Natural Relief for Knee Pain

Knee pain can be caused by strains and tears to ligaments, injuries to the structure of the knee, or by soft tissues.  Soft tissues means everything that is not bone.  That includes muscles.

You may have to see a doctor if you have an injury which requires repair.  But for knee pain which has come on over a period of time, the following steps may be all you need to get rid of your knee pain.

1.  Re-balance and strengthen the muscles in your upper leg.  The front and back of your thigh were balanced when you were a child and used to always be on the move.  You used ALL of your muscles then.  But, now?

Well, now you have knee pain, right?  🙁

Start using all of your leg muscles again.

I don’t know what condition you or your knees are in but when you start using all of your leg muscles again, you will benefit.  You may be able to do leg presses or other strengthening exercises in a gym on equipment.  If not, here’s another option:

Lie on your back, legs on the bed or floor, and point your toes to the ceiling.  (Make a 90 degree angle with your ankles.)

Pretend one foot is a windshield wiper.  Wipe to the left 10 times.  Pause for the count of 10.  Wipe to the right 10 times.  Pause for 10.  Turn on the whole wiper and wipe left and right 10 times.  How come?

This moves your whole leg, all the way to your hip.  Your knee is between your foot and your hip.  This movement will help you use all of the muscles in your leg and help them re-balance.

Only move to a point of resistance.  Do not move to a point of pain.  If you have pain, make the move smaller.

Then rotate the same foot in circles.  Do 10 in one direction.  Pause for 10 seconds.  Rotate in the opposite direction 10 times and then pause again.

Pay attention to how your leg feels when you are done.  Just lay there and feel.

Make sure you do the pauses between movements.  Be still.  That’s when the magic happens.

Then do the other leg, same way.

2.  Get arch supports or orthotics for your feet.  It’s best if you can get to a store to feel the arch support or get fitted. You want a more rigid arch support not just an insole.  Why should you get arch supports?  Flat feet can cause knee pain.

If you have flat feet, you pronate.  That means your arches drop down and it throws your knees toward the midline of your body.  This stresses knee muscles and causes knee pain.

There are shoes built especially for pronators (as well as for other arch types, too.)

If you are able to shop for your shoes at a running shoe store, an experienced fitter will be able to help you get a shoe that places your arch and foot in the correct position to prevent knee pain.  They may also have a good arch support to sell to you.

You don’t have to be a runner to shop at a running shoe store. 🙂

3.  Find a massage therapist who can do sports massage or trigger point therapy for you.  He or she can release tight muscles and trigger points that are causing your knee pain.

4.  Stretch your hamstrings in the back of your thighs and the quadriceps (thigh muscles) in the front of your thighs.  This is another way to re-establish balance in your leg muscles.

5.  Stand with relaxed (soft) knees.  If you’re locking your knees back when you stand, you’re creating or responding to muscle imbalance.

6.  Soft calves are good.  Avoid exercises that will make your calf muscles larger.

You may be able to massage the fronts of your thighs yourself.  By pressing deeply, you may be surprised to discover deep tender areas.  You might have found the cause of your knee pain.  Press into a tender area for about 12 seconds.  Then look for another tender area to press.  You can always go back to an area more than once.  Rolling pins make a good tool for ‘massaging’ the front of your thigh.

Some of the trigger points for knee pain are quite high up on the thigh, almost to your hip bone.

If you need to know how to find a massage therapist who can help you, scroll to the Massage Category and look for the article that tells how to do that.

You will have to take action to get rid of your knee pain but you have a smart body.  It wants to feel well.  It just needs some help from you to be peak again.

You are worth it so take action.

Remember, I’m not a replacement for your doctor.  If you have questions, please ask him or her.

And, if you need additional help, a skilled massage therapist may be just the ticket to help you get rid of your knee pain naturally.

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4 Replies to “Natural Relief for Knee Pain”

  1. Orthotics may also help knee pain by cushioning the force through your ankle and foot, and this has the same result of cushioning the force on the knee. Orthotics can also help change the alignment of your foot, ankle, and knee. This sometimes will help eliminate or significantly reduce knee pain. Great Post! Many people may not realise that the cause of knee pain can often come from the feet.

    1. Thank you for writing. You are absolutely correct!

      Arch supports or orthotics which properly fit and support the arch can make a world of difference in knee pain. The structure of your body starts with your feet. If the structure cannot support itself, sometimes we need to give it some assistance. Having an arch will help balance your whole structure higher up and that will eliminate or reduce a LOT of pain. (Some people do have an adjustment period.)

      Kathryn

  2. Hi Kathryn,

    Great article….. I like #3. Find a massage therapist who can do sports massage or trigger point therapy for you. He or she can release tight muscles and trigger points that are causing your knee pain.”

    1. Hi Ken,

      Thank you for your comment. I agree! I’m very biased about the value of a talented massage therapist. Massage is amazing medicine!

      Kathryn

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