Several different alternative-medicine options are available for relieving knee pain, and certain therapies may work better than others depending on the cause of your pain. Herbal remedies and other alternative therapies, for example, may be used to ease knee pain. Before using alternative medicines for knee pain, consult your doctor to discuss the potential health risks and contraindications.
Causes
You might experience knee pain due to overuse or strenuous physical activity, or your knee pain could come from an underlying health condition, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Knee pain is a common symptom of osteoarthritis, which typically affects the knees, as well as the hips, spine and hips. Knee pain can occur due to an injury or accident, bone degeneration due to aging or disease, structural abnormalities of your legs or knees, patellar tendonitis, or Osgood-Schlatter disease. Medical conditions like gout, infections or rheumatoid arthritis can also cause knee pain. Have your doctor diagnose the cause of your knee pain in order to properly treat the underlying issue.
Herbs & Supplements
You might take natural supplements such as chondroitin and glucosamine to help ease your knee pain, particularly if you have osteoarthritis of the knee, according to the Mayo Clinic. Taking S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) could reduce knee inflammation and relieve pain while protecting your joints. Supplementation with vitamin B3, collagen, bromelain, cetyl myristoleate, citamin E, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), fish oil, bovine cartilage or boron could also help ease arthritic knee pain. Also helpful for knee pain are certain herbal remedies, such as boswellia, ginger, cayenne, cat's claw, devil's claw, white willow bark, stinging nettle, guggul and rose hips. Herbal remedies containing the herbs horsetail, yucca, colchicines and meadowsweet are sometimes also recommended for treating knee pain. Don't take any herbal remedy for your knee pain without first talking with a healthcare professional.
Other Alternative Treatments
Acupuncture is often used as an alternative treatment for relieving knee pain. Acupuncture may release endorphins and neurotransmitters associated with pain relief. Magnet therapy could also help ease your pain if it's due to osteoarthritis of the knee, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Magnet therapy involves taping magnets to your body or using certain magnetic devices.
Medical Research
Four clinical trials conclude that magnet therapy significantly reduced pain related to osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a 2008 review in "Focus in Alternative and Complementary Therapies." Unfortunately, the four studies had certain methods that invited some bias, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Applying cayenne-based creams to your knees can reduce osteoarthritis pain, according to double-blind studies in Clinical Therapeutics in 1991 and the "Journal of Rheumatology" in 1992. Taking glucosamine supplements also reduced osteoarthritis knee pain, according to a 2005 review of clinical trials reported in the "Annals of Pharmacotherapies." Chondroitin supplementation helped improved knee function of people with osteoarthritis in a 1987 study in the "Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology." Many other medical studies have been performed on various supplements and herbs for treating knee pain, but no widely accepted scientific evidence supports the use of any of them as an effective treatment, according to the University of Michigan Health System.
Warnings
Natural supplements and herbs can interfere with other medications that you're taking, cause possible side effects and pose certain health risks for some people. Therefore, you should take herbs or natural supplements only under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. Only limited medical evidence exists supporting magnet therapy and acupuncture to treat knee pain. Due to the limited regulations applied to alternative medicine and the potential health dangers, seek only reputable providers and discuss these treatments with your physician, advises the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
