DIY Knee Health Secrets — 26 Ways to Reduce Knee Pain and Get Back Healthy Knees

26 DIY Sore Knee Pain Treatments You Can Easily Do at Home

Why should you take care of your knees, rather than someone else? Well, first of all, we empower ourselves when we take responsibility for our own well-being. The fact is, no one knows better than us what is going on with our bodies second by second and minute by minute than we do. Did you know that there are at least 26 DIY ways to treat your knees at home?

By cultivating mindfulness, we are in a much better position to adjust and change. These 26 Knee Health Secrets can help you get at least temporary relief if you have a big problem and possibly a solution for knee pain that you can do yourself.

At this moment, what position are you sitting in, slouching our sitting up straight? Or maybe lying down. A few nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with my left knee aching. It was in a funny half twisted position. That’s an example.

What’s the weather like? Has it changed recently, and you are noticing pain in your joints?

Another way too common example of self-care is eating. Mindless eating leads to weight gain, which leads to more pressure on your joints.

The fact is, obese people are much more likely to have knee problems than those of normal weight. Eating healthy foods in moderation is the first step to better health.

Another example is sports. They always say, “No pain – no gain,” however, such heroics can lead to strains or long term injury. Knowing the difference between safe pain and unsafe pain is the key point.

I have Knee Pain So How to Help My Knees Recover?

Getting down to the issue of taking care of your knees, if there is some problem, what’s interesting is how different people view the problem, and more to the point, the solution.

Have you ever heard of the story about the five men telling each other what they were holding onto?

As reported in Wikipedia:

“A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable.” So, they sought it out, and when they found it, they groped about it. In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said: “This being is like a thick snake.”

“For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar-like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said, “elephant is a wall.” Another who felt its tail described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.”

People tend to cling to ideas of what something is, and often, they base their solution on their limited idea. In this particular case, the ‘elephant’ is “the cure for knee problems.”

In 1982 an MIT professor attributed an instance of the saying to [the famous psychologist] Maslow as reported in the “New York Times”: ¹³

“Abraham Maslow once said that to him who has only a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail,” said Joseph Weizenbaum, a professor of computer science at M.I.T.

So, What Does This Have to Do with Wellness, Joint Pain, Arthritis, and Can It Help Your Knees?

The fact is that taking care of your knees can help reduce knee pain. Knees are pretty complex, with different kinds of tissues, such as bones, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and things that can go wrong with any of them. That also means that there are various ways to treat knee problems.

But the thing is that many professionals or companies have one product to sell, which they may well portray as “The Magic Bullet.” Surgeons often see surgery as the solution to knee problems, and yet, studies also show that going to two different physicians will yield two different diagnoses, not to mention cures or solutions. Don’t be afraid to go for that second opinion.

Lack of Objective Advice about the Knee Joint

Depending on who you talk to, you may well get totally different advice about knees. Here is my own life experience as an example.

I had practiced yoga and got some tips on how to improve joint health. And I was generally quite healthy, no underlying problems like osteoarthritis, or earlier injury. My Zen community, where I got my training was a great place to learn about knee osteoarthritis, maintaining proper weight, yoga, stretching, acupuncture as a form of treatment,

The first time I tore my knee cartilage, I was sitting on a bus, the bus lurched, I felt a twinge in my knee, and soon, I was hobbling around, and my knee was swollen. At the time, in 1984, the only solution I knew of was surgery, so the doctor removed a quarter of my meniscus.

Thirty years later, I was sitting cross-legged and felt a twinge in my knee, which I probably aggravated by going to a too strenuous yoga class a week later. I was still walking around, but the pain was terrible. An MRI revealed that the meniscus had fractured further and that the cartilage in my knee was frayed. That’s just what it felt like, kind of like gravel or sandpaper in my knee joint, not the nice smooth feeling we should have.

So, I got surgery a second time. The doc said, “This will last about five years, you won’t need a knee replacement now,” which sounded like a prediction that I didn’t want to be fulfilled. Let’s face it. Surgery sucks.

Two years later, I was doing ok, riding my bicycle around town, which is both fun and good exercise for the knee joint.

Unless some stupid motorcycle driver rides right into your knee, which is what happened.

They took me to the hospital, X-ray showed no broken bones, but I couldn’t walk for three weeks, nor put any weight on it. An orthopedist did a check and said he thought it was a pulled ACL, the interior ligament in the knee. Fortunately, though, not torn, which would have shown a lot of swelling. Not to mention the possibility of reconstructive surgery.

He recommended some medicine that sounded like it had more side effects than I want to risk.

What to do? I went to another doctor and told him I wanted to see the physical therapist on hand at the hospital.

Get a Second Medical Opinion and Trust Your Judgment

She gave a completely different diagnosis than the first doctor; basically, a muscle and ligament strain but not so serious. She proceeded to treat me in not one or two, but four different ways! Moist heat, cold, ultrasound, and TENS, or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.

The physical therapist also gave me some specific physical exercises that I could do.

The treatments definitely helped, but also opened my eyes to the fact that, to mix metaphors about elephants and hammers, ‘There is more than one way to skin a cat.’

So here is a list of different ways of treating sore knees yourself:

1. Rest
2. Ice
3. Compression
4.  Elevation
5. NSAID medicine, prescription or non-prescription
6. Herbal remedies (E.g., Turmeric, Ginger, Pepper)
7. Exercise/self-physical therapy like yoga and weight training with and without machines
8. Get the right kind of shoes
9. Maintain a healthy weight
10. Knee braces – magnetic tourmaline, copper, bamboo, etc.
11. Compression Knee sleeves (various types as in knee braces)
12. Knee straps
13. Velcro secured knee wraps
14. Gel knee braces
15. Knee pads
16. Joint supplement tablets/capsules like vitamins, minerals, and herbs
17. Pain treatment machines including cold lasers, heat, infrared heat pad and pen, infrared heat lamp, ultrasound therapy, TENS, EMS, ICT, and PENS
18. Self-Massage
19. Topical Ointments and salves
20. Tiger Balm
21. Bengay
22. Magnesium oil
23. Analgesic sprays, patches
24. Foods – proper diet choices like including adequate amounts of fiber, anti-inflammatory fruits and veggies, and other foods, and avoiding sugary, over-processed junk food and alcohol
25. Superfoods
26. Magnetic therapy

Plus Three More Bonus Health Tips

1. Acupressure, self-applied
2. Stop smoking
3. Reduce daily life stress through relaxation, meditation

Making Sense of Your Choices

Nowadays, we get thousands of ads of all kinds. However, much of the time, we don’t know where to look. The purpose of this report is to SAVE YOU TIME. Based on my own experience as a knee pain sufferer, I did many hundreds of hours of research of several years and came up with a list of things you can do to treat your knees. As the list above shows, you have a lot of choices!

My purpose is not to diagnose. That is the role of a medical professional. But the fact is that there is a lot you can do to help yourself if you have useful information. Not every one of these treatments will work for you, and that is certainly not what I suggest. What this does do is give you some resources to check on your own.

So, let’s dive into this list of things you can do.

R.I.C.E.

We are not talking about making sushi here. These are the most basic things you can do when you feel soreness or swelling.

It may seem obvious, but many of us diehard athletes think we can push through the pain. Trust your body! You are feeling pain, soreness, aching, and so on for a reason. There is a time to be a hero and a time to act wisely.

Know when to stop and take a rest, either in a workout, running, or other activity. Or a longer period. Even several days or a week if necessary. If the problem still hasn’t gone away, you probably ought to seek professional help.

Soreness, pain, and discomfort is often the result of inflammation. The body tissue are reacting to a stressor. Applying ice can reduce inflammation since it is cold. You can use ice in a plastic bag, wrapped in cloth. Or you can get gel wraps that you keep in the freezer.

Compress the knee using a bandage or sleeve. Doing so will help minimize the amount of swelling caused to the knee. You can either use a bandage or sleeve to compress the knee. These are typically sold online and at drug stores. The compression may also help with support and sometimes helps with knee pain and stiffness.

Elevation

Elevation can relieve swelling, and allow fluids to drain out of the area, which can then help with circulation.

Oh, and as a bonus…………………heat. Yup, heat also works to warm up the joint surrounding the sore area, which encourages circulation. The idea is to alternate cold pack with a warm moist heating pad or warm towel.

NSAIDs, Either Prescription or Non-Prescription

NSAID stands for Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some examples are Ibuprofen, usually sold by prescription. Common non-prescription NSAIDs are aspirin, Aleve, Excedrin.

Some of the more powerful ones have potentially serious side effects, such as stroke. So, use with caution and talk to a doctor about them if they are being used for an extended period of time.

If you decide to go the route of taking medicine, the first question to ask yourself is Prescription versus OTC (OTC stands for Over the Counter. These are medicines that are readily available without seeing a doctor first). The difficulty of selection is not simply due to the hassle in comparing medicine features.

Aside from the prescribed medicine for joint pain, there are also effective over-the-counter painkillers that make the selection process quite difficult. Prescription versus OTC is the issue. Read the labels carefully, evaluate the pros and cons, to make a wise decision.

Consider your current health condition and needs. Determine whether the medicine can address your problems or not. Especially if you have allergies. Also, consider the side effects and reactions.

The other factor is simply convenience and cost. Heading down to your local Walgreen’s, CVS, or local drug store or chemist’s shop (if you live in the UK) is a lot quicker than waiting for a doctor’s appointment, which may well entail the doctor’s fee, and the getting a prescription which may also cost a lot more and take more time, than just grabbing some aspirin or Tylenol off the shelf.

Prescription Medication to Treat Your Knee Pain

Doctors usually prescribe medication in the case of a more serious condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by an autoimmune condition, which results in inflammation, pain, and redness.

One of the most commonly prescribed drugs for knee pain is the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or DMARDs. These drugs decrease inflammation, ease pain, and reduce symptoms. Common DMARDs are Trexall, Plaquenil, and Azulfidine.

Prescribed biologics are often used with DMARDs when the latter does not work well for knee pain. The prescribed medication is injectable. It reduces inflammation in patients, except for those with infection or sensitive immunity. Common examples of biologics are Rituxan, Remicade, Orencia, and Actemra. Be sure to thoroughly understand these before signing up to take them, though.

If DMARDs and biologics do not work for you, doctors may prescribe Janus associated kinase inhibitors. The inhibitors work by affecting the immune cell activity and genes. These drugs will halt joint and tissue damage. They also help in avoiding inflammation. Examples of the inhibitors are baricitinib and tofacitinib.

Over-the-Counter Medicines for Arthritis Relief

Over-the-counter medicine for knee pain is available in different forms and brands. One of the commonly used OTC medicine for joint pain is Tylenol or Acetaminophen. The treatment can address mild to moderate knee and hip pain.

However, patients with high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, or other medical condition really should consult with their doctor to avoid adverse drug interactions or possible side effects.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are most popular in treating arthritis pain. The most common examples are aspirin, naproxen, and Motrin. They promote dual action treatment against joints swelling and pain relief. However, please be aware that sometimes they have dangerous side effects.

Pain-relieving rubs are alternatives for people who do not want to take capsules or tablets. They numb the pain by traveling through your skin. However, it should not be taken with oral pain relievers. The question of Prescription versus OTC arises even with medicines for external use.

The Choice of Knee Pain Treatment Largely Depends on You

The pros and cons of prescription versus OTC medicines take some careful consideration. There are cons in using prescription drugs because of some drug reactions.

On the other hand, OTC anti-inflammatory medications may also have their cons in terms of health risks. To make the right choice for your knee pain treatment, consider your current condition. Do you have existing health problems? Before you use any prescription or OTC drug, make sure it will not worsen the symptoms.

Moreover, before selecting prescription versus OTC drugs, put into consideration the severity of your pain. OTC drugs are often allowable in treating mild pain. If you really find it difficult to choose, you can consult your doctor.

A professional knows the most suitable knee problem drug that will avoid side effects. Alternatively, you can opt for more natural knee protection, such as ayurvedic remedies, or other natural or home remedies.

Herbal Remedies

There are traditional medicinal practices used both in the West and in the East, such as Naturopathy and Homeopathy in the West and the East, Indian Ayurvedic medicine, or Chinese Traditional Medicine. These represent up to 5000 years of wisdom passed down through the ages. Many modern medicines are derived from plants.

The big drug companies tweak them, patent them, and then sell for a considerable profit, when herbal remedies may work just as well. Examples are Turmeric, Pepper, Ginger, just to name three.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a yellow powder that has been ground from the root of a plant that grows in India and some other parts of Asia and Central America. It can be taken as a supplement and is also used in many Indian and curry inspired food dishes.

When used as a more natural alternative for pain, it can be taken in low doses of 500 mg per day and has been proven to have many health benefits. One of the biggest is the fact that it is a well-known anti-inflammatory.

Turmeric can go a long way in alleviating any pain or discomfort you may be experiencing as the result of knee pain or arthritis pain. It also helps with muscle soreness after a workout.

A full list and discussion are beyond the scope of this report. But the point is that there are a lot of choices besides the expensive and possibly dangerous prescription drug route.

Pepper

Another well-known spice is black pepper. This spice offers both anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing effects. Arthritis Research and Therapy published a study that stated that piperine is a compound that gives black pepper its taste and is what helps prevent inflammation.

Cayenne is another pepper that has anti-inflammatory properties. It contains natural compounds that are known as capsaicinoids. It is also an excellent way to boost your immune system while helping to deal with any knee pain and discomfort you are experiencing.

To use cayenne pepper for knee pain, you can make a paste with two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of cayenne. The paste can then be applied to the affected area and then gently massaged into the skin. The capsaicin in the cayenne pepper acts as a natural painkiller.

Ginger

Ginger is another spice that can help with knee pain and is available in many different forms, including supplements. A study found that people who used ginger for arthritis pain, found it to reduce their pain when used in combination with other prescription treatments.

Ginger has also been found to be an effective treatment for people with osteoarthritis of the knee. This was in patients who were experiencing moderate to severe knee pain.

Taking ginger extract helped significantly reduce the knee pain as they were walking and standing. It is beneficial to take up to 4 grams of ginger per day to help manage the symptoms of arthritis.

Exercise and Self-Physical Therapy

 

Some people like to work out at home, either with weights or equipment, while others like getting out of the house and going to the gym. There are lots of ways to exercise.

Here are some examples.

Yoga

Yoga has been used for centuries to develop calmness, flexibility, and concentration. It can help relax and strengthen muscles and increase circulation to joints. There are many yoga courses, both online and in classes.

Physical Therapy Exercises

If you have joint and specifically knee problems, a physical therapist may be able to help. While they have certain types of machines and other office treatments, an excellent physical therapist can recommend the right kinds of exercises for you to strengthen and help heal your knee while avoiding activities or behaviors which aggravate it.

Weight Training Exercise at the Gym

If you have some experience working out with weights, you can exercise on your own. Although working out with a partner can help you stay safe and encourage each other. On the other hand, if you have not worked out with weights, and especially so with gym weight machines, it’s a good idea to get familiar with these with the help of a personal trainer. Most gyms have people specially trained to help.

Exercise Machines, such as Ellipticals, Stationary Cycles, and Rowing Machines.

Going to a gym is a great way to build overall body strength. Gyms have special machines to focus on specific areas, such as your knees. Rowing machines have eight benefits, for example. Plus, they work five muscle groups.

You can also use the services of a personal trainer, who may suggest things you can do to help your knees. Please note, though, that when you work out with weights, there’s a higher risk of injury. So be careful.

Home Exercises with Minimal Equipment

If you don’t want to pay for a gym, you can do many knee strengthening exercises, such as yoga and strength-building exercises using simple weights or even just your own body weight and a few homemade items. For example, doing leg raises with a bucket on your ankle adds weight. Also, using a wall to do certain kinds of exercises can work. There are many home exercises you can try if you do a little research.

Get the Right Kind of Shoes

The problem with knees is that if the meniscus and cartilage, the natural shock absorbers, can wear out, meaning there is nothing to absorb the shock of thigh and lower leg bones hitting each other, causing pain. That’s why getting shoes with good shock absorbency can help compensate. Shoes with leather soles generally don’t have that, but there are good comfortable shoes and even orthopedic shoes specifically designed to support your knees.

Maintain Healthy Weight

Did you know that every pound of extra weight you have is equal to 4 pounds on your knees! That’s because the weight of your body is concentrated on the smaller area of your knee joint, unlike joints in your upper body. Weight has become a big problem nowadays.

We are constantly bombarded with advertisements telling us to eat junk food, fast food, chemically loaded food, with lots of artificial ingredients, and too many carbohydrates when we should be eating more fruits, vegetables, and protein.

If you are seriously overweight, lay off those nice big bowls of spaghetti, mashed potatoes, pizza, cookies, and especially the packaged foods like potato and corn chips. Drastically reduce starch and increase vegetables to ease hunger.

Stop the fizzy sugary drinks, the white bread, cakes, cookies, and super fatty foods like bacon and hamburgers fried in grease.

Knee Braces, Sleeves, Wraps and Straps

There is a wide variety of what is broadly called orthotics. That is external appliances to wear on the knee. We’ll give a brief overview of what these are, though a detailed explanation goes beyond the report.

Knee braces with ‘Sticky’ straps

These popular knee appliances are worn by covering the knee joint and using Velcro straps to secure it. You can adjust the tightness to a degree, and they are adjustable for different size knees. They may have add ons, such as magnets, or occasionally tourmaline that’s been activated to reflect your body’s natural heat. For the three best knee support braces, read this report.

Knee Compression Sleeves

These are tubular – you pull them on over your foot and slide them up over the knee. They are often made from different types of materials and have specialized features. Some examples include magnetic compression knee sleeves, which incorporate magnets, reputed to have therapeutic properties.

Some sleeves are made from neoprene, an artificial rubber, which naturally compresses the joint. Others use latex elastic, along with cotton, for a soft natural feeling the neoprene style, though it is also quite comfortable.

Variations include copper-infused fabric since some people feel that copper (due to its high electrical conductivity) embedded fabric improves circulation as well as prevents infection. The bamboo-based fabric also is said to have soothing properties, and nowadays, bamboo is made into very comfortable fiber.

Knee Straps

These are a smaller version of the sleeves and braces. They are basically about an inch wide strip that fits around the knee under the joint. These are useful for runners or for alleviating tendon issues.

Knee Wraps

Long strips of fabric which bind the knee by wrapping around the joint. They are some of the oldest knee devices for both protecting the knee during sports and soothing the joint that has the additional problem of feeling unstable.

This rather new type brace incorporates gel, to act as a shock absorber, as well as relying on the gel, similar to the idea discussed earlier, using cold to help with the inflammation.

Knee Pad

These are worn during sports, since they protect the knee from falls or if you are doing work on your knees, like putting tiles on a floor. That hard surface can get mighty painful, and knee pads can help.

For a more detailed discussion of 12 Different Kinds of Knee Supports for different purposes, go here.

Joint Supplements: Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs, Nature-Based Chemicals

There are innumerable products for easing joint pain or knee pain.

Here is a shortlist. The main things I look for are the type of ingredients, the number of ingredients in a dose, and cost.

The fact is that there are a lot of good products; however, there is no one product that has ‘all’ the good ingredients. To buy all of them would be crazy expensive, and besides, who wants to eat bowls full of pills and capsules?

Here is a partial list of ingredients to look for in supplements:

• Vitamins: Vitamin C, Vitamin D
• Minerals: boron, magnesium, manganese, chromium, copper, zinc
• Herbal/plant-based: Boswellia, Curcumin from Turmeric, Ginger, Piperine from Black Pepper, astaxanthin, pycnogenol, grape seed extract
• Natural chemicals produced by the body: MSM, Hyaluronic Acid, Cetyl Myristoleate (derived from natural body chemical,) Glucosamine, Chondroitin

Pain Treatment Machines

Recently, more and more alternatives to the drug or surgery route are becoming available. Some have more testing behind them than others. However, many people are getting good results with various Pain Treatment Machines that use electricity.

Figure 1 Laser Therapy. Photo courtesy of Jonn Leffman

• Cold laser, (also known as low-level laser therapy or LLLT)
• Heating pad
• Infrared heat pad
• Infrared Lamp
• Laser pen
• Ultrasound therapy
• TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation)
• ICT (Interferential Current Therapy)
• PENS (Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

Topical Ointments, Patches and Sprays

Rather than swallowing pills that may affect your whole body, when what you really want is straight relief on the specific joint, there are quite a few choices of Pain Treatment Machines. Some are more oriented towards Western medicine, such as Bengay or Aspercreme, while others are like Chinese medicine, the very popular Tiger Balm, which has similar ingredients as Bengay plus a few others.

There are sprays you can try, such as Pain Treatment Machines, which acts similarly to icing the joint. Aspercreme has a compound with Salicylate, which is related to Aspirin. There is also a product with Lidocaine, a local anesthetic.

In addition, you can use patches. Patches have the advantage of going directly on the affected area, and there is no wastage, which you get when you spray. Likewise, the patches have the medicine directly in contact with your skin, which absorbs it.

If you use creams or ointments, some of it might rub off on your clothes, so you lose some, and sometimes they may leave a stain on the clothes. So, you have a choice of sprays, ointments or patches for immediate topical relief right on the affected joint.

Foods-Proper Diet Choices

One of the biggest challenges we face nowadays is food and diet. We are affected in the following ways:

Long Distance Between Farm and Table

Nowadays, food is grown far from where we actually eat it. Studies have shown that the average distance between the farm and the table in the USA is 1000 miles. The food is often a week old before we even buy it! So much of the freshness and vitality of the food is lost.

Widespread Use of Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides

This also results in the loss of micronutrients that would typically be found in food that is grown in the ‘virtuous circle’ of organic agriculture. When animals and plants interact with each other, they nourish each other. When food is grown using chemicals, nutrition is lost. What’s worse, the food may have toxins from the chemicals themselves.

Airplane Cropduster

The Poison gets into our food

GMO’s or Genetically Modified Organisms

Foods that have their genetic structure messed with are now being recognized as a source of a variety of health problems, from allergic reactions to infertility. Because they exist outside of real nature, they act as stressors on our bodies, which are stressed out enough as it is.

Use of Weird Additives, Such As Food Coloring, Flavor Enhancers, Stabilizers, etc.

The best thing we can do to avoid those is to avoid packaged and processed foods when possible. Always read labels for ingredients. If you see some strange words, that means it is some chemical additive that we humans aren’t designed to eat. So, don’t eat them, if possible!

Too Such Sugar

Sugar intake is through the roof. Our bodies cannot handle the amount of sugar in foods. That causes fast burning and general inflammation. Not to mention obesity and, ultimately, diabetes where your pancreas simply cannot process the sugar anymore.

Too Much Alcohol

Alcohol is a fast-burning fuel for the body, and ends up being stored as fat, and stresses out other organs. In particular, drinking beer can increase the likelihood of gout, a very painful joint ailment, by 200% in those who drink two beers a day, vs. non-drinkers.

Overeating in General

The fact is, obesity, or being severely overweight, puts tremendous stress on the joints as well as other organs.

Improve Your Food Habits with These Tips

• Eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. Organic if at all possible
• Try to eat locally grown foods sold at your local farmers’ market
• Avoid GMO – genetic animal foods. That is hard to do nowadays, but it is possible.
• Read labels. If it sounds like a weird chemical, think twice before buying and eating.
• Eat less sugar, in the form of cakes, cookies, candy, soft drinks
• Drink less alcohol
• Eat moderately. Try fasting for at least one-half day a week to give your digestive system a rest. Plus, when you fast regularly, your body learns to burn off fat.
• Consider intermittent fasting, which means not eating for 12-18 hours during a 24-hour cycle

Superfoods

There has been a lot of discussion Superfoods, pack more nutrition in them than ordinary foods. They may have more protein than their normal counterparts, an example being Quinoa versus Rice.

They may have massive amounts of Vitamin C or other vitamins, such as rose hips versus oranges.

Specialty fish oil has high nutritive content and can aid in healing joints compared with more common oils like corn or soy oils. Fish oil is not something you’d use for cooking but rather, taken as a supplement.

One possible drawback to superfoods is that they are not as readily available as regular foods, and they also may be quite a lot more expensive. Advocates say the price is worth it.

For example, wheatgrass juice made from freshly grown wheat that has just sprouted and is in its early grassy stage before creating the actual wheat grains can be very expensive and has to be used fresh.

You can get wheatgrass extract that has been dried, so the growing and processing add to the cost. This just one example. On the other hand, there is some evidence that these foods are so potent that they can prevent or even cure disease.

For your free report on Superfoods, click here

Stop Smoking

This advice to stop smoking has been widespread for several decades, ever since the tobacco industry was finally called to account for the fact that smoking is harmful in many ways. If you smoke, you are increasing your chances of multiple health problems, not just knee or joint pain. So do resolve to stop smoking.

Reduce Stress and Pay Attention to Your Emotional Health

One of the great advances in the past 40 or so years is the realization that our bodies and minds are a lot more integrated than was previously thought. If you experience stress in one area of your life, you may well experience symptoms in other areas of your life. Looking at your whole quality of life is a wise approach. Learn relaxation or breathing and meditation techniques to control pain.

Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies

This last section deals with ways to treat pain that are perhaps far afield or, in some states, even illegal. Medical marijuana is one example. Here is a list of some methods to consider.

• Magnetic Therapy uses magnets to reduce pain. There is considerable controversy over whether this type of treatment is pure hype, or actually has a scientific basis.

• Medical Marijuana. Many people insist that various components of the marijuana plant, such as cannabinol, can induce relaxation and pain relief. However, in many jurisdictions, it is considered as dangerous as opioids and is strictly illegal.

• Reiki. This form of therapy involves the conscious use of ‘healing energy’ by a trained practitioner to help heal the body. You can use Reiki for self-treatment if you know what you are doing.

• Self-applied acupressure. This method originated, as did Reiki, according to Oriental forms of medicine. Likewise, if you learn the points of your body that will relieve pain, you can apply this technique yourself, though, like Reiki, it is usually done by a trained practitioner.

• Traditional Chinese medicine. These include such methods as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Moxibustion. These are generally administered by a doctor practicing Chinese medicine. However, some of the procedures, such as boiling the herbs yourself, involve your direct participation in the healing process.

We have covered 26 DIY knee pain treatments to take care of your knees by yourself. This report does not include treatments by professionals, such as minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, stem cell, and platelet therapy.

The most common treatments are those offered by the Medical Establishment, such as shots of steroids, or other fluids that help with joint flexibility or to relieve pain.

Surgery of various types, including knee replacement are commonplace and even increasing. Check here for the six reasons to see a knee doctor.

One method of treating pain is the use of opioids that have been prescribed by a physician. That may be because of the inherent tendency for professionals to encourage the use of their services, rather than the simpler and less expensive route of self-care.

Opioid use is rampant these days, and, while they do relieve pain, they can lead to serious addiction problems. For that reason alone, self-care that is not dependent on prescription drugs or other treatments may be preferable.

Many Choices to Take Care of Your Knees without Spending a Fortune

However, there is a whole other realm of treatments now becoming available that are less well known and may or may not be recognized by most physicians or, for that matter, many insurance companies. These may provide answers to the problem of knee rehabilitation, with less risk than that of surgery or the use of addictive pain-relieving drugs.

In a future report, the range of services offered by professionals of all kinds will be explored.

These will be revealed in another report specifically about treatments by others. So before, or in addition to professional medical treatment, you can try some of the self-care methods presented here. Some of these may entail purchases. Some you can do easily at home, and even incorporate into your own cooking, at little or no cost.

I hope you find the information in this report useful and that it will expand your range of possibilities.

Legal Disclaimer

The information in this document is not intended to replace medical advice. All the information provided here is offered on a best-effort basis but should be accepted ‘as is,’ with no warranty whatsoever as to whether any of the information offered has efficacy or not.

If you have knee problems, it is highly advisable that you consult with at least one physician or other medical profession before proceeding with any means to deal with your knee issue. Before engaging in any regimen, discuss with your medical professional, whether it is appropriate for you or not.

These 26 Self-Care Secrets for Knees representing the opinions here are believed to be accurate, based on the judgment of the author. Readers assume all risks in their own treatment, and by accepting this report, you agree to release the author from any liability whatsoever.