We use our knees every day, so it is common to experience pain in this area. Knee pain can be attached to several conditions. Treatment can range from simply applying rest to having to undergo surgery. Most of the time, a painful knee does not necessitate having to complete surgery. Instead, there are some things you can do to minimize the discomfort.
Before treatment, it is important to know the cause of knee pain. In many cases, you won’t want to do any physical therapy or stretching early on if it’s an injury that needs to heal. There might be an element of stiffness, such as waking up in the morning. If so, applying heat to get the blood flowing and doing a few stretches can help get the knee moving a little better. This may also be able to reduce discomfort and pain.
Be careful not to aggravate the knee pain further. Some people may reinjure a previously sidelined knee after a short while. This is a sign you’re overdoing it or that your body is unable to handle a movement you’re doing. ACL injuries, torn meniscus, fractures, and patellar tendinitis are issues that can occur from repeated movement. If you are repeatedly reinjuring your knee, avoiding the activities causing the onslaught of injuries.
Let’s learn how to treat knee pain at home:
1. Rest and relax your knee
The quickest way to treat knee pain is with relaxation. Reduce stress in your environment and try to stay off your feet. If you cannot remain in bed, using knee braces or similar supportive wear may be something to look into. You want to keep as much weight off it as is possible and avoid any strenuous activity.
2. Use knee compression
A compression bandage that’s tight enough to support the knee without cutting off circulation reduces fluid buildup and will help maintain knee alignment. Note that a compression bandage can slow you down a bit or feel a little tight. Nonetheless, it’s an effective way to treat knee pain.
As as blood is still flowing through the knee, this is another item you can use to get your knee back to 100%. It’s not going to necessarily cure discomfort right away, but it allows you to move more and heal faster. Be sure to consult with a physiotherapy clinic before you attempt this technique on your own.
3. Use cold treatment to reduce knee swelling
If there is inflammation and swelling, an ice pack or cold can help reduce any pain attached. While heat can promote circulation and has its place in treating pain, reducing inflammation and bringing down swelling can be a good thing. When a knee swells, it destructs, distends, and distorts the tissue. If you can bring down the swelling through cold, you bring down the pain.
4. Use heat to treat knee pain
Heat pads are a great way to reduce pain when the knee isn’t swollen. It gets the blood circulating, helps to warm up the knee, and can aid in easing your mind away from the pain. Heat will help with the healing process if it’s a temporary injury. If it’s a chronic condition, investing in a heating pad is a very smart move as it will only help you in your day-to-day self-care plan.
5. Oral medications
A doctor might prescribe certain oral medications for breakthrough pain. Over-the-counter Tylenol or ibuprofen can help, depending on the cause of the knee pain. These medications will not help with any healing and can be entirely avoided in many cases.
With that said, they do offer some help on days when the pain is more than usual. These creams are helpful if you need to take some of the edges off as you find other ways to manage knee pain.
6. Knee pain creams
Suppose a knee is in pain from something like osteoarthritis. In that case, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or other forms of arthritis, certain healing gels or topical creams may help improve circulation and temporarily eliminate pain.
From over-the-counter and prescribed topicals to even those with CBD and homeopathic medicines, there are a lot of creams and lotions that target pain, and that can easily be rubbed across and around the knee to hopefully provide some relief.
7. Anti-inflammatory diet
If you can reduce inflammation in your body, you reduce pain. An anti-inflammatory diet is a smart long-term strategy if knee pain is chronic. An anti-inflammatory diet sticks to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. It eliminates refined carbs, deep-fried foods, sugary beverages, red meat, and more.
An anti-inflammatory diet can be an adjustment for a lot of people. However, they can notice a big difference in how much inflammation is in their body.
8. Injection for knee pain
If the pain is severe, you may be recommended to see a specialist by your doctor. They might offer injections to help calm the pain. Corticosteroids are an injection often used for arthritis knee pain. Hyaluronic acid is a lubricating fluid that may be injected to help improve mobility and reduce pain. In some cases, platelet-rich plasma injections or stem cell injections may be available, although these latter two can come at a cost.
