Knee joint pain or Knee Osteoarthritis affects millions of people globally.
Knee joint pain is a term applied to a number of painful symptoms that arise in the knee area.
They can relate to a number of different disorders, diseases, or less-severe things like inflammation and bruising.
Knee joint pain can be particularly disabling because the knees are crucial components in movement.
If the knee joint suffers pain, the individual affected may have difficulty bending their legs.
And this can hinder walking, running, crouching, and a number of movements that are necessary for daily function.
What are possible knee pain causes?
There are a number of causes responsible for the pain of the knee joint.
They are ultimately going to be related to either your bones, the cartilage surrounding these, your muscles, ligaments, or tendons.
Certain types of knee joint pain can include:
Arthritis. Arthritis is an extreme form of inflammation that can cause the joints in the knee (or anywhere) to become painfully swollen.
When this occurs, joints become difficult to move with intense pain. This makes the movement of the joints and the connected areas extremely difficult or uncomfortable.
Over-usage. People who exercise too much or too vigorously, or who overwork themselves at high-intensity jobs, may find that their knee joints are in pain.
This can be caused by simply overusing the joint. Every joint can take strain, but if you put too much strain on a particular joint, it will begin to hurt. This is your body telling you to give it a rest!
Aging. All joints and bones begin to wither with age. Even healthy people will eventually find that they need to take it easy on their bodies.
People who care their bodies on a regular basis may notice, as they begin to grow old, that they can no longer put the same amount of stress on their joints as they could when they were younger.
Despite the cause of your knee joint pain, there are a number of methods to remedy the situation.
Different remedies apply to different types of pain, but in this article, we’ll observe many different home remedies for assisting with different types of pain in the knee area.
Some Interesting facts about knee joint pain
The frequency of knee joint pain is somewhat more common among women than with men.
About fifteen to twenty percent of men, of all ages, are known to have knee joint pain.
This steadily increases with age, with about 18 percent of men over 60 reporting pain in the knee, increasing to close to 25% as age nears 90.
About 20% of women are shown to have knee pain. The statistics for women approaching age 60 are slightly better than men - around 23%, as opposed to 25% - but, approaching 90 years old, about 30% of women report knee joint pain.
The issue is far less frequent in children, with statistics averaging around 4%. Children are much less likely to develop knee joint pain, but the problem begins to become more prevalent in adolescence.
During this time of rapid growth, bone and joint structure changes quickly and can lead to disorders if not managed properly.
Do home remedies work to get rid of knee joint pain?
Since home remedies are not medically sanctioned, they often originate without medical basis.
However, home remedies are known to be effective because of anecdotal evidence.
Anecdotal evidence differs from scientific evidence in that it is not formally tested, and instead is passed on through word of mouth.
However, the home remedies listed here have become so popular that they were considered to have enough potential to be targeted by scientific research. Most of these home remedies have, indeed, been studied by science.
While they may not yet be marketed as pharmaceutical cures or scientifically manufactured cures, many have been shown to have positive correlations between their use and the prevention of knee joint pain.
9 Science-Backed Knee Pain Remedies to Get Rid of Knee Joint Pain
1. Add Bromelain To Your Diet
The most readily available dietary source of bromelain is pineapple. This is also one of the best knee pain remedies due to following reasons.
Bromelain is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It’s very effective at curing inflammation in the body, along with relaxing muscles and preventing blood clotting.(1)(2)
Since bromelain can be used to prevent muscle soreness, and it’s good at stopping inflammation, it’s very useful for those whose knee joint pain is caused by over-exerting themselves through exercise.
It’s also a popular choice for people with arthritis, particularly when combined with protein - this helps it improve the function of joints affected by arthritis.
The best way to maximize pineapple’s bromelain content is to eat it raw. You can cut it into chunks or slices and mix it into fruit salad, or just eat it if you prefer.
2. Use fish oil
There are two primary components of fish oil that fight against joint pain.
They are both omega-3 fats - the first is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and the second is EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).
They are both potent anti-inflammatory agents - and, most often, the pain caused in your joints is due to inflammation.(3)(4)
Fish oil is readily available in supplements that can be taken with meals. This should allow the oil to be absorbed evenly and distributed in your body for maximum effect.
3. Use peppermint and lavender essential oils
Essential oil is popular as a topical pain reliever.(5)
Lavender, in particular, can be useful in preventing the symptoms of joint pain, including that caused by arthritis.
This won’t actually cure the underlying causes of your pain, but it might make it so you’re able to walk to the doctor and get yourself checked out, without doubling over in pain.
Peppermint oil is also a good topical anesthetic. It contains menthol, which is one of the most popular ingredients for over-the-counter topical painkillers.
In addition to being a painkiller, peppermint is an anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic.(6)
It can lower the inflammatory symptoms of arthritis, and if your pain is caused by muscle spasms, it will relax them and allow you to move your muscles easily.
4. Do yoga, one of the best knee pain remedies
Yoga is a millennia-old practice that has been shown, again and again, to be effective at stopping the pain.
Not only does yoga prevent pain, but it can stop your bones and joints from degenerating to the point that they cause pain.
A proper yoga routine involves understanding of breathing techniques, weight distribution, and balance.
With yoga, you can learn to use your body in an efficient way - you can become quicker, stronger, and more efficient, while simultaneously putting less strain on your body.(7)
5. Add ginger to your diet
Ginger is a potent healing herb that can be prescribed for practically any ailment.
Today, we’re looking at its effects as an anti-inflammatory painkiller. It can easily help you get rid of pain caused by arthritis.
Ginger acts on a set of receptors known as the vanilloid receptors, which are found on the tips of your sensory nerves (which are responsible for feeling pain).(8)(9)
Ginger often causes a bit of a ‘bite’ when people eat it - this is caused by its stimulation of the vanilloid receptors. After that initial bite, though, it calms the nerves, leading to pain relief.
6. Eat more greens to get relief from knee joint pain
Green, leafy vegetables are very important in maintaining healthy joint and bone structure.(10)
Often, arthritis and other painful joint conditions, are caused by a lack of nutrition and proper care.
If you consume greens on the regular, you allow your body a chance to restore a healthy balance of minerals and nutrients.
Something as innocent as performing an exercise routine on a daily basis can damage you if you don’t have enough nutrients in your body.
Aside from that, many green vegetables like broccoli can actually restore damage done to your body through overworking it.
7. Drink more tea - holy basil and green tea, specifically
Holy basil and green tea can cure a whole bunch of diseases.
They have both been used for thousands of years to cure things like bronchitis, diarrhea, and eczema.
Both of these teas are extremely high in potent antioxidants. They have a huge range of beneficial effects that can help relieve pain and inflammation.(11)
8. Make sure you get enough calcium
Calcium is hugely responsible for the development of healthy bones and joints.
More often than not, knee joint pain is caused by damage to the bones or the surrounding cartilage.
Ensuring that you get enough calcium will allow your bones and joints to take much more of a beating before you feel pain.(12)
Aside from that, calcium also helps damaged bones and joints restore themselves from prior damage.
Taking supplements works, but calcium should be consumed as part of a meal. Consider eating meals with lots of broccoli, and drinking lots of milk.
9. Keep your blood pressure under control
Unbeknown to many, high blood pressure can be responsible for painful joints.
Hypertension causes your entire cardiovascular system to be under stress.
This makes it difficult for nutrients, like calcium, to be transported to your bones and joints. This can lead to a particular type of joint damage known as rheumatoid arthritis.
Fortunately, controlling your blood pressure can be as simple as eating a healthier diet. Eat foods with a low glycemic index, like vegetables.
Also, eat nuts and foods high in antioxidants like almonds that can help your body balance its blood pressure even when eating a diet high in sugars.
Conclusion
It can be simple to prevent yourself from suffering knee joint pain - even with home remedies.
The 9 tips listed above are effective, scientifically-tested remedies for knee joint pain - and a lot of them won’t take you any longer than a trip to the grocery store.
While there are a lot of different causes responsible for knee joint pain, one of these remedies will certainly be effective. Good luck curing your knees!
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