Knee pain is one of the most common problems that people of all ages can experience due to various causes, such as injury or aging. Whatever the causes of knee pain are, it is an annoying problem that may impact your life and interfere with your daily activities. It may be a transient or a lifelong problem.
You may experience knee pain in various degrees of severity, according to the underlying cause. But, with knee pain, you usually experience redness, warmth, tenderness, and limited movement. In many cases, knee pain may be mild and respond to self-care actions. But sometimes, you may need to see a doctor because it may require medical or surgical treatment. See your doctor if you have severe pain after injury, feel fever, notice swelling or deformity in your knee or leg, feel instability, or can’t bear weight.
You may have knee pain at any age and due to many causes. Daily activities, such as walking and lifting, may cause wear and tear that often causes knee pain. Knee pain may occur due to injuries, which may cause fractures, torn cartilages, or sprained ligaments. Also, it may result from arthritis, either rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or septic arthritis. Also, you may be at a higher risk if you are overweight or play certain sports.
You have several options to manage your knee pain, depending on what causes it. According to that, your doctor can manage it by medications, injections, and surgical repair. Also, he should recommend lifestyle modifications to promote the efficiency of his management plan. Whether mild, moderate, or severe knee pain, you can enhance your comfort and relieve your symptoms through self-care actions.
Now, let’s discuss the natural ways that you can use to manage (or help manage) your knee pain.
1. The RICE method (Rest- Ice-Compression-Elevation)
All people are susceptible daily to minor knee injuries, like sprain and strain. When you have such an injury, remember the acronym RICE, which refers to rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
After the injury, you should rest to avoid further damage and give your tissues time to heal. But, know that rest doesn’t mean stopping all movements completely because this may cause stiffness and worsen the pain. A minor sprain usually needs rest for one or two days.
On the first day of injury, apply ice to the injured site after wrapping it in a cloth. Ice helps relieve inflammation and swelling. But, don’t apply it directly to the skin because it may cause further damage.
Apply a firm, not tight, bandage compression to your knee to reduce the swelling and improve your comfort. Compression provides support and stability to your joint. Avoid tight bandages because they may cut off the blood supply to your leg.
While resting, elevate your leg to improve circulation and reduce the swelling. Keep your knee above your heart level.
2. Heat and cold therapy
Heat and cold have a natural anti-inflammatory effect. Heat relaxes your muscles, improves lubrication, eases stiffness, and encourages blood flow. Cold reduces pain, swelling, and inflammation. Apply heat and cold alternatively. Use heat to warm up your knee and reduce stiffness in the morning to improve your mobility throughout the day. You can do heat therapy with a warm shower or bath and a warm pad.
At the end of the day, if your knee becomes inflamed, painful, and swollen, use ice to relieve it. Also, apply cold to your joint in the first two days after injuries. You can gain cold therapy by wrapping ice in cloth. Remember that don’t apply ice directly to your skin.
Either heat or cold, don’t apply them for more than 20 minutes per time. Check the hotness of hot items before using them, especially for older people and those who can’t communicate well.
3. Weight management
The knee is one of the joints that carry your weight, and being overweight puts additional pressure on it. Extra 10 pounds of weight add 10 to 50 pounds of strain to your knee. Each step puts a strain on your knee equal to about one and half of your weight. People with a high body mass index (BMI) are at a higher risk of osteoarthritis.
Maintaining a healthy weight promotes the health of your joints. If you are overweight and suffer from long-term knee pain, like with osteoarthritis, losing weight will help you.
The lessening strain on your knee by losing weight relieves your pain, improves mobility, and reduces further joint damage. Less weight gives you more activity. Your doctor will help you by setting a target weight and making a plan to reach this target.
4. Physical exercise
Some people may think that they should avoid exercise if they have knee pain. We said before you should rest, especially after injuries, but rest doesn’t mean stopping movement completely. Exercise helps with knee pain, especially pain due to osteoarthritis.
Exercise strengthens the muscles around your knee, which gives it more support and stability. Exercise keeps your joints flexible and enhances your mobility. It also improves circulation, which helps relieve inflammation and swelling. It also aids you in managing your weight and improves your life quality. On the other hand, being physically inactive raises the risk of knee pain and even may worsen it.
Start gradually with low-impact exercises, such as walking, swimming, cycling, and tai chi, and stop when you experience more pain. Try to exercise with another person or a trainer to increase your motivation.
Ask your doctor or physical therapist to recommend a suitable exercise program to help you.
5. Tai Chi
It is a Chinese mind-body exercise that involves deep rhythmic breathing, meditation, and slow-moving exercise patterns. It improves balance and flexibility, which helps you with knee pain and other chronic pains and improves your mobility. It also reduces your stress.
The American college of rheumatology and arthritis listed it as a management option for osteoarthritis.
6. Get a relaxing massage
Massage represents an excellent option for pain from muscles and other soft tissues. It also helps with various joint pain forms and discomfort, including knee pain. Massage gives you a sense of well-being, improved quality of life, and a more relaxed mood.
Massaging of thigh muscles has beneficial effects on the knee. It lowers the release of substance P, which is a neurotransmitter linked to pain. The gentle massage movements reduce inflammation and improve circulation, promoting healing. Thigh massage also strengthens your thigh muscles, which reduces the load on your knee during your activities. Due to the overall well-being sense, it also improves your stress management capacity.
Ask your doctor to recommend a massage therapist who treats people with arthritis and other knee problems.
You can also ask your physical therapist to teach you to do a self-massage.
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- Do it in a seating position with a forward-pointed knee and flat feet on the floor.
- Close your hands loosely into fists, and then tap your upper, middle, and lower thighs gently ten times with both of them, and repeat it three times.
- Sit with your feet flat on the ground, glide your hand heel from the top of your thigh towards your knee, then release. Repeat this five times for the front and sides of your thigh to lengthen and relax its muscles.
- Use four fingers to massage the knee tissue gently by moving up and down. Repeat this all-around your knee.
- Place your palm on the upper thigh. Move it down the thigh and over the knee, then back up your outer thigh.
7. Try acupuncture
Acupuncture is an old Chinese medical therapy that is pain-relieving. Researchers found that it improves function and eases the pain in osteoarthritis.
The therapist inserts thin needles into specific points in your body in different places. Therapists say that it reroutes energies and restores your balance.
The ACR/AF recommended acupuncture conditionally as adjuvant therapy for arthritis. No evidence confirms its benefits, but there is an extremely low risk of harm. Find a qualified and certified therapist or practitioner to do this therapy.
8. Follow a healthy diet.
In arthritis, a healthy diet helps you in many ways. It helps you lose weight, improves your immunity, and contributes to overall well-being. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole-food to promote your immune system.
Plant-based diet supplies your body with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients, such as selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins C, D, and E. These elements help reduce inflammation by getting rid of free radicals. Also, this diet is low in calories, which promotes your weight management plan.
On the other side, a diet rich in saturated fats, processed foods, added sugar and salts, and red meat may aggravate inflammation, which is a feature of arthritis. Also, this diet is risky for obesity, hypertension, and heart diseases, which makes it unhealthy for people with arthritis.
Ask your doctor or a dietitian to help you find the best diet for you.
Ginger is a herb rich in gingerol that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It works for your knee pain, either due to arthritis or muscle strain. Not only knee pain, but ginger also boosts your immunity.
You can use it by various methods, such as:
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- Topical application of ginger oil (or ginger with water) to the affected area
- Ginger tea (premade or homemade), or ginger with milk, honey, or lemon
- Adding ginger root to your dishes to give flavor
Drink it two or three times per day until the pain subsides. It is helpful, but use it along with prescription medications. It may cause some side effects, like nausea or heartburn.
9. Add turmeric to your food.
Turmeric is a yellow spice that provides excellent health benefits. We get it from the yellow powder of the turmeric plant root. It is popular in Indian dishes.
It contains a powerful chemical compound called curcumin, which gives turmeric anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiseptic properties. These properties help relieve knee pain and inflammation. It also slows the rheumatoid arthritis progression, which is a significant cause of knee pain.
You can use it for knee pain in many ways, such as:
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- Mixing it with warm milk
- Adding a paste of it to the affected area
- Boil it with ginger in a water glass for 10 or 15 minutes, strain, add honey (as you like), and drink this tea twice daily.
Pay attention that high consumption may cause stomach upset.
10. Epsom salt
This salt possesses pain-relieving properties due to its content of magnesium and sulfate. Especially magnesium has a significant anti-inflammatory effect in the affected part.
The best way to get pain-relieving results from Epsom salt is to add it to your bath. Also, an Epsom salt bath improves blood circulation, which reduces knee pain. Add one cup to a water tub to make the bath. Also, you can add other essential oils, such as peppermint oil, to this bath for better results. Soak in this bath for about 15 to 30 minutes. It is enough to do this bath once daily to feel better regarding your knee pain. It is an ideal destressing therapy after a long and busy workday.
Finally, you should know that whether your knee pain needs a doctor or not, you can do a lot to help yourself. Ask your doctor what you can do regarding your weight, diet, and helpful natural ways.