7 Awesome Home Remedies to Relieve Knee Pain

1. RICE

RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) is a type of therapy often used to treat mild strains and sprains. Rest can help you avoid overtraining your knee and speed up recovery from injury. Icing reduces pain while compressing ensures faster healing. When elevating your leg, the blood flows back to the heart. This helps reduce swelling and inflammation in the injured knee. 

2. Heat and cold

Heat and cold treatment is often used to treat knee pain of different origins. Cold helps numb the aching area and reduce inflammation. Heat encourages blood flow to the affected knee and promotes faster recovery. 

If you don’t have special heating or icing pads, you can use a bottle with warm water or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel. Don’t apply heat and cold for longer than 20 minutes and more often than 4 times a day. You can alternate heat and cold pads to achieve a better effect. 

3. Physical activity

Exercising on a daily basis can help you maintain muscle strength and knee mobility. It’s crucial in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and other knee diseases. While resting or restricting activity might help you avoid discomfort, it can also stiffen your joints and delay healing. If you have osteoarthritis, a lack of physical activity may speed up joint degeneration. 

To prevent further joint damage, participate in low-impact activities. These include cycling, swimming, walking, and doing yoga. 

4. Weight management

Obesity is a major risk factor for knee problems. Excess weight places additional strain on your knee joints, so they wear out faster. Obesity-related inflammation also plays a role in the development of knee pain. Losing weight might help you reduce knee discomfort and improve your quality of life. If you have osteoarthritis, weight management can help delay the development of the disease and improve the effectiveness of treatment. 

5. OTC medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medications can help you manage knee pain caused by different conditions. For intense pain, you may require to visit a knee pain doctor for a prescription. But if you experience mild to moderate knee pain, you may opt for OTC pain medications that can be administered at home without a prescription. 

Keep in mind that it is recommended to avoid taking pain and antiinflammatory medications without prescription for longer than 10 days. If pain lasts more than 10 days and you still need to take medications, be sure to visit a doctor. 

6. Anti-inflammatory diet

Inflammation often plays a key role in the development of knee disease and knee pain. Fatty, fried, processed, and sugary foods can aggravate inflammation and worsen knee discomfort. Include in your diet more foods that can counteract inflammation. This can help reduce knee pain and lower your risk of other serious inflammation-related health problems. 

Besides, a healthy diet will help you maintain a healthy weight, which is another important factor in knee pain treatment. 

7. Massage 

Massage is often used to treat mild knee pain and stiffness. Gently massaging the affected knee encourages blood flow. This helps ease tightened muscles and reduce swelling. Besides, better blood flow promotes healing processes in the affected knee. You should be careful with massages if you have degenerative joint diseases. Massaging the knee too hard can actually aggravate degenerative processes and pain.