How to Find Knee Pain Relief without Medication

It was supposed to be the perfect outing. You were gearing up for a family play day at the beach and an evening hike. Then it happens—knee pain strikes and instantly stops all of the fun. It hurts to walk, and you feel terrible for canceling your plans. Your day will be spent at home, alone and miserable. It can happen to anyone.

The good news is that knee pain relief is closer than you think.

What is better news, is that this type of knee pain relief typically doesn't require any costly surgeries, physical therapy, or ongoing prescription drug.

Let's examine the underlying causes behind this crippling pain and learn how to treat it.

Common Causes of Knee Pain

Knee pain comes from a variety of places. For some, it's simply a result of many years of extensive use with little to no regular body maintenance. Others may be suffering residual pains from knee replacement, knee reconstruction (or other knee surgery such as ACL repair), or arthritis. Still others may have poor biomechanics and weak surrounding musculature from lack of adequate exercise.

Beyond the extremes, there are a number of common issues that cause knee pain, each with its own challenges.

• High impact activity: High impact activity such as football, soccer, and other sports where there are large forces placed on the legs from running can eventually lead to knee pain. The knee pain can come on gradually, or even suddenly. 
• Tight thigh musculature: The hamstrings and quadriceps are two of the most important muscle groups for leg movement and action. Unfortunately these are also two groups that can easily become overworked, resulting in stiffness, tightness, or spasm of the muscles. If the muscles don't relax, the constant tension on the knees will cause enough strain to elicit a pain response at the knee.
• Overweight:Our legs get stronger with use, but being overweight can put added pressure on our knees that they simply can't handle. Many calculations say that for every extra pound an individual carries, and extra four pounds of stress is placed on the knees. The additional wear and tear on the joint can have debilitating effects.
• Overall leg muscle weakness:Similar to having knee pain from tight thigh muscles, having weak leg muscles can trigger muscle spasm or cause your legs to overcompensate when walking or engaging in activity, which can result in knee pain. If your muscles are too weak it's also possible that the joint structure has more laxity, therefore making the knee more susceptible to strain injury.

5 Remedies for Knee Joint Pain Relief at Home

When it comes to knee joint pain relief, there are a number of things you can do at home to help.

1. A Warm Bath

   It might sound simple, and it is. A warm bath can dowonders for your muscles and for inflammation. Submerging your body in warm water stimulates blood flow. This allows your muscles to more easily relax and more importantly, allows your joints to unfreeze and move again.

   This can be especially helpful if your knee pain stems from a muscle-related matters, such as stiff thigh muscles. For an added bonus, use some calming bath salts or epsom salts to boost your body's healing ability and further your relaxation.

2. Runner's Stretches 

   Stretching for 5 to 10 minutes before any kind of strenuous activity can help your muscles loosen up and reduce the likelihood of injury. Stretching afterward can also help your muscles settle.

   Add some common runner's stretches into your daily routine to help your muscles maintain elasticity and to lower your chances of injury. Stretch your quads by standing upright and pulling your leg behind you with the matching hand. From there, lower your pelvis and lift your shin up to your thigh. Make sure your knee is pointing downward during this process. Hold this for 30 seconds and then switch.

   It's also important to stretch your hamstrings. You can do this by sitting with one leg tucked in, the other extended out. Point the foot of your outstretched leg toward the ceiling and lean out, grabbing your toes. Pull your toes and foot toward you, letting your hamstrings stretch. Once again, hold this for 30 seconds.

3. Neoprene Wraps

   Neoprene wraps or neoprene knee braces are both great ways to ensure your knee doesn't experience too much pressure following an injury. An excellent insulator, neoprene keeps your knee and the surrounding area warm, increasing blood flow. Not only this, it also acts as a brace and keeps pressure off of your affected knee.
   

   If you're actively experiencing knee pain or have a knee that's prone to pain and want to prevent it, wear a neoprene wrap or brace before any kind of event and afterward as well.

4. Ginger Extract for Arthritis Pain

   Ginger is often known for its potent, vibrant flavor. While this is true, ginger also has a lesser-known quality: the ability to ease arthritis-induced pain.

   In astudy performed on those suffering from arthritis, it was found that ginger actually helped with joint pain associated with arthritis. If you're suffering from arthritis, ingesting ginger via ginger root tea, capsule form, or even in your meals can help combat your pain. Combined with the previously mentioned methods, you can find your arthritis pain is much lower than before!

5. A Massage with Battle Balm

   Affordable, natural, and effective, Battle Balm is a great way to ease your knee and other joint pain. Featuring organic ingredients and no artificial colors, Battle Balm blocks pain receptors and reduces inflammation, allowing your body to feel better in the moment and heal faster for long-lasting results.

   To experience the benefits of Battle Balm, simply take some balm and apply it to the affected area. Within a few moments you should feel the relief you need to relax, rest, and let your body do what it needs to do: get stronger.

   This process can be repeated as often as necessary, and on any other impacted parts of the body.

Finding Knee Joint Pain Treatment

Are you considering knee joint pain treatment that goes beyond home remedies? Have you all but given up on any kind of non-surgical option?

Before you make any drastic decisions, consider this: the average cost for a total knee replacement is $49,500, with a recovery time of 6 months or longer.

There comes a time where total or partial knee replacement is the only option, but before pursuing anything that drastic, it's worth looking into any home remedies or therapy. Consult with your physician to try ruling out any costly surgery, and ask if there are any therapeutic approaches you can take.

If you find out you can pursue home treatment or even professional therapy, you'll be needing some supplements to keep your knee from aching too much during your journey, however.

The Best Knee Pain Relief Products

When looking for knee pain relief at home, there are a number of products that can help you on your journey to feeling well again. None of these is a catch-all, but in tandem with the previously mentioned remedies, they can help you become stronger, more flexible, and feeling better.

• Massage Balls: Using massage balls, you can apply pressure to various parts of your body, helping the muscles loosen up. For knee pain specifically, massage balls can be used to help loosen your quadriceps and and hamstrings, taking pressure off your knee.
• Foam Rollers: These are similar to massage balls, but are particularly useful for relieving pressure along your legs and spine. Any tension in the spine can affect the rest of the body, making it especially important that we take care of our spines. There are a number of simple exercises that can be done with foam rollers that will help just this.
• Heat Pads: Heat pads are a great way to experience the relaxation and relief of a warm bath anywhere, anytime. Heat pads are especially great if your knee pain is keeping you from sleep, as you can safely place one on your leg while on top of your blanket. This will again, increase blood flow and help your muscles and joints relax.

The Best Cream for Knee Pain

When it comes to the best cream for knee pain, there's nothing like Battle Balm. Call us a little biased, but it packs an unprecedented amount of healing into one small, pain-fighting package. Need more convincing? Consider the following:

• It features all-natural ingredients and uses no artificial coloring. Did we mention it won't stain clothing? 
• It has numerous vitamins and minerals that feed your skin. Unlike many other pain balms, Battle Balm actually helps your skin as opposed to drying it out. Why trade one pain for another? 
• Battle Balm doesn't just fight pain, it also increases circulation, allowing the natural healing process to take place faster. You're not just numbing pain, you're actively fighting it when you use Battle Balm. 
• Battle Balm combats pain using 20 USDA-certified plants, including wintergreen, menthol, Cajeput, and camphor. The result is pain relief unlike anything else on the market.

Don't let another perfect day get ruined by knee pain. Take control of your body and pain with Battle Balm. Our Battle Balm Trial Kit includes all three levels of our pain-fighting formula, giving you the equipment to kick pain to the curb no matter how strong.