Reduce pain and inflammation through nutrition

Redness. Swelling. A body part that’s warm to the touch. All these issues could be signs that you’re dealing with inflammation. 

Internal inflammation can wreak havoc with your health. For one thing, it’s commonly accompanied by pain, which can make activities like walking the dog far less enjoyable. Inflammation is also a common symptom of many health issues, such as arthritis. Whether you have a specific diagnosis or generalized pain in your back and joints, physical therapy can help. One treatment option that your physical therapist may suggest to help reduce inflammation and pain is an anti-inflammatory diet. 

Foods that won’t help reduce inflammation and pain

One of the quickest ways to lessen inflammation and pain is to stop eating the foods that can cause them. Unfortunately, for many people, these foods tend to be convenience items. That means that you may need to readjust how you think about preparing meals and snacks in your quest for pain and inflammation relief.

On the plus side? There are few surprises in the types of foods that make inflammation worse. Some of the inflammatory foods you should avoid include: 

• Pre-packaged meals
• Foods high in trans fat, sugar and preservatives
• Fried foods
• Red meat
• Foods made with processed carbs, like donuts and white bread
• White rice

Foods that can help reduce inflammation and pain

Many “bad guys” in the food world have easy alternatives that can actually help decrease inflammation and pain. Some of these “good-guy” foods include options like: 

• Whole-grain breads and pasta
• Brown rice
• Fish
• Chicken
• Leafy green vegetables
• Berries
• Nuts

Find physical therapy designed to reduce inflammation and pain at Whatcom Physical Therapy 

Long-term pain relief can rarely be achieved with diet alone. As important as nutrition is, it’s also crucial to combine it with other treatments that can effectively reduce inflammation and pain, and our team at Whatcom Physical Therapy can help with this. We offer free screenings that can pinpoint the root cause of your inflammation and pain. Our team can then create a personalized therapy plan for you that’s designed to decrease these and other symptoms of your condition. 

In addition to in-clinic physical therapy, we’re currently offering virtual care sessions. Even better, all our therapy services can be used without a doctor’s referral. 

Contact our team today for more information about the services we offer or to schedule your initial appointment.