It’s natural. After years of carrying you around, your knees start getting creaky, achy and stiff. Osteoarthritis is considered by many in the medial community as a “natural part of aging” just like wrinkles, graying of hair and other “age related” changes. It isn’t that everyone is bound to get arthritis, but many do. Modern research is showing that there are many things that we all can do to prevent knee pain before it becomes a problem.

 

1. Lose some weight; One thing to reduce the strain on the knees is to loose some weight. Studies show that as little as a 15 lbs. reduction in body weight reduces knee pain by 50%.

 

2. Exercise Your Knees; A very effective remedy and preventative for arthritis is to exercise your knees, as long as you avoid excessive strain on the joints. Walking, dancing, yoga, tai chi and other and light weight-bearing exercises all benefit.

 

3. Have your feet checked; Some knee problems stem from walking with a off kilter gait. If your shoes soles are wearing down unevenly, it may mean that your knee discomfort could be solved with an orthotic prescribed by a podiatrist.

 

4. Medications; Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, celebrex and acetaminophen will temporarily relieve the pain, but they do not cure it. But there are many supplements on the market which have been shown to effectively prevent the degeneration caused by osteoarthritis in the knee. Supplements such as glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and others. There are also many acupuncturists who also specialize in traditional Chinese herbal medicine who can prescribe a medicinal formula of herbs to treat knee pain of all sorts.

 

5. Acupuncture; There have been more studies investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture on knee pain than there have been investigating Ibuprofen’s effect on the same condition. Acupuncture for knee pain has a strong body of research proving it to be one of the more effective long term relievers of knee pain. Unlike pain killers which need to be taken every few hours, the effects of acupuncture, after finishing a course of treatment, lasts several months. Acupuncture has proven to be an efficient, cost effective treatment for knee pain.

 

And don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your, questions. We’re here to help, and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in your lifelong good health.