If you have mild to moderate knee pain, you can typically treat it at home. Whether caused to a sprain or arthritis, there are numerous ways to handle it.
Pain related to inflammation, arthritis, or a minor injury will often resolve without medical intervention. Home remedies for knee pain might increase your comfort levels and help you manage symptoms.
But if pain is moderate to severe, or if symptoms linger or get worse, you may need to seek medical assistance for a comprehensive assessment because there is numerous types of knee pain.
The most common causes of knee discomfort are engaging in strenuous physical activity, not getting enough of certain nutrients (including Vitamin D, calcium, and iron), and simply getting older, which causes the muscles and tissues around the knee to wear down and become less flexible.
Keep in mind that severe discomfort that persists for more than a few days calls for medical intervention. While you wait, try these at-home remedies for reducing injury-related discomfort.
Here are the few simple home remedies that you can try to relieve knee pain:
Try the RICE method:
When you twist your leg, fall, or otherwise strain or sprain your knee, remember the acronym “RICE”:
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
Icing or compressing the knee with cold water will help. If you don’t have any ice on hand, you can substitute frozen peas or another vegetable.
Compression bandaging the knee can help reduce swelling, but it shouldn’t be applied so firmly that blood flow is restricted. Keep your foot raised while you relax.
Applying heat and cold press:
While your knee is resting, a heating pad helps ease the pain. Inflammation can be diminished by using cold therapy.
Some helpful hints for using heat and cold therapies are provided below.
Switch between extremely cold and extremely hot conditions.
Use heat for bursts of up to 20 minutes.
Cold compresses should be applied for 20 minutes, four to eight times per day, for the first two days after an injury.
Increase the frequency with which you apply a cold pack, such as a gel pack, to the injured area within the first 24 hours after it occurs.
It is not safe to apply ice directly to the skin.
If your joint temperature is already elevated, you shouldn’t apply heat during an acute episode.
If you wake up with aching muscles or stiff joints, try taking a warm shower or bath.
Try weight loss diet:
Those who are overweight or obese are at a greater risk for experiencing knee pain and so try diet for weight loss.
When you load up your joints with more weight, they have to work harder. Long-term knee pain, such as that caused by arthritis, is alleviated by losing weight.
Inflammation is a systemic effect of being overweight, and it shows up most noticeably in the knees.
The ability to maintain a healthy weight is aided by a diet of good nutrition.
Simple exercises that can help in knee pain relief:
Begin with warm up exercises:
You can do 5 minutes on a stationary cycle, 2 minutes of brisk walking while pumping your arms, or 15-20 wall push-ups followed by the same amount of calf raises. If you do this before working out, you’ll be more prepared for stretching and less likely to get an injury.
Straight Leg Raises:
Start with a basic quadriceps workout if your knee isn’t feeling its greatest. The knee is barely stressed by this action. Get down on the floor, or another level surface, and lie flat on your back. To do this, put the sole of one foot flat on the floor while bending the other knee. While maintaining a straight stance, lift one leg until it is level with the other knee. You should do three sets of this, each time repeating for 10–15 repetitions, this is one of the best knee strengthening exercises that everyone can try.
Prone straight leg raises:
Put your legs straight up and lie on your stomach. Contract your glutes and hamstring muscles in one leg and extend the other upward. Keep it there for three to five seconds, then slowly release and repeat.
Perform a set of ten to fifteen lifts on each side before switching. As your strength improves, you can start using heavier weights for your ankles. Avoid any discomfort in your back, as it is not warranted. If so, be careful not to raise yourself too high. Stop what you’re doing if the pain persists, and see a physiotherapist for knee pain.
Wall squats:
An advanced strategy, really. You won’t let yourself go too far and will keep both feet planted firmly. Put your back up against a wall and your feet hip-width apart. Gently lean against the wall while bending your knees. Pause for ten to five.
Don’t stoop down too low. Don’t put too much weight on your knees or you may get pain. If you want to improve your time spent sitting, you should repeat the exercise and aim to increase that duration by a few seconds each time.
Calf raises:
Face the back of a chair, a couch, or a gym wall bar and stand in front of it. It’s also possible to perform this while walking up or down the stairs, with your hands on the banister and your heels hanging over the side. Bring the heels up as high as you can and down as slowly as possible. Get in three sets of ten to fifteen reps.
When doing so becomes simple, shift your weight to the foot that is lifted off the floor. Apart from these you can also try physiotherapy exercise for knee pain supervised by a specialist.
Knee pain is miserable, that much is certain. Nonetheless, remember that staying active throughout your life is one of the finest things you can do for your knees.
Movement is food for your joints. Some knee pain exercise is preferable to none at all, so keep that in mind at all times.