Soothing Solutions for Knee Pain: A Comprehensive Guide to Relief
Kids don’t know how lucky they are with their perfect little knees!
Knee pain is the worst, isn’t it? The most human instinct is to walk on our two legs and it’s so very difficult when that freedom is compromised. Whether you're a fitness enthusiast, an athlete, someone who spends long hours sitting at a desk, or someone in between, knee pain can strike at any moment, any time. In this guide, we'll explore various remedies and lifestyle changes that can help alleviate knee pain and promote long-term joint health. It includes everything I’ve learned as someone with knee pain on and off for the last 15 years and some internet sleuthing inspiration. I’m a fitness instructor and movement enthusiast, hiker of all the trails, yoga teacher, someone who has arthritic joints and knees. I’ve done the MRIs and the physical therapy and haven’t needed surgery yet. My knees sometimes flare or get “thrown out” where I feel continual pain and these are the strategies I come back to again and again to decrease pain and get my mobility and function back.
Mindful Movement
People practicing tai chi in debs park in LA
The most important thing you can do from my perspective is to find ways keep active through mindful movement no matter the state of your knees or body (this ride or die body) in general. I know it's hard to want to move when it hurts, but these bodies were designed to move. Have you noticed that doctors are telling you this too? When my knee is thrown out and in active pain mode, I walk, rest, and ice it. When it’s slightly sore but feeling stronger and more stable, I do more but with awareness and focused attention on how my knee feels. When I am not in active knee pain, I spend a lot of time working out and doing self care. My hope for all of us is that we are generally strong and flexible enough that we can dance and stay mobile as long as possible. I just don’t do activities that I know are hard on my knees anymore because I feel like I don’t have the anatomy for it and frankly, that’s just luck of the draw.
When I say Mindful Movement, I mean moving with integrity, grace, and continual awareness of whether a movement feels good for your organism (body). Notice what movements feel good in the moment, during, and after and adjust according to your intuition and body cues. What works for my body might not work for yours. Don’t get caught up in the insta fit world ideals.
Preventative Ongoing Knee Care
Understanding the Causes
Begin by trying to identify the root cause of your knee pain. It could be due to injuries, overuse, arthritis, or other underlying conditions. It’s sometimes worth going through the hoops of western medicine to try and figure this out.
Active with Body Awareness
Me teaching yoga at smiling dog back in the day ♥️
It’s important to always keep moving and find activities that work with your current, physical reality. These human bodies need so much more movement than we often give them! High impact activities might appeal to your brain, but they might not be the best for your body for the long term. We only get this one body in this lifetime, so find ways to listen to what your body seems to thrive doing so that you keep moving as much as possible, for as long as possible.
I have found that I just can’t do much high impact activities and that I just have to be ready to modify my workouts to what feels right for me. The orthopedic specialist I saw said, “You have very loose patellas, it’s just your anatomy. You probably shouldn’t hike Kilimanjaro, your knees aren’t made for it”. Instead of crying about what I can’t do, I have made it my mission to keep moving with the body I have. I have to be very diligent with good form, knee not passing the ankle, on the lookout for even the slightest knee pain or instability feelings and I stop doing the movement or modify. With lunges, I can only do smaller range of motion and/or holding on to a counter, TRX, or barre. I often switch to squats with a ball between my knees as it feels most stable and safe. With squats, I have to be aware of form. I think am I doing neutral, narrow/parallel, or wide 2nd stance? If I get lazy on my stance or good form, my knees let me know. Your goal is to keep moving, even if it’s in a modified way.
Flexibility and Stretching
Improve joint flexibility and reduce stiffness by incorporating regular stretching exercises in your life. Focus on stretching the quadriceps, hamstrings, hips, and calf muscles. Yoga is so effective in promoting flexibility and their are so many great online resources. In particular, I love Yoga with Adrienne for beginners and variety and Shiva Rea for longer, yoga flow practices. The internet and Youtube are certainly your oyster here. I have a regular, daily morning yoga routine where I get up at an ungodly hour to meditate and stretch. I do a few forward folds, a backbend, and a hip opener. I focus on doing at least one, longer held hip opener like reclined pigeon, single legged pigeon, or double pigeon and when I don’t do this, I noticed my knee pain flares more often. See video below for my favorite hip opener stretches you can do daily. Research shows that the piriformis muscle in the hips needs more than 1-2 minutes to full release into a stretch. I do each side for 3-5 minutes daily.
Strengthening Exercises
Our human bodies need regular strength training and focusing on the muscles around the knee can provide added support for knee pain. Include exercises targeting the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles in your routine - the lower body kinetic chain which is all connected. I like working my legs and feet in parallel stance, internally rotated pigeon toe stance, and externally rotated turnout stance. Doing this regularly has greatly improved my knee strength and mobility. Here is a little video of my suggested calf raises routine on my instagram. Yes, barre fitness covers these bases and more. It strengthens legs and glutes in a variety of low impact, sneaky difficult ways which is why it’s one of my favorite physical therapy inspired, dance party workouts.
Hot Cold Therapy
This is me plunging into a very cold creek in Big Sur on my birthday a few years ago!
I personally love to do hot-cold therapy at least once a week for general health and wellbeing and have found it to help my joints feel so much better. My favorite way to do this is to soak in a hot bath and taking a cold plunge or shower after. There are lots of ways to do this, try an internet search for ideas, it doesn’t have to be dramatic or long for you to get the benefits. Cold therapy in particular has been shown to reduce inflammation, improve immunity, and help with mood and stress.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Excess body weight CAN exacerbate knee pain, as it puts additional stress on the joints. This one is very personal but perhaps worth considering. This is not about vanity or attractiveness but about making life easier on your joints as you age and live life.
Proper Footwear
Wearing the right footwear, most of the time, is crucial for maintaining proper alignment and reducing knee stress. Invest in supportive shoes that provide adequate cushioning and stability, especially if you're physically active.
Acute Pain Remedies
The following are additional strategies to focus on when you are having an acute pain flair up.
RICE Therapy
The age-old remedy of Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE) can work wonders for acute knee pain. Allow your knee to rest, apply ice or take a cold plunge to reduce inflammation, use compression to support the joint, and elevate your leg to minimize swelling. I personally love to do extended sessions of hot-cold therapy on and off especially when I’m in the pain cave.
Move With Care
Me hiking on Xmas day. I find walking and hiking to be the most therapeutic when in acute knee pain episodes.
As mentioned above, even when we are sick or dealing with injuries, it’s still important to always keep moving and find activities that work with your current, physical reality. You might need a few days or weeks of outright rest, active rest like walking, low-impact exercises like water aerobics, swimming or cycling. Don’t be ashamed to modify any existing routines in class or solo so you can stay active and keep moving with grace and tenderness towards that knee. I sometimes have to take breaks from my favorite activities for extended periods of time. We only get this one body though, so finding ways to listen to it so that it moves as much as possible, as long as possible, is the goal. Have I said that too much yet? Nah.
Inflammation Reduction
There are lots of ways to do this such as intermittent fasting, getting enough sleep, minimizing alcohol, simple carbs, and sugar, and adding anti-inflammatory foods like greens, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and flaxseeds, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. This helps me more than I care to admit!
Consult with a Professional
If your knee pain persists or worsens, consult with a healthcare professional. They can provide a proper diagnosis, recommend specific treatments, or refer you to a specialist like a physical therapist, if needed, or surgery as a last resort (in my book). Sometimes this is necessary, even if it’s difficult and expensive to navigate. This does not mean there will be a quick pill fix for your pain though. It often takes lots of little things and it might be something you get to manage for the long haul. Finding ways to have a positive mindset can be helpful.
Alternative Therapies
Explore alternative therapies such as acupuncture, massage, and/or physical therapy. These can complement traditional approaches and provide additional relief. I usually try all the things when I have a flare up. Talk to your friends and see if they have any referrals.
Favorite Physical Therapy Moves For Knees
I have worked with a physical therapist for my knee issues and the moves they showed me that were most helpful that I come back to over and over again for helping my knee strengthen, reset and realign are:
Wall sit squats with a ball or block between the knees, 3 sets, 1 minute or more each set . You can do ball or block squeezes for a set to activate the inner thighs.
Calf raises with feet parallel, internally, and externally rotated. Do sets of 10 or 20 while your standing in line or cooking until your calves burn. Again, here is my mini instagram video on this.
Hip openers with knee integrity and foot flexed as mentioned in video above.
Conclusion
I most recently threw my knee out transitioning between two yoga stretches a week before I was scheduled to assist a hiking workshop in Big Sur. I had to skip my workout routines for a few days which is always so hard for a movement addict like myself. The routines and suggestions above helped me recover within a week! The older I get, the more important the preventative care routines become so that I don’t end up with a situation where I have to take longer breaks and frankly, lose my mind.
There Isn’t A Magic Pill When It Comes To Knee Pain
There isn’t a magic pill to solve knee pain
You might try all of the above and still find yourself in pain. In this case try working with an orthopedic doctor and physical therapist. Only you can know whether or not the pain and limitations you are experiencing are bad enough to be willing to get a difficult surgery & recovery. My mom just had her knee replaced after several years of pain and mobility issues. The recovery has been no joke. It has been hard for her to stay positive when her mobility and independence have been so limited for months after surgery. She’s about 6 months into her recovery as of now and the doctor told her to walk every day, no matter what. She’s happy to be able to do so after the months of nothing.
My mom’s knee shortly after her knee replacement surgery
In response to this post she says “Therapy, shots, Steroids, walkers, x-rays, MRIs & learning to take it easy. Learning that it takes time to heal. I had to accept that I can no longer dance or run. I feel blessed to walk again with little pain. Medication helped a lot at the beginning. I’m grateful for my partners support and listening ears during my recovery. It’s helpful to get proper help. Stay out of emergency rooms, you need an orthopedic surgeon.”
Taking a proactive approach to knee pain is essential for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle and living a good life. By incorporating these remedies and lifestyle changes, you can not only find relief but also promote the long-term well-being of your knees.
Wishing you a speedy recovery and many, active years on your beautiful knees!