How do you treat knee pain?
Before going for any form of medication or therapy for knee pain, first, assess the intensity of the pain. If you have mild to moderate knee pain, it can often be adequately taken care at home. Irrespective of the cause of the pain (sprain or arthritis), there are several ways to fight the illness. If the pain is moderate to severe and is caused due to an injury, then take immediate medical assistance. If the pain is acute due to arthritis, in the most severe condition, surgery may be suggested by your doctor to cure the pain. But if the pain is due to arthritis, inflammation, or some minor injuries, we can get it treated with some home remedies:
- If the pain is due to twisting in the leg or an injury caused by a hard fall or strain, go for first aid at home which can be remembered with the acronym, RICE:
- Rest: Stop all activities and immobilize the foot
- Ice: Apply some ice or frozen vegetables in a bag on the painful part.
- Compression: Apply a tight compression bandage around your knee to prevent swelling
- Elevation: Keep your feet above in an elevated position -
- Do some mind-body exercises and keep the mind relaxed which will reduce the pain and give resistant power to the body to withstand against the pain.
- Do daily activities to have continuous and proper joints movement, which can reduce the pain to a greater extent. Remember, inactive parts that are supposed to be active can cause more pain.
- Reducing the movement can cause stiffness in the joints, which in turn can give rise to pain. So keep the knee active.
- Check your weight, because being overweight will create a problem as your knee has to support your weight.
- Apply alternative hot and cold therapy on the painful or a swollen knee to reduce the intensity of the pain. It can also reduce the swelling.
- Apply some herbal oils and massage very mildly and slowly to minimize the pain in the knees.
- Using ginger extract is also very useful for arthritis.