10 Best Home Remedies for Knee Pain Relief
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Our poor old knees get a tough time of it, don’t they? So, having a range of knee pain remedies on hand can go some way in showing them the love and attention they deserve.
For such a small part of our body, our knees seem to suffer from a lot of problems, but given the amount of work they do on an average day, and just how complex they are, it is no wonder! Whether it is heading out on a 10-mile hike, or lowering us into a seat for a movie session, our knees are always playing their part.
So why do things go wrong? Well, there are all sorts of parts keeping the knee working like the little biological engineering feat that it is – bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and fluid sacs called bursae. It is when something happens to any one of these parts that movement is disrupted and it can hurt.
There are a lot of reasons one of the parts might go wrong, but some common reasons for knee pain are:
- Injury – muscle sprains and strains often caused by exercise; torn ligament or tendon; tendonitis between the kneecap and shin; or even a dislocated kneecap
- Medical conditions such as Osteoarthritis
- Damage to the cartilage
- Bursitis1
When things go wrong, we want to do all we can to get our knees back on track and able to do their job with as little pain as possible.
Iodex has a range of products that can be effective for knee pain remedy, by providing pain relief, reducing inflammation, and promoting recovery, but it can be good to complement this with other actions that you put into place yourself.
Find out how to tackle those achy knees with our tips on the best home remedies for knee pain.
Home Remedies for Knee Pain
So, how to help knee pain without endless appointments with your doctor? Thankfully there are plenty of options available to help those knees in the comfort of your own home.
RICE
Rest, ice, compression, elevation = RICE. These are the basic first steps for pretty much all knee joint pain – the bread and butter of it, as it were. Put as little weight on your knee as possible, and use an ice pack on it for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours, (nothing fancy needed – a bag of peas wrapped in a small towel will suffice).2
Choose the Right Shoes
For some of us, slipping into that perfect pair of heels can really complete an outfit. But those gorgeous stilettos won’t seem so perfect anymore if the next day you are left hobbling around in agony.
So, if you are wondering how to help knee pain, sensible, supportive shoes should definitely be high on your list. A little bit of extra cushioning inside those shoes is a great addition too, to soften the effect of the impact of your steps. And never fear – there are still plenty of gorgeous flat shoes out there that can also tick those boxes.
TENS
This may be a new term for many people, but it is worth seeing if it can be right for you. TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. It is drug-free chronic pain relief that’s unlikely to interfere with other medications. Simply put, TENS therapy delivers electrical stimulation to your nerves. A TENS machine generates electric pulses that travel from the nerves in your knee, through your spine and up to your brain. By stimulating your nerves, TENS helps to block pain signals to your brain.3
Acupuncture
Having needles inserted into your skin might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for some it can be a beneficial and complementary knee pain remedy as it can block certain pain messages from being passed on to the brain.4
Exercise
There are times when knee pain requires rest, and times when exercise is essential as part of recovery – if you are unsure where you are at in your treatment, and which is the right knee pain remedy for you at this moment in time, check with your doctor.
Stretching
Stretching will keep your muscles loose and flexible, a real benefit when treating knee pain. Loosened and relaxed muscles mean less stress for your knee joints that can be caused unnecessarily from tight, knotted muscles that tug and pull on the joint. Stretching can also increase blood flow to joints and boost flexibility, which in turn can boost functionality and doing the things you love.
Keep a handle on your weight
The more weight your knee joint has to support, the tougher its job becomes. Getting rid of a few of those extra pounds is a great way to take the strain off your knees, giving you a better chance of performing everyday movements with more freedom.
Can some foods be anti-inflammatory?
Your diet can affect how your body feels and pain is no exception. There is an increasing amount of research aimed at finding out if there are any foods that help with reducing inflammation, and Osteoarthritis. However there isn’t yet an overall conclusion on anti-inflammatory diets and the European Food Standards Authority has rejected some of those claims – so take them with a pinch of salt!5 Added bonus: an anti-inflammatory diet may help you with the above home remedy for knee pain – shedding some excess weight.
Reduce your stress levels
Whether through meditation, yoga, or even just getting a good night’s sleep, lowering your stress can help manage your chronic pain. Stress can make your muscles tight, a no-no for joint pain, as well as increase your perception of pain. Take a walk. Talk to a friend. Draw a bath. Try as much as possible to reduce your stress and help ease with the psychological and mental difficulties that can accompany being in pain.
Alternative Medicine
There are various herbs and spices (to include in meals or drinks) that lay claim to being herbal remedies for knee pain, some that have undergone more rigorous scientific testing than others. The main reason that these herbal remedies for knee pain claim to work for some people is due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Herbal remedies that have tried to claim this, include turmeric,6 ginger,7 and glucosamine,8 although the European Food Standards Authority has rejected some of those claims – so take it with a pinch of salt!
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