About Some Simple Ways to Alleviate Knee Pain at Home
Knee pain sucks. I should know. I have been suffering from it for years and nothing I could do made the pain go away for good.
This is because I had a problem that could only be fixed by surgery, which I eventually got and my pain went away.
Now, the knee pain you are suffering from most likely will not need surgery to get rid of, so consider yourself lucky.
Going to the doctor will most likely be a waste of time, as they will either tell you to do one of the things I am about to list or they will prescribe you some painkillers which may or may not help and could have negative effects on your health.
I went through the painkiller for a few months before they stopped working so I had to find other ways.
Dealing with the pain as long I did, it made me learn quite a lot. I learned how to alleviate the pain and using various different methods, which helped me live my life despite my knee problems.
And these methods might help you permanently get rid of your knee pain, or at least help you manage it better.
If you are older, you will deal with knee pain all the time and surgery won’t help you, so it is in your best interests to learn how to deal with the pain.
Consider yourself lucky (again) to have found this article. Without further ado, let’s get started.
#1 – Taking it easy
I decided to start off this list with a no-brainer, but one that may be often overlooked or even downright dismissed. Look, when you are feeling pain, especially in your knees and joints, taking it easy is key.
You don’t want to further strain the sore part of your body, or else the pain will continue and you may make the condition worse to the point that you may end up needing surgery.
Just take it easy and get some sleep – sleep is good not just for your knee pain, but for your entire body.
#2 – Get at least eight hours of sleep
This one piggybacks off the first one as it also has to do with sleep. It is not enough to lay down for a two-hour nap.
Sure, you can do that during the day, as long as you sleep for another eight hours at night. Getting eight hours of sleep a night will help your body heal itself – which means you might go to sleep with pain and wake up without it.
What a great way to start your morning, right? If you have trouble sleeping, you should go see your doctor.
#3 – Put your knee on ice or heat it
Depending on your knee problem, you can either use a heated towel or heat pad and hold it to your knee for a good amount of time or you could hold an ice pack to your knee for a good amount of time.
The heat pad will help alleviate your knee pain if your knee is very stiff – as the heat will loosen it up. If your knee is all swollen up, the ice pack will help the swelling go down.
#4 – Get plenty of physical activity
I know this may sound like it contradicts the first remedy on the list, but hear me out. You simply cannot just sit on your butt all day and do nothing and expect the pain to go away.
In fact, you are putting yourself at risk for a wide range of health problems if you do abandon physical activity because of your pain. Weight gain and eventually obesity are just the tip of the iceberg.
Not to mention that gaining weight will put more pressure on your knee, thus worsening the pain and making it harder to get rid of the pain going forward.
Now, you may have to reduce the intensity of your normal workout so that you don’t put too much pressure on your knee, but that does not mean not working out at all.
#5 – Maintaining a healthy weight
This one goes hand in hand with the last one as it also pertains to keeping yourself from gaining weight.
You should follow a diet that will help you keep yourself at a healthy weight. If you find yourself starting to gain weight, perhaps you should switch up your diet or replace some of the unhealthier parts of the diet for healthier things.
Also as I said in the last point, get enough physical activity. I can’t stress that enough. Maybe you ought to purchase a gym membership or hire a personal trainer to keep yourself in shape if you are struggling to do so.
#6 – Soak your knee in Epsom salt
Soaking your knee or even taking an Epsom salt bath is a great away to alleviate knee pain. This is because Epsom salt contains a compound known as magnesium sulfate – which is known to relieve pain due to magnesium’s muscle relaxing properties.
#7 – Add some foods to your diet that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids
Various kinds of seafood like tuna, salmon, and bass should be added to your diet if you want to alleviate your knee pain.
These oily fish contain substances known as omega-3 fatty acids which are effective in reducing inflammation, which may reduce your knee pain and make it go away for good.
#8 – Drink some milk
This is an easy one, unless you are lactose intolerant. Milk is helpful in alleviating knee pain because it can help build your bones up and make them strong.
This is because (as almost everyone knows) milk contains calcium, which does just that. This method was really easy for me since I loved (and still love) drinking milk.
#9 – Take a steamy shower
Earlier on I said that applying a heat pad would help loosen up a stiff knee. This method takes it a step forward and involves soaking your knee with hot water.
I advise that you take a hot shower in the AM right after you get up and another one at night right before you hit the hay.
The heat pad can be applied during the day to maximize the pain relief. This of course should only be done if your knee is stiff. Otherwise, keep showering as normal.
#10 – Have some lemon
Not a big fan of sour things? That is fine. You can take with a slab of honey. It is one of the most easily accessible ways to relieve your pain because lemon has certain properties that make it effective in the fight against inflammation.
#11 – Add some other foods to your diet
Earlier on I suggested that you add some oily fish to your diet because of their omega-3 fatty acid richness. Other foods that contain agents that help you reduce your joint pain are various kinds of fruits and leafy greens such as cabbage, kale, and spinach.
What’s more is that these foods are good for your overall health so you are doing your entire body a huge favor by integrating them into your diet. Reducing your knee pain and giving your entire body a health boost? Talk about a win-win!
#12 – Eat some pineapple
Pineapple is one of the fruits that I was talking about in #11. Pineapple is effective in the fight against knee and other joint pain because it has an enzyme called bromelain within it which has anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling properties.
#13 – Supplement your diet
All of the other methods on this list won’t cost you much and have little risk. This one, on the other hand, will cost you some money and comes with a bit of a risk if you don’t know what you are doing.
Basically, you should be looking for supplements with ingredients called glucosamine and chondroitin.
Supplements with these ingredients have pain reducing properties that will make you feel relieved. Like I said though, buying supplements is a risk because it’s a mostly unregulated market with a lot of phony products.
Make sure to buy from a reputable brand with positive reviews and ensure that the ingredients are legitimate.
If I were you, I would only use supplements as almost a last resort (going to the doctor is the ultimate last resort) if the other methods do not work.
Some Simple Ways to Alleviate Knee Pain at Home Review Summary
There you have it. Ten different ways to help you relieve your knee pain and get back to living your life like you normally would. I tried making this list full of easy methods that almost anybody could try.
And while they are easy, they are also deceptively effective. I had serious knee problems and even these simple methods helped put me at ease until I had my surgery.
This pretty much means that if your knee problems are less severe than mine were (which I almost guarantee that they are), these methods will help you out a lot. Good luck!
