Caused by problems like bursitis, torn meniscus, arthritis, medial plica syndrome, and sports injuries, etc., knee pain is quite common among Americans.
It not only affects a person’s flexibility and range of motion but also makes it difficult for them to carry out the activities of daily living.
It’s associated with aging or overuse of knee joint, which has to bear the weight of your entire upper body. But if you talk specifically about the chronic knee pain, it can also result from injuries to the tibia, fibula, and femur – bones that make your legs.
According to a report, when compared to males the cases of knee pain are a bit more common among females. While referring to a study, the report says that “23% of women aged 60 years and older reported knee pain.”
It further said, “the highest prevalence of knee pain was reported in women’s age from 85 to 90 years old at approximately 30%.”
Most people seek medications and surgeries ( if the problem is too severe) to recover from knee pain. However, if you are someone who doesn’t want to take medicines or seek surgical treatment (if it doesn’t stem from any serious condition), you can also treat it naturally.
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Here is how to treat knee pain without using medicines.
1. Physical Therapy
If you experience knee pain frequently, consider seeing an experienced physical therapist because they are well-trained in identifying the problems associated with the musculoskeletal system.
They can relieve the pain that stems from muscle, ligament, tendon, cartilage, bone, and joint problems.
It means whether you are getting knee pain due to a joint injury or because of the inflammation of the joints that occur due to conditions like arthritis (osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis), physical therapy can manage your pain to a great extent.
Your physical therapist will focus on treating the actual source of your pain. They will conduct a physical examination to discover what’s causing pain in your knee, and to identify your range of motion and flexibility level.
Once they come to a reliable diagnosis, they will then include the right treatment techniques in your care plan. They might use manual therapy and therapeutic exercise to address your problem.
According to VERT Sports Therapy “physical therapist may also recommend using both at-home exercises and passive treatments like heat and ice therapy or electrical stimulation to reduce your chronic pain.”
They choose treatment techniques based on the root cause of your pain so that they address it in the best way possible. Physical therapists are devoted to promoting the well-being of their patients.
They go above and beyond to heal the problem naturally. What makes them different is their sheer dedication and devotion towards the full recovery of their patients.
They spend a significant amount of time to study the signs and symptoms of your problem so that they can create a reliable care plan to meet your specific requirements.
Physical therapy is ideal for people of all ages, so whether you are a teen who has injured their knee while playing a sport or a 70-year old person who is suffering from arthritis, consulting a physical therapist can improve your condition tremendously.
Physical therapy doesn’t have any side-effects for your body, which is why more and more people are looking forward to treating musculoskeletal problems with it.
2. Take Rest
If the pain in your knee is the result of a mild injury, it’s better to take rest to heal it naturally. You should not carry out intense physical activities for two to three days after hurting your knee because it can put undue pressure on your knee joint. If you give proper rest to your knee, it will heal soon.
3. Take Proper Nutrition
There is little doubt that a balanced diet is necessary to live a healthy life. You can strengthen your muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and joints by consuming foods rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, and fibers, etc.
Also, make sure that the foods that you consume are a good source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components because they help in fighting inflammation.
Fresh fruits and green vegetables are remarkably crucial for your body. So make sure that you include lettuce, spinach, collard greens, broccoli, and bok choy in your diet to supply nutrients to your body.
You should also consume fruits such as oranges, strawberries, and blueberries because they are anti-inflammatory and can play a tremendous role in minimizing the inflammation in your knee joint.
Apart from that, you should also eat fish (tuna, salmon, and mackerel), eggs, and nuts to keep your body healthy.
4. Reduce Your Weight
Are you overweight? If that’s correct, then you need to embrace an effective fitness routine to shed those extra pounds. Maintaining a healthy weight can improve your quality of life and can reduce your pain to a great extent.
When you feel light, you find it easier to carry out physical activities because it reduces the stress on your weight-bearing joints.
Apart from affecting your joints, overweight can have a severe impact on your heart and lungs. It also increases the risk of diabetes and arthritis.
So whether you are experiencing a musculoskeletal problem like the knee, hip and ankle pain or you are suffering from a condition like diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight is essential to manage it.
5. Go For Regular Walks
Walking is very good for reducing knee pain or any form of joint pain for that matter. It keeps your joints active and improves your flexibility. It also strengthens your bones and plays a vital role in increasing the balance.
If you are someone who does not have time to go to the gym to strengthen your fitness, you can start walking. You should go for short and slow walks in the beginning, and then opt for brisk walks after a week or 10-days.
Last but not least, if you want to deal with knee pain or prevent it in the future, you have to make a lifestyle change by considering the above tips.
Helpful Resources:
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