When you've been dealing with chronic, debilitating joint pain for a while, scheduling your joint replacement can come with a big sigh of relief. Even though you'll have to go through an intense surgical process first, pain relief is finally around the corner. But what about the pain you're still experiencing in the weeks leading up to surgery? If the prescription meds and other remedies you're using are not quite cutting it, here are some herbs you can use for enhanced pain relief while awaiting orthopedic surgery.

Rosemary

This is that herb that looks like tiny pine needles and that many people like to put on pork and beef. It has a savory flavor, isn't terribly strong, and is thought to help reduce inflammation. Most pain is related to inflammation, at least to some degree. This is especially true about arthritis and old musculoskeletal injuries. You can keep adding rosemary to some of your meals, but you can also make a unique tea from those dried rosemary leaves in your cabinet. Put a teaspoon of them in a mug, cover them in boiling water, and steep for 10 minutes. Drain the rosemary out with some mesh or a coffee filter, and sip. 

Cloves

Cloves are known for their ability to relieve dental pain, but they can also help alleviate pain elsewhere in the body. They have a pretty strong flavor, which can make it hard to eat a lot of cloves at once. However, there are ways to work little bits of clove into your routine throughout the day. Add a pinch to your oatmeal in the morning. Cloves taste even better when combined with cinnamon. Add a single clove each time you brew yourself a single cup of tea, and add a pinch to your smoothies, too.

Ginger

This is perhaps the easiest of all the herbs to use for pain relief. Its flavor is very versatile. You can add some powdered ginger to your oatmeal, cereal, or smoothie. You can make rice or stir fry with ginger. You can also brew tea by pouring hot water over fresh ginger. Like rosemary, ginger seems to work by alleviating inflammation, which means it can help relieve many types of pain.

If you have ginger, rosemary, or cloves in your spice cabinet, you already have some herbal remedies for pain relief. Talk to your orthopedic doctor for more pain management options, and also remember to tell them what herbs you are taking in case you need to stop taking them before surgery.