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Joint pain is often seen as just one of the unavoidable vagaries of aging, but it doesn’t have to be so. Joint pain, especially knee pain, can be particularly debilitating, limiting mobility and adversely affecting the quality of life. Although most commonly associated with joint degeneration that occurs with age, knee and joint pain can also be a result of stress injuries from intense workouts, repetitive sports injuries, and arthritic diseases. Depending on the cause, treatment, diet, and lifestyle choices, such problems can be exacerbated, even becoming chronic.

No matter the cause of joint and knee pain, it’s important to take steps to remedy the condition at the earliest to avoid further degeneration of the joint. This means using holistic treatments rather than popping painkillers that only provide symptom relief without addressing the underlying causes. This is precisely why Ayurvedic medicines and treatments for joint pain and arthritis are among the best options for managing knee and joint pain.

Tips And Home Remedies For Knee Pain And Joint Pain

In keeping with the philosophy of Ayurved, health and wellbeing depend not just on disease treatment or management, but on making broad changes to diet and lifestyle, along with the use of herbal medicines and exercise. Keeping this in mind, here are some tips and home remedies for joint pain that include a variety of approaches.

1. Manage Your Weight

Excess body weight is one of the biggest risk factors for joint disease and arthritis, as it increases stress on all of the joints, particularly on the knees. Ayurvedic weight reduction medicines, diet, and exercise programs can help to achieve this goal, thereby decreasing pain, limiting future damage to the joints, and improving mobility. Losing weight can also reduce joint pain and degeneration associated with the arthritic disease, as there is growing evidence that fat cells increase cortisol levels in the body, triggering systemic inflammation.

2. Get Active

When you have joint pain, exercise may be the last thing on your mind, but it’s still important to stay active. Rest is only recommended for a brief period if the pain is the result of an injury. At all other times, exercise can help not just because of its weight loss benefits, but also because it improves joint flexibility and strengthens muscles to reduce stress on the joints. At the same time, keep in mind that mild to moderate activities like walking, cycling, and swimming are better choices as some high-intensity exercises can put too much stress on the joints. Studies also show that yoga routines that are recommended in Ayurved are among the best forms of exercise to protect against degenerative joint disease like arthritis.

3. Eat Healthily

An Ayurvedic diet that is personalized to keep your doshas in balance is one of the best choices you can make to protect your joints and reduce joint pain. Until you can get a personalized diet plan, simply following the broad dietary recommendations of Ayurved would help. This is because Ayurvedic diets emphasize whole foods or fresh natural foods, primarily including fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, along with anti-inflammatory herbs and spices. These plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals that reduce inflammation and restrict oxidative damage. This Ayurvedic emphasis on natural foods and avoidance of processed foods is also supported by research.

4. Correct Your Posture

Urbanization and the modern lifestyle have severed our relationship with nature, making us lead increasingly unnatural and sedentary lifestyles. This is one of the biggest contributors to joint pain. In addition to reducing the amount of time you spend seated in chairs, you should also try to avoid using low chairs and couches that you sink into, including the popular bean bags! If necessary, sit on a pillow to raise seating height and always make sure that you avoid slouching. Set reminders and take breaks from being seated to walk around or do a couple of yoga poses between work. With most of working from home, there’s no longer an excuse to avoid taking 5-minute yoga breaks every hour or two.

5. Guggulu

Guggulu is undoubtedly the best and most effective Ayurvedic herb for dealing with any kind of joint pain, even recommended as a treatment for arthritis or amavata in the classical texts. The herb is commonly used as an Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain as it detoxifies the body, reducing ama buildup or toxicity and also helps balance vata dosha. The benefits of guggulu for joint pain and arthritis are also supported by studies that show a significant reduction in pain and other symptoms of diseases like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. As an added benefit, guggulu also aids weight loss, further benefiting joint health. Guggulu can be taken as a supplement, but you can also find it as a primary ingredient in the best Ayurvedic medicines for joint pain, along with other ingredients like devadaru, rasna, bala, haritaki, sunth, and guduchi.

6. Ashwagandha

Yes, Ashwagandha is best known for promoting muscle growth, which in itself can reduce stress on the joints, but the herb helps in many other ways. Classified as a rasayana or rejuvenative herb in Ayurved, ashwagandha has been proven to exhibit several beneficial properties, including adaptogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Through its anti-inflammatory effects, ashwagandha can protect the joints from inflammation, also reducing joint pain. At the same time, as an adaptogen, it improves the body’s response to stress, which is known to trigger or exacerbate joint pain. Ashwagandha can be consumed in the form of supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some of the most effective Ayurvedic joint pain medicines in combination with guggulu.

7. Ayurvedic Oils and Balms

Ayurvedic herbal oils like Pain Relief Oil and pain balm containing herbs like eucalyptus are known to be effective at providing quick relief from joint pain, especially knee pain. Nirgundi is perhaps the most notable herb for arthritis and is highly recommended by Ayurvedic physicians to relieve various inflammatory disorders. The herbal oil can simply be applied over the effective joint to reduce pain and protect against further joint damage. Similarly, eucalyptus oil has been proven to be effective when used as a topical application for joint pain relief. You can either use eucalyptus oil or balms containing eucalyptus, massaging it gently into the affected joint.

8. Meditate

The importance of meditative practices in yoga and Ayurved have often been overlooked in the west, but this has changed in recent years. There is now a growing recognition of the applications of meditation in relieving not just mental health problems, but also physical ailments. Ayurved has long recognized this mind-body connection and meditation is one of the best practices to reduce and improve the management of joint pain. The benefits of meditation for arthritis and joint pain are linked to its effect on reducing stress and anxiety, which are known to trigger and increase the severity of inflammation and joint pain.

These Ayurvedic tips and remedies for joint pain are known to be effective, but they are not meant to be used as a quick fix. If you suffer from knee pain or joint pain, make it a point to adopt these practices as part of your consistent long-term routine. They are not just meant to provide relief from joint pain, but can also help to prevent such conditions from developing in the first place. In cases where joint pain is severe and does not resolve within a few days with home treatment, make sure to consult an Ayurvedic doctor for help.

References:

1. Vincent, Heather K et al. “Obesity and weight loss in the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis.” PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation vol. 4,5 Suppl (2012): S59-67. doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2012.01.005
2. Deepeshwar, Singh et al. “Effect of Yoga Based Lifestyle Intervention on Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Frontiers in psychiatry vol. 9 180. 8 May. 2018, doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00180
3. Medawar, Evelyn et al. “The effects of plant-based diets on the body and the brain: a systematic review.” Translational psychiatry vol. 9,1 226. 12 Sep. 2019, doi:10.1038/s41398-019-0552-0
4. Singh, B B, et al. “The Effectiveness of Commiphora Mukul for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: an Outcomes Study.” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, vol. 9, no. 3, 2003, pp. 74–79., PMID: 12776478.
5. Ramakanth, G S H et al. “A randomized, double blind placebo controlled study of efficacy and tolerability of Withaina somnifera extracts in knee joint pain.” Journal of Ayurved and integrative medicine vol. 7,3 (2016): 151-157. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2016.05.003
6. Choudhary, Manjusha et al. “Medicinal plants with potential anti-arthritic activity.” Journal of intercultural ethnopharmacology vol. 4,2 (2015): 147-79. doi:10.5455/jice.20150313021918
7. Hong, Chang-Zern, and Frank G. Shellock. “Effects Of A Topically Applied Counterirritant (Eucalyptamint) On Cutaneous Blood Flow And On Skin And Muscle Temperatures.” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, vol. 70, no. 1, Feb. 1991, pp. 29–33., doi:10.1097/00002060-199102000-00006
8. Selfe, Terry Kit, and Kim E Innes. “Effects of Meditation on Symptoms of Knee Osteoarthritis.” Alternative & complementary therapies : a new bimonthly publication for health care practitioners vol. 19,3 (2013): 139-146. doi:10.1089/act.2013.19302
9. By Dr. Surya Bhagwati 
10. https://drvaidyas.com/blogs/all/ayurvedic-home-remedies-for-knee-pain-joint-pai
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