5 Things you can do for your knee pain

Have you or a loved one experienced knee pain?  If so, you understand how annoying, debilitating, and discouraging it can be.  The knee is loaded each time we take a step, so even simple tasks like walking to the bathroom can be painful.  Here are 5 things you can do to help relieve and prevent that frustrating discomfort.

1.) Ice bath:  The cold is a great short term pain reliever.  It helps with inflammation and also numbs painful sensations.  After your day, fill your bath tub with ice water and soak your legs for about 5 minutes or until numb.  Make sure not to sit in the bath longer than 10 minutes, as to prevent frost bite.  If you don’t have a bath, let cold shower water run on your knee for a similar effect. 

2.) Deep squat hold:  To perform this exercise, keep heels and toes on floor.  If required, grab something sturdy with hands, and squat until you are at full knee and hip flexion (your butt should be near the floor).  The benefits of this position are to explore full knee and hip flexion, as well as ankle dorsiflexion.  How often are we upright, sitting, or laying down?  How often are we in a deep squat position that was once a natural position for humans?  The answers to these two questions are unfortunately very different.  Progress to holding this position for 10 minutes per day, however the 10 minutes can be split up (ex; 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night).

3.) Strengthen your hips: The health of your hips has strong influence over the health of your knees and ankles.  With strong hips, comes strong knees and ankles.  You can go on YouTube (check out Dan & Ken, PT), see a physical therapist, pilates instructor, etc for guidance.

4.) Walk, walk, walk: Walking is a natural human activity that the body craves.  It lubricates our hip, knee, and ankle joints and allows for enhanced function.  If your knee pain is severe, progress with your walking distance/duration slowly.  If your goal is to walk 30 minutes pain-free, start with 1 minute, then 2, and so forth.  Using a cane can also be helpful during your walks for pain relief.  Make sure to use the cane in your opposite hand (if your left knee hurts, hold the cane in your right hand).

5.) Meditation: Meditating has been proven to help with pain relief.  Make sure you stay consistent with your meditation schedule.  Like anything else in life, the benefits of meditation become more noticeable after one becomes consistent with the practice.  There are various forms of mediation.  One way is to sit in a room with no intentional, external stimulus and close your eyes.  Thoughts will naturally come and go, but take some time to notice your pain and welcome it.  This sounds counterintuitive, but it can actually help with pain severity.

Thank you for reading today’s blog.  Have an excellent day and remember to live, laugh, and love!

Written by Kenneth G. Kells III