emulgel to apply to relieve joint pain

Voltaren Emulgels deliver diclofenac, a highly effective anti-inflammatory, directly to the source of your pain. That’s why a little bit goes a long way. Apply between a cherry and walnut size amount, depending on the size of your affected area.

Other options for joint pain relief

Once you have explored your medication and home remedies for joint pain, you may want to explore additional joint pain treatment options if you are still in significant pain.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy can help increase your range of motion by strengthening, loosening and warming up the muscles surrounding your affected joints. A physical therapist will work together with you to tailor you a series of stretching and strengthening exercises just for you.

Surgery

Surgery is considered a last resort for people with joint pain. If you are not responding to treatment and have exhausted your options for medication and home remedies, when you consult with your doctor they may want to explore surgery as an option.

Surgery for joint pain usually involves cutting and reshaping the affected joint to improve functioning. In severe cases, it can involve replacing the joint altogether.

We know how important it is to find the best joint pain treatment that works for you. Because it’s not just relief for sore, achy, stiff joints – it’s enjoying movement and feeling free to focus on what’s important throughout your day. It’s feeling like yourself again.

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