Yes, Stress Can Amp Up Joint Pain — Here's Why + What To Do About It

When we're stressed, our bodies literally tense up—and it's often our joints that bear the brunt.

When we look at the body as one complete system, it makes sense that stress could wind up influencing joint pain. After all, we know that elevated cortisol levels are associated with more pain. As physician and New York Times bestselling author Lissa Rankin, M.D., previously wrote for mbg, chronic stress depletes your adrenal glands. This "raises prolactin levels, increasing the body's sensitivity to pain1, such as backaches and muscle aches," she notes.

Additionally, founder of Parsley Health Robin Berzin, M.D., previously wrote for mbg that stress is the opposite of helpful for your immune system, which is responsible for regulating a healthy inflammatory response in the body. "Stress is the ultimate immune-modulator," she writes, and inflammation is often what we're feeling when our joints start to ache.

And speaking of inflammation, we already know that stress has a negative impact on gut health. You guessed it—poor gut health is also associated with increased inflammation and more joint pain. For optimal support, try our turmeric potency+, which promotes a healthy inflammatory response and supports your joints.

If you've been achey lately and you think stress could be to blame, the good news is there are a handful of things you can do to give your joints a break.

For one thing, taking a quality joint comfort supplement can help promote joint health and encourage a healthy inflammatory response in the body, ultimately providing sustained relief. Our turmeric potency+ is a great choice for whole-body support. Here are nine additional of our most effective picks.

You also want to make sure you're getting enough movement, for a few reasons. Not only is strength training known to improve the function of joints2, for instance, but the exercise itself is also a powerful way to combat stress.

To that end, perhaps you opt for a soothing yoga flow or even dancing to shake that stress away.