From congestion and constant sneezing to itchy eyes and more, seasonal allergies are a huge nuisance that around 81 million Americans suffer through every year. However, for many, the symptoms don’t just stop at inflamed sinuses and irritation. In fact, seasonal allergies may also cause joint and muscle pain that makes allergy season even more difficult for countless people across the country.
Even though joint and muscle pain aren’t the first symptoms that come to mind when thinking about seasonal allergies, that doesn’t make these symptoms any less serious. It only means that many who suffer from them may be overlooking the root cause of the problem.
So, how can seasonal allergies cause joint and muscle pain, and what can you do about it?
How Do Seasonal Allergies Make Your Joints Hurt?
While it’s not nearly the most common allergy symptom, seasonal allergies can make your joints hurt more than normal. During allergy season, your body comes in contact with a lot more allergens, like pollen, than usual. Your immune system then reacts to these allergens by releasing histamines, which cause swelling, irritation, and inflammation.
Most allergy sufferers mainly experience this chemical response in their sinuses and airways. However, in reality, the effect that these histamines have isn’t localized to your nose and lungs. It affects the entire body, including the tissues around your joints. This irritation often leads to joint tenderness or stiffness that you would not otherwise experience without excessive exposure to seasonal allergens.
The Science Behind Seasonal Allergies and Joint and Muscle Pain
The connection between seasonal allergies and joint and muscle pain is clear. However, every patient is different, and the reason that allergy sufferers experience pain can vary drastically from one person to the other. Here are just some of the most common ways that seasonal allergies can cause muscle and joint pain.
Systemic Inflammation
As you already know, the inflammation that histamines cause doesn’t only affect the sinuses and airways. It spreads throughout the entire body, often causing muscles to ache and joints to become stiff and sore.
Sinus Pressure and Postural Changes
Another common cause of allergy-related joint and muscle pain has to do with your sinuses. When dealing with sinus congestion, many people subconsciously adjust their posture in order to relieve pressure. Whether it’s tilting your head, tightening your shoulders, or shifting your neck, these small postural changes can strain muscles throughout your body, leading to pain and soreness.
Muscle Fatigue
All the extra allergens that you come in contact with throughout allergy season put a lot of extra strain on your immune system. This means that your body will have less energy to dedicate to maintaining your muscles, leading to increased fatigue. Additionally, this extra fatigue can also cause muscles to become tighter and less flexible, adding more stress and pain to the joints they connect to.
Weather and Environmental Shifts
As the seasons change, your body also has to adjust to the drastic shifts in temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. While these shifts don’t cause allergies, these changes, in conjunction with increased exposure to seasonal allergens, can exacerbate the effects and cause pain and stiffness in both muscles and joints.
Chiropractic and Allergies: How You Can Get Relief
While allergies may not be the first thing that most people think of when deciding whether they should go to a chiropractor, chiropractic care may help with allergy-related pain and discomfort.
As you already know, when your immune system responds to allergens, the histamines it releases have wide-reaching effects on the entire body. This is especially true for the nervous system, which is what allows you to feel pain.
The good news is that the nervous system is a chiropractor’s specialty, and proper chiropractic care can go a long way to reducing inflammation, soreness, and pain in all muscles and joints throughout the body. Here are just a few specific ways that chiropractic care can help.
- Restoring Better Alignment: Chiropractic adjustments help realign the spine, improving nerve function, reducing muscle tension and joint strain, and improving the body’s ability to regulate immune responses.
- Reducing Muscle Tightness: Targeted stretches, massages, and adjustments can help relieve muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and back stemming from subtle posture changes and general allergy-related tightness.
- Supporting Sinus Drainage and Breathing: Adjustments to the upper cervical spine (neck) can help with sinus drainage and respiratory function,which can, in turn, benefit posture.
- Enhancing Whole Body Function: The entire body is connected, and improvements in one area often lead to better function in others. Chiropractic care can benefit your entire nervous system, leading to a more comfortable allergy season overall.
Tips for Easing Joint and Muscle Pain During Allergy Season
Going to a chiropractor for joint and muscle pain due to seasonal allergies is always a good idea. However, there are also plenty of simple and easy steps that you can take to reduce your allergy-related pain and inflammation on your own.
If you struggle with seasonal allergies and want to improve mobility and reduce muscle and joint pain, here are just a few examples of everyday things you can do to help.
- Stay Hydrated
- Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
- Reduce Allergen Exposure
- Move Gently Every Day
- Prioritize Rest
Contact Goshen Family Chiropractic Today
Are you struggling with muscle and joint pain? Contact us today.
Our team, led by West Chester’s own Dr. Raj, is always here to answer questions and will happily tell you more about how we can help you find relief from your pain. We’ll even help you schedule your first appointment at a time that’s convenient for you.
Don’t let yourself suffer through allergy-related muscle and joint pain any longer. Contact Goshen Family Chiropractic and take the first step toward relief today!
