12 Natural Pain Relief Tips for Knee Osteoarthritis

Our bodies go through natural wear and tear as we age, while the legs get the maximum beating by carrying the entire body weight, and part of it may get inflamed.

Our knee's cartilage can wear down and lead to osteoarthritis and can cause knee pain, which gets aggravated while walking, running, jumping, or climbing stairs.

Medical science offers remedies such as hyaluronic acid injections, inflammatory, and corticosteroids that doctors prescribe to patients to treat osteoarthritis-caused knee pain.

Apart from the medications, the patients can opt for natural remedies that can provide relief from knee pain and help improve their way of life.

Doctors often combine these natural treatments with other conventional treatments and medications.

We will discuss some of them below today, but we strongly urge you to consult a doctor before including them to treat your knee pain.

1. Shed Some Pounds

Listen to your knees if they are too stressed because of your upper body weight. Every pound lost is a relief for your knees. If you are obese or overweight, every step builds stress for your knees.

It applies doubles or triples the pressure of your body weight on the knees. Maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). Losing kilos can make you more active, and more activity will grease your knee joints.

2. Get Out and Exercise

Osteoarthritis patients have difficulty exercising, understandably, as it hurts. Muscle atrophy can worsen your situation. Hence, patients must include aerobics and muscle strength exercises. Initially, it may be difficult, but eight weeks of it can improve the quality of life of osteoarthritis patients with knee and joint pain.

It will lower knee and hip osteoarthritis pain and improve the quality of life. Mini squats, hamstring stretches, and quad make knee joints stronger. Slowly build it and get there with a physical trainer.

3. Engage in Physical Activities and Stretching

Stretching can go a long way in managing your knee and osteoarthritis pain. Gentle and progressive stretches improve blood circulation in the affected areas. It makes the stiff and hardened joints agile and flexible.

Stretching improves the blood flow around the joints and the surrounding tissues with a fresh delivery of oxygen and nutrients and eradicates the breakdown of materials.

4. Anti-inflammatory Diet to Reduce Flare-ups

Maintaining a healthy diet is critical to keep the inflammation of knee joints at bay. Select and include food items in your diet that reduce inflammation and flare-ups. Choosing fruits and vegetables is essential, rich in poly nutrients and inflammation-preventing antioxidants, including food high in vitamins C, D, E, and selenium.

Low in calories, this food will prevent gaining weight. Add cold-water fish, salmon, tuna, and mackerel to the diet. They contain omega-3 fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory properties.

5. Ice & Heat Therapy

Ice is a gift of nature to treat inflammation as the first line of therapy. Apply ice on your knees, a natural relief for your inflamed knees after long days of toil and exertion. The heat warms up and activates the knees to prepare for an activity. Always apply ice or heat after placing a towel on your knees. Avoid them directly to your skin.

6. Acupuncture

It is an age-old technology-based ancient treatment from traditional Chinese therapy. Some osteoarthritis patients instantly respond to arthritis of the knees and spine. Acupuncture is a non-drug invasive approach combined with moxibustion.

Moxibustion is a technique that involves burning herbs close to the skin, a part of the Chinese treatment of osteoarthritis. It can be as effective as oral medications to treat knee arthritis. Your treatment can include acupuncture, acupressure, and moxibustion.

7. Epsom Salt Bath

The magnesium in Epsom salt can relieve inflammation and joint pain sensation. Soaking in an Epsom salt bath for a long time can increase the magnesium level. You will get Epsom salt from medical supply stores, add 3 cups of Epsom salt to warm bath water, and soaking it for 30 minutes is safe.

8. Consult an Occupational Physiotherapist

An occupational therapist can help you reduce stress on your knees as you go along with your chores. A therapist would recommend a strategy for osteoarthritis patients to always sit on a chair with arms so they can push off them to stand. It eases joint strains. They may also suggest aids for you to stand up, such as kneelers.

9. Reduce Stress

Stress on your mind directly affects body stress and chronic health conditions. It can cause muscles to tense and increase knee and joint pain sensation. Stress can cause irritation, anxiety, and depression. Try relaxation therapies, deep breathing early morning (slow inhalations and exhalations), meditation, and yoga can help reduce stress in your mind and body.

10. Massage Therapy

Massage soothes knee pain in the short term. Therapeutic oil massage can reduce inflammation and symptoms. Patients felt reduced stress on the knees and felt more relaxed. It improves the way of life of osteoarthritis patients. Massage makes patients feel good and relieves joint pain in the short term. Massage help manage the pain and sleep better.

11. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

Doctors deploy high-frequency electrical stimulation through the skin to help reduce osteoarthritis-caused knee pain. TENS overrides the pain signals in your body with the help of an electric current. You can take help from a physiotherapist to use TENS in a healthcare facility.

12. Add Supplements

Curcumin, turmeric's active component, can reduce osteoarthritis knee pain. It stimulates cartilage growth and lowers the pain sensation. Some have used chondroitin and glucosamine to ease knee pain. The results are inconclusive.

The supplements were not effective. Knee osteoarthritis patients can avoid them. Always consult a doctor before ingesting supplements because they can interfere with running medications. Many also suggest green tea ginger supplements help relieve osteoarthritis symptoms.

Conclusion

So remember, exercise and moderate weight in line with your BMI is essential to managing osteoarthritis knee and joint pain. Hot and cold compress, supports and aids, and ointments can reduce pain. A healthy diet with anti-inflammatory properties can reduce flare-ups and inflammation.