Effective Natural Remedies for Knee Pain Relief

Gustavo: The best hypothesis at this point would be a chronic infection. If you have no metal medical device or part, Zapping will help. Borax, administered orally help w/ joint infection (read the cures section here on E.C. for more info). Magnet or light therapy may also help.

Gustavo: I cured my arthritis that I suffered from for many years making green smoothies from organic baby leaves. I walk 15 minutes then rest 5 minutes for 8 hours a day so I take a lot of stuff to keep my joints as loose as a goose, like skate liver oil. For immediate pain relief apply capsaicin cream.

Dear Gustavo,

A few things have helped my menisicus issues over the years: Omega 3 fish oil 2x/day, weight loss (anything over a certain weight triggers knee pain) and daily magnesium. Maybe one of these will help you too.

I had that happen -- figured it was the vitamin C. I was doing high dose C, and liposomic which makes exponential absorption, so it could have equaled out to 40 to 60 grams a day, plus the MSM. Sometimes I'd take maybe 6 grams of C with some baking soda and the MSM with water. After a month of this I was having such severe heart pains and flutters if I tried to lay down I felt like I was going to have a heart attack and die. I now have spider veins that I did not have before, and I am still weakened and I have an aged appearance now I didn't have before. I don't know if it was the high dose C or the MSM or a combination of both. I think I'm lucky I'm alive. I have heard since that vitamin C is a complex, not an isolate, and should not be taken as an isolate. And I don't.

Micheal,

Thanks for the remedies! I love the Russian poultice recipe with mustard! I once bought a 5 pound container of dry mustard at a health food store. I think the cashier thought I was crazy. But mustard has great medicinal properties. (This I was reminding myself yesterday when I was eating pretzels with mustard. Yum! )

Very good point that the other knee is the same age and is fine, so the old age theory doesn't make sense.

Keep us posted!

~Mama to Many~

I know these messes well. The boron tablets are different than the borax soap foot soak. I use a pinch in a 2 gal bucket and soak for an hour. ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Month one I did it once a week. Month two twice a week. Still a pain, here there and everywhere. One day the victory of complete mineral balance will manifest and I will be stronger again. Walter Last wrote a nice article on boron, as a biochemist, he shares a lot of information...google it

Try DMSO, it's a lot more powerful than MSM and penetrates deep into the knee immediately.

I use charcoal on top of drops of castor oil on a bandage with glue all around edges and apply to area of pain overnight and add some heat to drive it in with a rice pack or hot water bottle or heating pad....been working overnight for my problems. Alpha lipoic acid helps with my pain issues

Gracie, why guess and worry? When you get the results you'll contemplate your next step (pun intended! ). Meanwhile you seem to be doing everything right. The only red light I see is the walking 5-6 miles. Might that have been excessive even if you didn't feel it was?

Hello Gracie of Nottingham,

I think I know what you are going through!

A crook knee is not pleasant at all. I wonder what your X rays will show? The radiologist will probably tell you that you have some osteoarthritis in the knee (surprise) but most people in their seventies will have that, and, if it is diagnosed as being "early" or "mild", that would not account for the severity of your pain which seems to be quite debilitating and restricting your mobility.

You are doing some great things to try to ameliorate the issue and I have tried most of them myself, especially after having suffered a similar, unexpected flare up five months ago after digging a deep drainage trench on my property. (We have to do most things ourselves out here "Down Under" in the sticks beyond the Black Stump and it takes its toll on body parts! ). I am yet to resort to pulling my own teeth yet though!

I strongly suspect that you MAY have either Tendonitis OR twisted or strained an important LIGAMENT around the knee joint.

This can take up to a year to heal unless we crawl around on all fours.

At this point I would like to refer you to my recent posting on this subject in the joint and knee section of Earth Clinic, so I don't repeat it here. They were kind enough to bestow an "Editor's Choice" on that one so it's rather like being mentioned in the Queen's Birthday Honours List!

In addition to the above (and what you are already doing which is great) I would seriously consider your doing the following: Organic Tea and Coffee if you drink those beverages, a little Hemp Seed Oil internally once a day, more Gelatine and three tablets of "Heal n Soothe" by the Living Well group just prior to retiring BUT one hour after food. Said to contain many of the ingredients you favour and possibly in a better combination for assimilation.

Lastly, and best of all, visit the best Acupuncturist you can find (even if you have to travel some distance to get there). Mine has not "cured" me yet BUT I gained noticeable relief after the first session-have regressed a little bit since - but hope for steady progress from now on. Did some of that "cupping" woodoo and massaged until I winced in pain. (It must be good-right?) She was rather keen on the exercises I mentioned in the (above) posting too and recommended that I continue with them. Well that's my take on your problem and it would be great if you could let us know of your progress. Be staunch and stick with it. As you lot say... "Keep calm and carry on"!

If you are a walker or keen gardener, then I recommend you desist for the next few months. Your knee will be grateful for the resting. Otherwise remain active.

Cheers and all the best,

Michael

Hi Michael

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my posting on the arthritic pain in my knee. I find your recommendations very sound, helpful, and above all your letter put a smile on my face!

Right, I was a little premature in posting on Earth Clinic the other day, because yesterday I saw my doctor who was able to give me the results of the x ray I'd had, which has helped clarify matters. I do have osteoarthritis, which you thought was almost inevitable for anyone over seventy, but in addition to this fragments of bone have broken loose in my kneecap and need to be removed. As I understand it, it's the fragments that are causing the intensity of pain I'm experiencing. So the next step is an MRI scan, and removal of the fragments.

I shall continue with all the natural remedies I've been taking, gleaned from Earth Clinic contributors, and, like you, I'm not adverse to a bit of voodoo, and may try acupuncture or other alternative therapies if the condition doesn't improve.

Best wishes.

Hello again Gracie of Nottingham,

I am relieved that you are now in possession of a sound diagnosis for your debilitating knee problem and can see your way clear to a resolution.

It is a bit grim to have to resort to surgery but needs must I suppose. Did you have an accident to your knee?

I hope you will keep us informed as to how the surgery and your subsequent recovery turns out.

The Hemp oil I mentioned and Turmeric/Ginger are often recommended for their pain relieving properties by the way.

You probably won't want to be rubbing Castor oil or anything else into that knee any time soon!!?

Say hello to Robin Hood, Little John and Maid Marrion for me!

Best wishes,

Michael

Hi Christine,

Passing along a home remedy I learned from a patient's mother. She said her daughter twisted her ankle the evening before. The child's ankle looked fine and I could move it all around without any wincing from pain. I could find nothing wrong with it and asked if she was sure she twisted it the day before. After her assurance she did, I asked what she did for it.

Her answer: "I took a piece of brown poke, scruffed it between my hands to get the stiff out, soaked it in vinegar and wropped it around her foot and ankle and left it on all night. After further questioning as to the identity of the piece of brown poke (my first guess was some dried poke sallet leaves) but it turned out to be brown paper grocery bag. When I got home that evening, I found my daughter had twisted her ankle again that day, so we used the brown poke soaked in vinegar, wrapped it around her foot and ankle, covered it with saran wrap, then used ace bandage to keep it on and left it on over night.

Next morning we were both happy to find that she was walking without pain, where she usually limped for a week or two afterwards.

Another EC correspondent recently wrote in about her husband's bad knee flare up and how she waited until he went to sleep and wrapped a vinegar soaked towel around his knee & covered it with saran wrap and left it on overnight and how much better his knee was the next morning. Since she said the towel soaked with vinegar worked so well, you probably can omit having to scruff the stiff out of the brown poke and go with the towel.

Good luck with the vinegar, but I would also keep up the MSM.

Do you suppose the vinegar and brown paper remedy is what the nusery rhyme is meant to tell us when it fixed jack's "broken head"

Answer to Eveline from Canada, living in Spain about knee pain

I have Various ideas for knee problems.

Did you or Can you check spine and hip alignments with a chiropractor? Sometimes misalignment can cause terrible pressures on knees.

Also I would encourage you to check pH of urine and saliva. I would say, especially the urine's pH in case of uric acid accumulation. If the pH is on the acidic side, which is IMO most likely, an alkalizing diet will benefit greatly. But for pH testing, pH paper is an almost necessary monitoring tool.

Vitamin C (the buffered one like calcium ascorbate, this kind is not acid forming), Omega 3 from Cold Water Fish oil. Better yet, cold water small fishes like sardines and salmons (with bones). With these fishes you well get omega oil and bio-available calcium.

You use Magnesium oil, but there is something much cheaper that you can use. Epson Salt (Magnesium sulphate) is very cheap. Either externally, Epson salt baths/foot baths/compresses (see http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/health_usage_tips.htm ), or internally, a small pinch of ES with glass of water. In such small amount, you will not have the flushing effect. Epson salt contains sulphur, as MSM does. So the Epson salt provides both sulphur and magnesium.

Cayenne pepper for blood circulation.

There is a hand held device you can buy from internet that produce ultrasound vibrations which help blood circulation.

You may stop liver flush for a while as it is making your system acidic. Anything that detox makes someone acidic.

External use:arnika gel or tincture. H2O2 3% rubbing. Peppermint oil rubbing.

See https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/sprains.html
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/knees.html
https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/arthritis.html

pH balance helped me quite a bit with my knee problems.

Good luck.

To Alain who kindly replied to my queries: Thanks for that info about acid alkaline balance. Makes sense to me. It took a bit of doing but I finally found some pH paper here in small town Spain. I consistently measure in around 6 pH. I've started drinking lemon juice with cayenne every morning and am watching that I eat more akalinizing foods, altho right now that's proving difficult because I'm traveling and it's harder to stay away from bread and some of the other acid forming foods on the road. I had been eating lots of small fishes here in Spain, using calcium ascorbate and yes, I had a series of chiropractic adjustments back home in Canada before I left for Spain. As I said, this has been ongoing for a while now.

You're suggestion about taking the epson salts internally sent a shiver up my back as that's the most loathsome part of the liver flushes, drinking that darned epsom salt. However, it's different just putting a pinch in water for sure, but ugh! Since I have the magnesium oil I will continue with it until I run out. I have used the H2O2 externally to no avail but will keep working towards a 7 on the pH scale. I just want to GET BETTER! As of yet, no changes.

I READ A POST A LITTLE WHILE AGO HERE THAT SUGGESTED SPRAYING H2O2 DIRECTLY ON THE JOINT, SEVERAL TIMES A DAY WOULD HELP HEAL AND CONSEQUENTLY RELEIVE SOMEONE OF PAIN. HONESTLY, IT SOUNDED KOOKY, BUT I THUOGHT " WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOOSE IT CAN'T HURT". THE PAIN RELIEF WASN'T IMMEDIATE BUT WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS IT WAS LESS AND IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS I WASN'T USING THE KNEE WRAP AS MUCH AND NOW I HARDLY EVER USE IT. NOW MIND YOU I AM VERY OVERWEIGHTAND THE INJURY WAS SEVERE( I TWISTED A KNEE JOINT BADLY THAT ALREADY HAD ARTHRITIS IN IT ). I USE A 20/1 MIX- 20OZ WATER(DISTILLED) TO 1 OZ 3% H202(CVS PHARMACY) MY SKIN DRIES OUT WITH TOO MUCH PEROXIDE BUT YOURS MAY NOT SO YOU COULD UP IT A LITTLE. IT REALLY WORKS!

with such low PH maybe you should check for celiacs or gluten sensitivity (not quite the same thing) Maybe even another food intolerance or allergy.

I started having knee problems once while taking an antibiotic called Levaquin. It is a member of the fluroquinolone family of antibiotics- Cipro is another. I was prescribed heavy doses on a regular basis for recurring UTI's and bladder infections. A couple of years ago, while taking the medications, I noticed a severe weakness is my knees. I felt like they were just going to snap. I had trouble getting around and was in a lot of pain. I got on line and did some research and it didn't take long to find out that the FDA issued a black box warning a couple of years ago for these types of antibiotics because they have shown to cause spontoaneous rupture of the tendons, in the achiles, the knees, the shoulders and hands.

I immediately stopped taking the drugs and started oil pulling because from my understanding, fluroquinolones have a certain type of fluoride that can be particularly toxic and oil pulling may be helpful in reducing the levels of fluoride in the body. I did notice marked improvement after a few days, though my knees have never been the same. I did not have any knee problems before, was not doing anything strenuous-- the only variable was the Levaquin. Now I still have cracking in my knees that can be painful at times. In addition to the oil pulling, I have also begun moderate strength training to build up the muscles around the knee and this helps very much. I try not to cross my legs as much too as this seems to put pressure on my knees.

One year ago I had problems with my knees (bending and stooping they felt like they were going to give out on me). I started taking turmeric and now I can bend and stoop with no problems. I take turmeric capsules, usually once a day, and also mix a little (1/4 teaspoon or so) in tomato juice. Still trying to find more ways to work it into my diet.

Turmeric is a great anti-inflamitory! I love it stirred into tomato juice along with some black pepper, or in my one cup of morning coffee along with a tablespoon of VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil). I use about 1/2 tsp (or a bit less) 2x a day now. When I first started taking it I went overboard, and had some stomach issues, so I stopped for a while. I started in taking it again, but at a much reduced amount and built up to the amount I take now s-l-o-w-l-y.

I also have found taking Boron (capsules) has made my joint pain go away. Google "Boron and Arthritis" and see what comes up - it is awesome and inexpensive. :-) You also need to take D-3 at at least 2,000 a day and a good Magnesium along with as they interact with each other to help bones. Apparently from what I have been reading, Boron is every bit as important for building strong bones as Calcium is. (along with a LOT of other functions, hence my suggestion to Google it! )

One more thing that is excellent for inflamation (and avoiding getting sick) is Vitamin C. When all of those around me have the dreaded CRUD - I start taking 1,000mg Of Vitamin C at least 4x a day... And have not caught anything from anyone in a long time. Research Linus Pauling and Vitamin C - some very interesting reading!

Con, I mix turmeric in a lot of dishes and soups and I don't even notice it. I often also mix minced garlic just before serving and nowadays a bit of raw olive oil as well.

Hi R. After years of many hours a day of gymnastics training from the time I was 5, I finally got a terrible (AWFUL) case of Osgood-Schlatter Disease (serious swelling below the knee cap) on my left side when I was 11 years old. It was so bad, it abruptly ended my gymnastics passion. It was extraordinarily painful at the time and took a good year or two to heal. The lump is still there though I rarely feel any lingering pain unless I accidentally "bump the lump". For me the key to my OSD and other knee issues (meniscus injury, arthritic joints) is daily exercise, thus keeping circulation running through the entire area. Hanging upside down on my inversion board also helps increase circulation in my legs when needed.

I also apply magnesium oil to my knees when they are feeling painful and take omega 3 fish oil and primrose oil almost daily. Omega 3s are supposed to be taken with primrose oil or they will increase inflammation, according to an osteopathic doctor I talked to. Both of these supplements help tremendously. I haven't tried them yet, but a few folks on EC talk about apple cider vinegar or castor oil wraps for knee issues. Please let us know what you find out!

Michael, your humor ought to carry you through!!!! :)

Hi Gracie,

At a recent visit to Costco they had a vibration machine. I had my 91 year old father with me and we tried it out. My father could not tolerate it for the trial session and asked the representative to end his session early. Before you invest in one of these you should try one out first. The Power Plate one may be at a local gym near you, or you could wait for your nearest Costco to have their brand visit (Zaaz).

It would be listed on their web site. I am wondering if a joint replacement may be considered a contraindication for using a vibration plate? I suggest you look into Bio Electro Magnetic Energy Regulation (Bemer). I bought one of these for my father 10 to 12 weeks ago. He was having a lot of discomfort in his knees and hips, also having trouble getting around, so I was hoping to keep him in his own home a little longer. He uses it several times each day and has improved greatly. He is no longer having any pain in his knees or hips! You may find somewhere local to you where you can try it out or possibly rent one. Look into “The Five Tibetans”. These are gentle exercises and one of them helps very much with balance. I once heard author Joan Vernikos interviewed. She wrote the book, Sitting Kills, Moving Heals. She made the suggestion to stand up for two minutes every half hour (or something like that) to improve strength. Lastly, in your supplement trials have you tried serrapeptase for pain relief? Also, I recently saw one at Vitamin Shoppe that looks pretty impressive that has serrapeptase, nattokinase, lipase, protease, amla, papain, bromelain, rutin, and coenzyme q10 all together in one formula. The idea is to take these away from food on an empty stomach so they can travel throughout your body and break down fibrin, etc. Age is a state of mind and you sound pretty young to me!

HI U OLE PATOOTS, ORH here and my bad knee is acting up so I did an ozone shot in it today. Started that some 14 years ago when my Orthopedic doc said I have to have a new metal knee... you are bone on bone. What these Godly people don't tell you is that ozone will regenerate new joint cartilage. When I get a certain pain about every 3 or 4 years, I go get an ozone shot. This one cost me $150. Thus, I got lots of Meigs County roadside beer cans to pick-up. We discussed Ozone dentist in Tn. He said there are now two and that works when most root canals end up with women having breast cancer if it is certain teeth. He said you can avoid that if you just pull the tooth and implant a new tooth or treat the infection with ozone. Ozone gas gets everywhere. Each tooth goes to a certain meridian and effects different parts of the body. Our old doctors knew this and saved our ancestors lots of grief. I get a kick our some of our clever posters that have the answer for all ails. I only have the answer to the ones that got me out of the ditch.====ORH====