Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Alternative Therapies for Knee Pain

I would like to participate in a new medical study regarding natural therapies to help sore knees.  According to Eve Jacobs in her article, Knee Deep in Holistic Alternatives, Rutgers Magazine (Winter 2014), Rutgers School of Health Related Professions is participating in a study to discover the effects of massage on knees. 

Our knees support our weight and carry us through so many daily activities they tend to wear out over time or become injured.  Those who suffer from osteoarthritis may be interested to know that massage – not just of the knees, but the whole body – may offer some relief. The idea is that by boosting out immune systems the effects of this condition may be alleviated. For the moment, surgery or drugs offer the only relief, but we'll be eager to learn the results of this study, and maybe consider having more routine massages.

I recently experienced knee pain from standing, with most of my considerable weight on one leg, for long periods of time. A bad choice was not wearing supportive shoes while standing. Once I corrected the posture and foot wear, I returned to exercising, a bit worried that I might do more damage. But after careful exercise, I found my knee was better. Keeping our joints and muscles moving is recommended by health professionals as a way to deal with arthritis.

Keeping blood circulating is important and that might be the reason for the theory that massage helps alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knees. If that is the case, then a bit of heat treatment might help as well. Heat is known to stimulate circulation and improve flexibility.

Maine Warmers’ Knee Pack is a microwaveable heating pad that might be just the thing to bring comfort and blood circulation to the knee. For kids, and kids at heart, Maine Warmers offers an alligator and whale shaped Warmers, among other traditional and animal shaped heating pads that not only provide soothing heat, but bring a smile too. And a smile is healing in itself.

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