If you are experiencing problems such as pain, stiffness, or swelling in your knees, massage may be helpful. Whether your symptoms are due to osteoarthritis or another disease that affects your joints, there is some evidence that this supportive treatment makes sense. While physical therapy or painkiller may be offered more often, massage may be an additional choice that can positively impact your daily activities.

Benefits of Knee Massage

Because most commonly recommended treatments for knee pain have side effects, and some have limited benefits, many people are forced to look for other choices. One such procedure is knee massage. Numerous studies have shown that massaging an aching or arthritic joint can have several benefits, including:

  • Bringing blood flow to the joint
  • Improving blood circulation in the location
  • Minimizing the swelling
  • Generating new joint liquid
  • Decreasing total pain and tightness

Massage can also help increase tone and increase the overall mobility of the supporting muscles and stability of the affected knee.

While these physiological benefits are necessary, what really matters is the impact they can have on your daily life. Research shows that massage therapy can beneficially affect the degree of pain, tension, and overall daily function in people with knee osteoarthritis.

Another benefit is that massage has few side effects. While this treatment does not offer a substitute for more traditional therapies such as physical therapy, weight loss, and painkiller, it can be a great addition that rarely has adverse effects.

Suggestions for Knee Massage

If you’d like to try massage for your aching knees, it’s essential to do it safely. First, talk to the doctor who treats your pain to ensure the massage is proper for you. Certain types of massage may not be appropriate or even safe for people with sore joints, so it’s best to talk to your doctor first.

Also, if you have specific concerns, you may want to avoid massage as it can have adverse effects. These conditions consist of:

  • Pre-existing high blood pressure
  • Osteoporosis
  • Varicose veins

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that massage should reduce your pain, not worsen it. The “no effort, no result” philosophy is not ideal in these scenarios.

What is osteoarthritis?

You may have heard this before. Your body is not indestructible. After years of repeated use and occasional damage, many parts of your body have undergone some degree of wear and tear.

When it comes to your knees, as you get older, the cartilage cushions that allowed you to enjoy smooth, pain-free movement when you were young begin to change shape and lose flexibility. There is generally no specific cause other than degeneration with age and use.

About 40 million people currently seek help for knee and hip pain caused by osteoarthritis in the US. There is no definitive cure yet. One of the most effective solutions, although quite extreme, is total knee replacement.

However, many different methods can reduce suffering and improve quality of life despite osteoarthritis of the knee. In addition to medications like any pain relievers, one of the most commonly recommended treatments is exercise, physical rehabilitation, and additional treatments such as massage.

Massage May Help Knee Osteoarthritis

Scientists say that massage therapy “seems to be a practical choice” as an adjunct to various other knee osteoarthritis treatments.

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs when flexible tissue at the ends of bones wears down. In osteoarthritis, the joints are damaged as the cartilage material and the shock absorbers of the joints are consumed downward.

Osteoarthritis usually affects the knees, making walking difficult. The disease can become disabling.

Massage can improve joint flexibility and circulation, according to scientists including Adam Perlman, MD, and David Katz, MD, MPH.

Perlman works at the Institute of Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the Medical University and New Jersey Dentistry. Katz works at Yale University Medical School.

“Massage is completely free of any known negative effects and, according to our results, clearly demonstrates therapeutic prospects,” says Katz in a Yale University newsletter.

Massage Therapist

If you are worried about doing self-massage but still intend to use the possibilities of this therapy, a massage therapist may be a good option. These professionals are trained to select the type of massage that is most effective for your painful arthritic knees.

One study found that people with knee osteoarthritis who received a weekly 60-minute massage for eight weeks had less pain and much better daily function than those who received conventional treatment.

If you decide to go to a massage therapist, be sure to follow these helpful standards:

  • Be frank and straightforward with your therapist about the condition of your knee, including which movements or activities cause pain. This helps them tailor your therapy to make sure it’s helpful.
  • Tell the specialist if you experience any pain during the massage. The best goal is to reduce pain, not increase it. Thus, it is unproductive to aggravate the location with overly aggressive strategies.
  • If you haven’t been to a massage therapist before, ask your doctor if there is someone they can recommend. You can also use the American Massage Therapists Association website to find a qualified massage therapist.

When to See a Healthcare Provider.

While inflamed or arthritic knees can benefit from the massage techniques described above, it’s essential to look out for other vital signs that could point to a much more severe problem. If you’re experiencing increasing pain, swelling, heat, or inflammation in your knee or your symptoms are accompanied by a high fever or weight problems in your legs, it’s essential to see a doctor. In addition, any pain in the knee that occurs after an injury (such as a car accident) should be reported to your specialist immediately, as even more thorough evaluation or therapy may be required.

A Word From MassageRX.

The methods described above may help reduce knee pain, but they cannot replace a traditional examination by your medical office. Make sure you keep open communication about your symptoms with your doctor. Failure to do so may increase your discomfort and prevent you from returning to your daily activities.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

  1. How will I know if I have severe knee pain?

Call your doctor if you:

  • Can’t bear weight on the knee or feel like the knee is unstable or tender.
  • There is swelling of the knee.
  • Unable to extend or bend the knee fully.
  • Note obvious deformity of the leg or knee.
  • There is a fever, in addition to soreness, pain as well as swelling in the knee.
  1. Does deep tissue massage help with knee pain?

In this case, deep tissue work in the hamstrings and stretching the shortened muscle mass is practical. Trigger point therapy, kneading, and compression along the lower lateral hamstring (biceps femoris) can relieve the pain felt on the lateral side of the knee.

  1. Should You Massage Your Swollen Knee?

Rubbing the knee can help drain fluid from the joint. You can do a light self-massage yourself or order a massage from a specialist.

  1. What is the best oil for knee massage?

Massage therapy is the most effective method to help relieve knee pain. Rubbing a mild oil (coconut, mustard, olive) on your knees will help improve circulation in the blood vessels around your knees. Massage continuously 3-4 times a week for 10-15 minutes for perfect results.

  1. What can not be done with arthrosis of the knee joint?

Knee Osteoarthritis. Be Careful When Doing These 5 Exercises:

  • Squatting
  • Deep lunging
  • Running
  • High-impact sports and repeated jumping
  • Strolling or running up stairways
  1. Can massage increase swelling?

Massage is like exercise: it pumps blood into the muscle mass, delivering nutrients and getting rid of toxins. This procedure can briefly cause inflammation (repair response) in areas the body needs to be interested in. This inflammation can cause pain.