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  • Knee pain can affect your life significantly by making everyday activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, unbearable. A variety of factors, including overuse, injury, arthritis or simply aging, can cause aching knee joints. Although some knee pain can't be cured permanently, you can relieve knee pain to help improve mobility.

    Anti-inflammatory medications

    Take nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen to relieve mild to moderate knee pain. However, these medications are designed to relieve pain only temporarily. Depending on the cause of the knee pain, you may need to take additional measures to expedite healing.

    Proper injury care

    Relieve knee pain from minor strains and sprains with PRICE (protect, rest, ice, compression, elevation), a self-care treatment regimen for healing injured joints. Protect the knee from further injury by immobilizing it. For most minor injuries, a compression wrap, an elastic bandage wrapped firmly around the injured knee, suffices, but more serious injuries may also require crutches. When applying a compression wrap to the knee, make sure the bandages are firm enough to provide support but not so tight as to cut off circulation. Also, rest the knee for 24 to 48 hours after the injury to promote healing. To lessen pain and inflammation, apply ice for 20-minute periods three times per day. Wrap the ice pack in a thin fabric to protect your skin from the cold. Elevate the injured knee above your heart with pillows or a recliner to discourage a fluid buildup, which increases swelling. This healing procedure not only helps reduce pain, but also fosters quicker healing and helps prevent future injuries.

    Knee exercises

    Strengthen the muscles around the knee such as the quadriceps, the front thigh muscles, and the hamstrings, the back thigh muscles, to help stabilize the knee to relieve pain and protect against additional injuries. To build up your quadriceps, try leg lifts. While lying on your back, bend your left knee at a 90 degree angle while keeping your foot flat on the ground and your right leg straight. Then, lift your right leg to the height of the raised left knee. Hold for a count of three, then repeat 10 times for each leg. Strengthen your hamstrings by sitting in a chair and, while keeping your heels flat on the ground without moving them, pull back with your legs until your hamstrings are stretched. Hold this position for a count of 10, then relax for a count of three. Repeat this exercise 10 times. Improve your balance to help knee stability. To redevelop your balance, try this gradual exercise. While holding the back of a sturdy chair or similar object, stand on one leg for one minute. Start the exercise by holding onto the chair with your entire hand, then gradually build up to using less support until you don't need to hold onto the chair to balance yourself on one leg for the entire minute. Stretch muscles around the knee to rebuild knee strength and flexibility. Stretch your quadriceps with this exercise: While standing on one leg, bring the heel of the other leg to your hip with your hand, making sure to keep the leg you are standing on straight. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds for each leg. To stretch your hamstring, balance one straight leg on a chair or similar surface while standing on the other leg, then bend forward until you feel a stretch in your hamstring. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds for each leg.

    Arthritis treatment

    Ask your doctor to prescribe a treatment to help relieve any searing joint pain caused by arthritis. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine reduce inflammation and slow down degeneration by altering the immune system.

    Herbal remedies

    Sooth ailing knees with herbs and other naturally occurring substances. Alfalfa, cat's claw, cayenne and willow bark help relieve pain. To reduce swelling, try ginger, celery, corn silk and turmeric. Also, glucosamine and chondroitin, two substances found in knee cartilage, can alleviate knee pain. Both substances are available in over-the-counter supplements.

    Other ways of relieving pain

    Support your knee by wearing arch supports in your shoes and braces. This can help relieve pain by shifting pressure away from a painful knee. For chronic knee pain, corticosteroid injections can provide pain relief for a few months' time. Some doctors recommend injections of hyaluronic acid, which is found in healthy joints and reduces inflammation in some patients. Hyaluronic acid injections provide pain relief for six months up to one year. Also, consider pain-killing ointments that provide targeted relief for pain and stiffness.

    Source:

    Knee Pain: Treatment and Drugs

    Knee Pain Exercises

    Natural Herbs Guide

    Resource:

    Video: Knee pain exercises and stretches

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