With this classic icing method, simply use a bag of frozen food like peas to cool your tender joints. Keep the washcloth in the resealable plastic bag and wrap it in a dish towel, pillowcase, or another material. “The washcloths will be really stiff when they first come out, and they’ll get more flexible as they start to melt so you can drape it over any area you want.”Īs with any other method of icing, there should always be a barrier between the ice and your skin. “You can shape the washcloth however you want for your joint, whether you leave it flat or fold it into thirds or fourths to make it smaller,” says Dorsey. This is a comfortable and reusable way to ice joints, and you can even customize the washcloth before putting it in the freezer. Soak a washcloth in water, then place it in a resealable plastic bag and freeze. If you have a pack of four sponges on hand, freeze them all and you’ll always have a cooling fix ready for aching joints. This is also a great way to create a number of ice packs at once. “As it thaws, it’ll become more moldable, so you can get it to conform around a small area like a finger or toe.” “It probably would thaw out relatively quickly, but a frozen sponge works for short-term icing,” says Dorsey. This will provide both structured and flexible icing options for you as it warms up on your joint. Soak a sponge in water, then freeze it in a plastic bag. These 10 household items will help you make inexpensive ice packs on the fly at home, and as a result, your joints may feel better afterward. Whether a towel, a pillowcase, or paper towel, this will help protect your skin from irritation - particularly if you have decreased sensation due to diabetes or another condition that causes neuropathy (numbness from nerve damage that typically occurs in the hands and feet). You should always have a barrier between an ice pack and your skin, even if your ice pack is homemade. Talk to your doctor about the results so you can make modifications if needed.” “Rate your pain levels before and after to track how ice is affecting your joints. “Pay attention to how it feels when you ice a joint, especially if it’s the first time you’re doing so,” says occupational therapist Julie Dorsey, OTD, OTR/L, an associate professor of occupational therapy at Ithaca College in New York. You can use ice after exercising - an important part of treating arthritis - to help ease muscle achiness.Ī general recommendation is to ice an area for 20 minutes at a time, but it’s important to talk to your doctor before starting an ice treatment to find out if it’s appropriate for you and how long you should apply cold treatment. Certain DIY ice packs may even work better than some store-bought varieties due to their flexibility, size, or duration of coolness.Ĭold treatment can reduce swelling and help temporarily numb painful arthritic joints, per the Cleveland Clinic. However, if you don’t have cold packs on hand, there are several household items that can double as an inexpensive ice treatment. One common way to do this is by icing your affected joint, which can feel particularly soothing during the hot months of summer. When you live with arthritis, learning how to soothe tender joints is part of everyday life.
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