Causes Of Knee Pain & How To Relieve It At Home

The knee carries around four times your body weight every time you walk down a flight of stairs. That is why it is among the first joints to show wear, and why knee pain becomes a common complaint after the forties.

What causes knee pain?

1. Osteoarthritis. The cartilage that cushions the joint thins with age. The pain is usually worse after a long rest and eases after a little movement.
2. Excess body weight. Every extra kilogram adds roughly four kilograms of pressure on the knee going down stairs.
3. Weak thigh muscles. Weak quadriceps pass the load straight to the joint.
4. An old injury. A sprain or ligament tear that never fully healed leaves the joint less stable.
5. Repeated stair climbing or squatting. Work that demands these positions all day applies constant pressure.
6. Long periods kneeling. Common in farming, construction and housework.

How do you massage a knee correctly?

Massage the muscles around the knee, not the kneecap itself. Tight thigh and calf muscles pull on the knee joint and add pressure to it; softening those muscles reduces that pull.

1. Sit with the leg extended and the knee slightly bent over a rolled towel.
2. Pour a little warming massage oil into your palm and rub until warm.
3. Apply to the lower thigh, the sides of the knee and the upper calf — skip the kneecap.
4. Massage with moderate pressure upwards (towards the heart) for five to eight minutes.
5. Slowly straighten and bend the knee ten times after the massage.

Can a swollen knee be massaged?

No. A knee that is swollen, warm to the touch or red means there is active inflammation, and massaging it then can add to the swelling. A cold compress for 15 minutes suits the first 48 hours better. Warming massage oil is used after the swelling settles, not while it peaks.

Which exercises strengthen the knee?

• Straight leg raise. Lie down, straighten one leg and lift it 30 centimetres. Hold five seconds. Ten times each side.
• Towel press. Place a rolled towel under the knee and press down for five seconds. Ten times.
• Walk on level ground. 20 to 30 minutes a day. Walking does not damage the knee — it feeds the cartilage.
• Cycle or swim. Both strengthen the thigh without loading the joint.

Knee pain often arrives alongside aches elsewhere in the leg. If your calves also feel numb at night, see why feet go numb at night.

When should knee pain be seen by a doctor?

Get it examined if the knee cannot bear your weight, looks deformed, swells suddenly without an injury, made a "pop" at the moment of injury, comes with a fever, or the pain is unchanged after two weeks of home care. Massage oil relieves the muscles around the joint; it does not repair cartilage that has already worn away.