Help Relieve Pain This Winter

The festive season brings holiday cheer, but the cold and the endless rush of activity, such as shopping, markets, parties, and travel, can often lead to stiff joints, tired feet, and painful flare-ups. This is especially true if you manage common conditions like arthritis or plantar fasciitis, which are frequently aggravated by the drop in temperature.

Don't let aches and pains slow you down or diminish your holiday spirit. This year, equip yourself with simple, effective strategies to maintain comfort and mobility.

Cold temperatures cause muscles and blood vessels to constrict (vasoconstriction), which stiffens the tissues and reduces circulation. Keeping your body, and especially your joints, consistently warm is the first essential step to relief.

• Layer Up and Protect Extremities: Always wear layers of clothing to trap body heat effectively, rather than only wearing a big coat. Crucially, don't forget hats, gloves, and thick socks, as heat is rapidly lost through your head and extremities.

• Use Therapeutic Warmth: If needed, target vulnerable joints with supports made from Neoprene. Heat therapeutic neoprene is a material that excels at trapping your body's natural heat, encouraging beneficial blood flow and soothing pain. Our VCS (Variable Compression System) adjustable supports, such as our Open Knee Support, help provide added support. The heat therapeutic neoprene also helps warm muscles and joints, providing relief for arthritis, chronic aches, and stiffness.

• Stay Hydrated with Warm Drinks: Cold air is surprisingly dehydrating. Proper hydration is vital for maintaining fluid balance in muscles and joints. Keep a thermos of warm herbal tea or water handy to encourage consistent fluid intake throughout the day.

When your joints hurt, it’s natural to want to rest, but total inactivity can lead to worsening stiffness. Gentle, consistent, and safe movement is ideal for managing chronic pain.

• Move Gently, Rest Smartly: Commit to a 10-minute gentle stretch routine every morning to prepare your joints for the day. When you are out, such as at a busy Christmas market, actively seek out opportunities to sit down for short, frequent rest breaks to relieve pressure on your joints and feet before fatigue sets in.

• Support for Stability: Winter conditions often mean uneven or slippery surfaces, increasing the risk of falls, strains, and instability. For joints that feel weak, use a support that can help provide additional confidence and added stabilisation. At Neo G, we have a wide range of supports for different requirements and support levels, including our Active, Airflow and VCS ranges.

Dealing with minor injury, a sudden flare-up, or chronic stiffness is painful and so requires reliable pain management.

• Smart Use of Hot and Cold: Know when to switch between temperature therapies. Use a Cold pack immediately for sudden pain, swelling, or a fresh injury (a strain or sprain). Use a Hot pack to relax chronically stiff, aching muscles and arthritic joints. At Neo G, our versatile Hot and Cold packs are fully compatible with your VCS supports for hands-free application and targeted relief, ensuring the therapy stays exactly where you need it.

• Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition: Support your body’s internal pain-fighting mechanisms by consciously choosing anti-inflammatory foods. Counter the heavy holiday diet with sources of Omega-3s (like oily fish and walnuts) and plenty of colourful vegetables. These nutrients help mitigate systemic inflammation.

You spend an enormous amount of time on your feet during the holidays. Without proper support, the impact is poorly absorbed and travels up your kinetic chain, causing secondary pain in the knees, hips, and back.

Find Comfort with Orthotics: Orthotic insoles can have different effects on the body, such as improving alignment and redistributing pressure. We offer Neothotics orthotic insoles designed for every pair of shoes:

• Pro-Expert - Use our Pro-Expert insoles for true support and effective relief from pain and underlying conditions associated with misalignment and abnormal movement of the feet. They are expert-led, true orthotic insoles, biomechanically engineered in conjunction with leading podiatrists to provide effective relief from foot and other associated pain. They help absorb shock and vibration to joints during movement and can help with associated knee and back pain. The full contact Tru-Arch support provides support for flat feet and fallen arches, helping ease arch pain and symptoms of plantar fasciitis, while the Multi-Way Motion Control supports the foot in three directions and can help correct posture and alignment. As well as supporting the first metatarsal head, the Dual Density Cushioning works in synergy with the Deep Heel Cup to help with heel pain, ankle instability and Achilles tendonitis, providing stability and comfort. The insoles can also provide relief from Hallux Limitus by helping correct the motion of the big toe and feature a metatarsal dome to help ease symptoms of Morton's Neuroma.
  

• Pro-Silicone – Our Pro-Silicone insoles relieve pressure at every step and add cushioning and comfort to your shoes. They are constructed from Premium Grade Silicone for orthotic cushioning and shock absorption, combining firm support zones and soft cushion zones for support, comfort and pain relief. Medically engineered and ergonomically designed to fit the anatomy of the wearer's foot, they feature an embedded Hexagonal Tech Mesh, which strengthens the insole for maximum protection and support.

• Pro-Flex – Pro-Flex insoles are designed for everyday comfort and support to energise tired, aching feet. Featuring Anti-Fatigue technology, the specialist material is soft enough to cushion your foot when it lands but firm enough to remain stable. The Pro-Flex Zone flattens when you stand on it, but pushes back as soon as weight is removed, giving you energy back on every step.

Use a smaller insole type (3/4 length or a heel cushion) to fit into your Christmas party or dress shoes to get similar benefits of a full-length insole (depending on the type of insole), allowing you to stay on your feet longer, pain-free. It is also important to inspect the tread on all your winter shoes. Excellent traction is non-negotiable to prevent slips and falls, which are a major cause of winter strains and fractures.

The holiday hustle often means sacrificing sleep, yet rest is when your body performs its vital healing and repair work. Do not underestimate the power of recovery.

• Protect Your Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night. Adequate rest reduces stress hormones, which can exacerbate pain sensitivity, giving your muscles and joints time to recover from the day's activities.

• Mindful Moments: Schedule short periods of quiet time each day. Simple mindfulness or breathing exercises can lower your stress and tension levels, which directly translates to reduced muscle tightness and pain perception.

• Practice Static Stretching: Static stretching is a gentle yet powerful recovery tool that restores muscle strength and releases the physical tension accumulated from the holiday hustle. By holding each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, you signal your muscles to relax, directly translating to reduced soreness and pain perception. Make this mindful practice a nightly ritual to prepare your body and mind for restorative sleep.

Don't let the common discomforts of winter become obstacles to enjoying the festive season. By following these five steps - prioritising warmth, moving safely, actively managing pain, supporting your body from the feet up, and dedicating time to recovery -you can make a significant difference in your daily comfort.

Invest in your well-being this winter with quality, supportive measures like Neothotics insoles and VCS supports to ensure your focus remains on joy and celebration, not discomfort. Stay supported, stay warm, and stay active!