The value of clever choices, listening to our bodies and self-care is highlighted by new Deep Relief report and research

Over the last few years there has been a crucial shift in the way we see ourselves. Forget the body beautiful, now the emphasis is on building a strong, healthy physique from the inside out. New research reveals that Brits now place much more importance on maintaining their physical health as they know it will help them lead longer, happier lives. That’s according to a major new report and the very latest real world research data ahead of publication from the topical muscle and joint pain specialists – Deep Relief – www.deep-relief.co.uk^[1] – Maximising Your Personal Power Within.

The new Deep Relief report – Maximising Your Personal Power Within^[2] – reveals that more than half (52%) of those polled believe that “powerful” means being physically strong and nearly as many (46%) believe that it means being in control of yourself, while 40% think it means having influence. We want to feel empowered – to take control of our bodies and our physical and mental health. To make the most of our lives and the opportunities that come our way we need to have confidence in our choices and actions.

Leading women’s health expert and advisor to Deep Relief, the topical joint and muscle pain specialists,  www.deep-relief.co.uk – Dr Carrie Ruxton explains: “Real power is confidence. It rises the better we know and value ourselves and live our values. Studies have shown that positive mood or emotion enhances creative problem solving, co-operation, decision quality, overall performance, the search for creative solutions, and confidence in being able to achieve positive outcomes.”

Interestingly, the Deep Relief report research revealed that most people (62%) have made changes to their life in the last 12 months to make them feel more powerful.  The most common change was taking control of their health and wellbeing (23%), the same percentage of people started new activities, while 22% decided to have more faith in themselves. More than one third (38%) sought professional help, such as a therapist, to help them follow their life path. 

FAST TRACK TO A POWERFUL BODY

When it comes to our bodies, we each have the power to make them the best they can be. A healthy body requires so many vital ingredients, including nutrition, exercise, hydration, quality sleep and busting pain. Physiotherapist, sleep expert and an advisor to Deep Relief – www.deep-relief.co.uk – Sammy Margo says: “Healthy joints are also a crucial constituent of overall health. Each human body has around 360 joints, which are involved in every single movement we make, whether it’s walking, cycling, gardening, jogging, swimming or jumping.  If our joints are unhealthy, it can mean discomfort, pain, restricted movement, poor sleep, disruption to work and even affects our moods and mental health.” 

She continues: “It’s too easy to take it all for granted until our joints deteriorate. That’s why we need to be mindful and be prepared for if a problem arises. Joint problems are not inevitable and there is also a lot we can do to look after our joints when problems do occur.”

PAIN CAN BE LIFE-ALTERING

When it strikes, muscle and joint pain can have devastating consequences, from time off work to disrupted sleep and low moods. The new Deep Relief report research revealed:

• 71% say that joint or muscle pain has stopped them exercising
• 59% say it’s interfered with their ability to work
• 53% say that it has stopped them socialising
• 39% say they feel frustrated
• 34% feel fatigued throughout the day
• 34% are tired due to a lack of sleep

Interestingly, 30% of the respondents say they have mild arthritis and the research looked specifically at their responses, but they weren’t dramatically different to those who have other causes of muscle and joint pain.

The majority of us are suffering from pain and a staggering 93% of respondents from the latest Deep Relief report research says that they have experienced muscle or joint pain, most commonly in the:

• Lower back (58%)
• Shoulders (45%)
• Neck (39%)
• Legs (39%)
• Knees (38%) 
• Hips (21%).

There can be lots of different reasons why joints become stiff or painful including ageing, wear and tear, injury and our genetics. Bending our wrists while playing squash, golf, or tennis, cricking our neck between a cup of tea and the laptop screen or even twisting our hips at a dance or aerobics class. When thinking about their most recent experience of muscle and joint pain, a health condition came out top with 15%, followed by ageing (13%), injury (10%) and posture (6%). 

Half of people who have worked from home since the pandemic have noticed an increase in muscle or joint pain.  Of those who have felt more pain since working from home, 45% put it down to poor posture, 42% to lack of movement and 27% due to not having a proper desk setup. Interestingly, 64% of respondents have experienced muscle or joint pain with no obvious cause, but 85% believe that sitting down too much can cause muscle and joint pain.

GP, and advisor to Deep Relief – www.deep-relief.co.uk – Dr Binita Kalaria says: “When we experience muscle or joint pain, it’s crucial to treat any inflammation and tackle pain quickly, both to ease the discomfort and any associated issues and also in order to keep moving, so the joint doesn’t seize up and become more painful. 

“Deep Relief is a topical pain relief specialist and the range of gel treatments are great news for those people looking to bust back pain, rheumatic pain, muscular aches, pains, and swellings such as strains, sprains, and sports injuries.”

Deep Relief Anti-inflammatory Gel and Deep Relief Joint Pain Gel are the only anti-inflammatory gels in the UK which have a triple action formula. Applied at the point of pain, Deep Relief Anti-inflammatory Gel and Deep Relief Joint Pain Gel provide proven, targeted relief, and start working in 10 minutes¹ thanks to containing the two painkilling ingredients – Ibuprofen and Levomenthol – to provide powerful pain and inflammation relief where you need it most.  

Ibuprofen is an effective, evidence backed Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID), which gets to work on reducing pain and inflammation. 

Meanwhile, levomenthol works on the nerve endings in the skin, giving a soothing, cooling effect, while its counter-irritant activity stimulates the nerves that perceive cold and inhibits those that perceive pain. All combined in an aqueous gel, which adds to the soothing and cooling effect.  The gel formulation penetrates through the skin rapidly, achieving high, therapeutically relevant local concentrations in underlying soft tissues, muscles, and joints. 

WHY ARE WE IN PAIN?

When quizzed on what had caused the most muscle or joint pain over the last five years, the Deep Relief report research survey revealed that:

• One third said their muscle and joint pain was as a result of ageing (33%)
• One in five (21%) blamed poor posture
• One in four said a health condition caused their pain
• 25% blamed arthritis for their joint pain
• 23% said standing on their feet for long periods was the reason for their pain. 

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5 WAYS TO HELP FUTURE-PROOF YOUR BODY

Some reasons for poor joint health may be difficult or impossible to alter – for example our age, biological sex, metabolic health and any underlying health conditions. As top personal trainer and advisor to Deep Relief Chris Ruxton explains: “There are so many things that can interfere with your joint health. You can’t change all of them, but that there are many that can be influenced by relatively small tweaks to your lifestyle.”

Dr Binita Kalaria, Sammy Margo and Chris Ruxton recommend five key lifestyle changes to avoid joint health challenges:

# 1 NOURISH YOURSELF
What we eat makes a massive difference to our joint health. Inflammatory foods, like highly processed foods increase inflammatory markers in the blood, increasing the risk of joint pain.

An anti-inflammatory diet is associated with improved inflammatory markers in the blood and tissues^[3] and can reduce inflammation in the body and help to maintain joint health. Base your diet on colourful fruit and vegetables, live yogurt and other fermented foods, beans, pulses and oily fish with moderate amounts of protein-rich foods and with sweet foods eaten only occasionally.^[4]

# 2 BE ACTIVE
Exercise plays a vital role in joint health. Mix it up where you can: swimming, walking, squats and stretching tick all the boxes and make sure you warm up before any exercise. It’s also important to get up and stretch if you work at a desk or a screen.

Worryingly, according to previous Deep Relief research, almost six in 10 don’t make a point of getting up to stretch regularly if they’ve been sitting down for a while. Sitting for hours at a time is damaging to posture, shortening the hip flexors, and damaging the discs in the back.

Even if you have joint health discomfort, it’s important not to stop moving; keep active and reach for the newest member of the Deep Relief range – Deep Relief Actiflex Patch. Using the very latest patch innovation – hydrogel technology – it provides targeted cooling and soothing relief to joint areas for up to 12 hours, day or night. It’s non-medicinal, which is a huge bonus for the 76% respondents who say this is important to them, especially those that can’t take oral analgesics. And thanks to a flexible fit, the Deep Relief Actiflex Patch can be applied to most joint areas, including knees, shoulders, hips, wrists, elbows, and ankles. 

# 3 GET ENOUGH SLEEP
We all lead busy lives so getting enough good quality sleep is essential. There’s a significant link between sleep and our pain levels. Painful joints can make it difficult to fall asleep in the first place and perhaps even more annoyingly can continually disrupt sleep throughout the night. Also, if you aren’t getting enough sleep, the pain will feel worse. 

Interestingly, in previous Deep Relief research^[5], almost two thirds (64%) felt that disrupted sleep or a lack of sleep contributed to their muscle or joint pain. Research shows that sleep deprivation can alter the nerve signals in the brain and reduce the pain threshold.^[6] Sleep deprivation also hinders emotional and cognitive abilities so it’s harder to deal with pain.^[7] It’s especially important to try and manage your pain at night, so you can get a good night’s sleep.

# 4 LIVE WELL
Heavy alcohol use can cause inflammation and even moderate alcohol consumption can exacerbate gout; a painful inflammatory condition of the joints so ensure you keep an eye on your alcohol consumption. Also, if you do smoke – it’s time to quit – as well as other more serious health risks – joint pain is also more common in smokers.

# 5 STAY IN SHAPE
Shockingly the majority of people in the UK (63%) are now overweight or obese (having a Body Mass Index of 25 or more)^[8] and that has significant ramifications for joint health.  Carrying extra body weight at any age increases the risk of poor joint health. Increased weight adds stress to weight-bearing joints, such as the hips, back and knees and will accelerate wear and tear on joints and the spine. Also, fat tissue produces pro-inflammatory compounds that can cause harmful inflammation in and around the joints. Try and keep to a healthy weight if you can.