Advice for Dealing With Knee Pain Naturally

This article presents you with 13 natural suggestions for dealing with knee pain. See if any of these work for your issues!

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Maricela Jiménez López.

Written by Thais Guillén Otero

Last update: 26 September, 2022

Many people don’t even bother to complain about their knee pain. Society sometimes brushes it off as one of the things you should naturally expect from old age. But you shouldn’t keep ignoring it until the pain becomes too harsh. You should try some natural solutions for dealing with knee pain if you have these issues.

The truth is that knee pain is a very common condition that can happen to people of any age. Ignoring it is the worst thing you can do about it. Knee pain might be a sign that you should take care of some underlying issue. If you don’t can suffer permanent damage.

That’s why it’s necessary to talk about what you’re feeling without caring about what other people think. Acknowledging the problem and looking with ways of dealing with knee pain is the first step.

There are people who claim that only expensive operations can relieve knee pain. But we, just like you, prefer to try affordable and less invasive solutions first. In this article, we’ll give you 13 natural steps you can take for dealing with knee pain. Let’s get a few things out of the way first, though.

Why do your knees hurt?

The knee is a very complex joint that connects the muscle to the leg. It’s the crossroads of contact between the tibia, femur, and kneecap. The bones are connected by ligaments and tendons. Cartilage makes smooth movement possible. There are also two bearings in the knee area that reduce friction and protect the knee’s structure.

Conditions that Need Surgical Treatment

• Sport injuries: These refer to the wear and tear of tendons, cartilage, and ligaments. They are usually caused by quickly changing direction while you run, violent turns, or forced extensions. Normally, a surgeon performs an arthroscopic surgery which allows patients to recover in a pair of weeks.
• Fractures and dislocations: The physician must usually treat these by osteosynthesis. Since fractures are simple issues, it’s possible for the patient to enjoy a complete recovery with no permanent damage.
• Arthrosis or Osteoarthritis: Either of these can occur as a consequence of injuries, deformations, or wear and tear due to age. The most common varieties are genu varum (the knee bends in the shape of an O) and genu vaxum (the legs arc in the shape of an X). Doctors can diagnose these through x-rays and treat them with arthroscopic procedures.
• Joint Mice: are cartilage injuries on the edge of the cartilage bone. These are notoriously difficult to diagnose.
• Bone tumors: aren’t very common, but they do come up once in a while.

Conditions that Can Benefit from Non-surgical Treatments

• Direct or indirect impact or trauma.
  
• Sharp inflammations of the knee: There are many causes for this. Some of these are maintaining poor body positions for extended periods, wear and tear, rheumatic diseases, and infections.
• Tendinitis: This is inflammation of the tendon. Some common causes for this condition are wearing inappropriate footwear, bad form when you exercise, or bad postures.
• Sprains: Sprains are tearing, straining, or excessive stretching of some ligament. You get them by sudden jerky movements, falling, suffering impact, or twisting something further than you should. Doctors often just recommend not using the affected area for a while to cure them.
• Bursitis: This is inflammation of the knee cavity. Bursitis is often caused by a laceration or abrasion. It often requires anti-inflammatory treatments, rest, and compression.
• Baker’s Cyst: A bulge full of liquid appears at the back of the knee. The inflammation can cause discomfort, pain, and restriction of movement.
• Osgood-Schlatter Disease: Severe inflammation in the front and back area of the knee.

Now that you know what types of thing cause knee pain, you can get to dealing it. We propose 13 ways for dealing with knee pain naturally. Pick the ones that sound best to you and see if they help.

Ways of dealing with knee pain naturally

Many people are starting to realize the benefits of using natural medicine over traditional treatments. Strong pharmaceuticals and complicated surgeries can have complications and might not solve issues completely. It’s worth the effort to at least try out some natural remedies first. Note that research has not proven the effectiveness of many of these natural remedies.

Suggestion No. 1: Cold Compresses

This treatment can help with injuries due to twisting or minor wear and tear of the ligaments. In order to reduce inflammation, use a cold compress for 20 minutes, two or three times a day. You can also use a bag of ice wrapped in a cloth to prevent direct contact with your skin. For best effects, do this within 48 hours of suffering a knee injury.

Suggestion No. 2: Hot Compresses

Using hot compresses relieves the pain and stiffness associated with diseases like arthritis. You can use a hot pad, a microwaveable bag, or a hot compress. You should try these at a low to medium temperature. Put your selected type of hot compress on the affected area for 15 minutes a few times a day.

Suggestion No. 3: Cold and Hot

This treatment is simply a combination of the previous two. Alternate your use of hot and cold cloths for 15 minutes each in order to stimulate circulation and relieve pain.

Suggestion No. 4: Salvia

If you have no inflammation and have had an impact to the knee area, you can use this treatment. Wrap a handful of salvia leaves with a cloth soaked in warm water. Squeeze it and use it to gently rub the knee for 10 minutes until the plant essences penetrate your skin.

Suggestion No. 5: Therapeutic Exercises and Stretches

There is nothing like stretching and therapeutical exercises to help you in dealing with knee pain. Inform yourself well and have a healthy lifestyle. Yoga and tai-chi can be an excellent alternative.

Suggestion No. 6: Massages

Continuous massages around the affected area will stimulate circulation and may help you recover in certain cases. If nothing else, massaging will help you relax.

Suggestion No. 7: Acupuncture

Don’t be scared. Some research indicates that acupuncture may stimulate the body’s healing processes. An expert must insert and manipulate needles on your body. Its stated objective is to restore some of the patient’s well-being. Some studies indicate that acupuncture has been effective for people dealing with knee pain.

Suggestion No. 8: Technological methods

In this case, physical agents are used to relieve knee pain. They are very effective and pain-free methods: electrotherapy, ultrasound therapy, hyperthermia by touch, thermotherapy, mechanotheraphy, etc. Learn more with a physiotherapist about which method is best for your condition.

Natural Remedies for People Dealing with Knee Pain

Suggestion No. 9: Aloe Vera

We recommend having an Aloe vera plant at home because it has many therapeutic uses. For example, some people say it can be good for treating Arthrosis. First you should peal the Aloe Vera and cut the pulp into cubes.

Blend it in the blender with an orange peel. Mix the paste with a cup of honey. Apply a bandage with this paste to your knees every night and let it dry for 30 minutes. Remove it with cool water. Your knees may benefit from it.

Treatment No. 10: Avocado

Then, crush them until they turn into powder. Mix this powder with hot honey until it turns into a paste that you apply to the affected area as if it were a cream. You can use this remedy to reduce muscle pain around your knee. It can help in dealing with knee pain.

Suggestion No. 11: Guava to Fight Inflammation

A guava contains three times more Vitamin C than an orange. It’s a very healthy and nutritious fruit. To help deal with joint pain, chop up 4 ripe guavas and put them in a liter of boiling water. You should let this mix sit for 3 hours and consume it with normal water. Do it for 15 to 90 days. The results are amazing.

Suggestion No. 12: Magic Lemon

It is not for nothing that they call this the fruit of a thousand uses. Lemon has a wide range of curative properties. If you’re dealing with knee pain that’s continuous, just cut a lemon in half and use it to massage the affected area. This can help you feel more relaxed.

Treatment No. 13: Diet

Eating the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals that you need to keep your body vigorous, flexible, and healthy. But also keep in mind these foods that contribute to the strengthening of your knee bones.

1. Eat food rich in calcium to fight osteoporosis and arthrosis: almonds, nuts, milk
2. Try to eat a clove of garlic every day on an empty stomach to get some more nutrients
3. Eat 2 cubes of aloe vera every morning. This can help with joint pain

When it’s Essential to Go to the Doctor

Despite the fact that natural medicine can help you in dealing with knee pain, you should always pay attention to your body. If you have any of the following symptoms, get to a specialist right away. Visiting an orthopedic doctor can prevent a chronic disease and improve your quality of life.

• If your knees can’t support your weight.
• When you have intense and continuous pain even when you’re not standing up.
• If your knee cracks when it bends and doesn’t or doesn’t respond right away. Such symptoms can indicate disorders related to synovial fluid.
• When your knee looks disfigured or has pronounced inflammation, reddening, or high temperature in the affected area.
• If you have pain, inflammation, numbness, tingling, or blueish coloring under the affected knee.
• In cases where pain persists after three days of at-home treatment.

Tips for Avoiding Knee Pain

Now that you’re familiar with some solutions for knee pain, we can talk about how to avoid it. As you can see, it’s not old age that determines your knee pain. Instead, it’s important to pay attention to your body and treat issues as soon as possible. Here are 10 tips that will help you prevent damage to your knees:

1. Don’t stay in the same position for prolonged periods of time. Sitting down or standing up for long stretches of time is bad for you. When you do this, you may be increasing the pressure on your knees and affecting blood circulation. Change your body position every so often and stay active.
2. Do low-impact exercises and stretches. There’s nothing that weakens your joints more than a sedentary life. Motivate yourself to walk for 30 minutes every day at your own rhythm. If you prefer, sign up for tai-chi or yoga classes. Your knees will thank you for the effort.
3. Avoid kneeling. In this position, all of your body weight will fall on your knees. Remember that this small joint is supporting the pressure that represents your whole body’s weight. Kneeling for a long time can dangerously damage your knees.
4. Wear low and comfortable heels. High heels increase the pressure on your knees. Only wear them on special occasions, if at all.
5. Lose a few pounds. If weight is a problem for you, set some realistic and fun goals. Aside from all its other benefits, losing weight will take a weight off of your knees.