Knee pain is one of the most common complaints among adults. Especially if you’re an athlete who jumps, runs, or lifts often, the knee joint is under a lot of stress. It supports the entirety of your upper body, so it makes sense why it’s so susceptible to aches and pains.

But because of how necessary the knee is, it makes it all the more frustrating when it seems like it’s not in the best shape. Regardless of the injury, joint pain and discomfort can have a negative effect on our productivity and our overall moods.

Luckily, most mild discomfort of the joints can be alleviated fairly easily. Yoga is a powerful tool at our disposal that will strengthen our muscles and our minds all at the same time. 

Let’s walk through some amazing yoga poses that will get your knees feeling new!

What Causes Knee Pain?

The most recurrent cause of knee-related pain is repeated stress to the knee. This is especially common in athletes who are consistently using the knee joints in ways that are more intense than the average person. The general term referring to pain arising between the kneecap and the underlying bone is called Patellofemoral pain syndrome, or runner’s knee.

You can even develop runner’s knee from just sitting in the same position for long periods of time. The knee is a fairly vulnerable joint that bears a lot of stress from everyday activities.

But the physical stress on your knee isn’t the only stress you may feel. A side effect of any type of joint pain is that it can lead to unproductivity and a lack of balance in mood. If you start to feel down because of joint pain, consider CBD gummies to help steady your mood and achieve better balance overall.

Other common causes include aging, or in severe cases, torn and sprained ligaments. If you feel that the pain in your knee is excruciating or persistent, talk to a healthcare professional before trying alternative remedies.

Thankfully, in most cases, you can use some at-home tricks to try to bring some relief to the fragile knee joint. 

Yoga Poses for Knee Pain

Yoga is a tour de force in healthy living, because in addition to its numerous physical benefits, it is extremely calming and relaxing. Here are some of the best yoga poses that you can try to alleviate joint discomfort.

Reclined Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

This is an all-around great pose because it doesn’t just work the knee: it also helps with stretching hamstrings and loosening the hip muscles. It also doesn’t require any rotation or abduction, so it’s a nice and even stretch that will feel really great on your achy bones.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Lay down on the floor, allowing your spine to curve naturally.
2. Keeping toes and knees pointed towards the ceiling, wrap a yoga strap around the ball of your right foot. 
3. Stretching from the back of your knee towards the heel, bring your right leg straight up to the ceiling. Try to pull your straightened leg as close to your head as possible without feeling discomfort.
4. Keep your knee as straight as possible, and slowly bring your leg back down. Repeat on both sides for as long as you want.

If you don’t have a yoga strap, you can use your hands! Just note that this requires a little bit more flexibility.

Bridge Pose

Since this pose requires you to bend the knees and use it to support your body, this is a fantastic one for strengthening and conditioning the knee joint.

To do the bridge pose:

1. Lay down on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground.
2. Using your arms for balance, bring your waist up towards the ceiling, keeping your shoulders on the ground.
3. Ensure that your spine is straight and hold for as long as you feel comfortable. Slowly release and repeat.

You can further enhance this pose by using a weight in between your thighs, as this will help strengthen the knee joint to help prevent future soreness.

Chair Pose

Like the bridge pose, this one will force you to bend your knees and help strengthen the joint. However, this one is also fantastic for working your quad muscles.

To do the chair pose:

1. Stand up straight with your feet facing forward.
2. While exhaling, bend your knees and move your hips back as if you are about to sit in a chair. Draw your abdomen in to support your lower back.
3. Send hips back rather than your knees forward so you can still see your toes. 
4. While inhaling, raise your arms up and around your ears.
5. Keep reaching higher while trying to “sit” lower. Try this for 5 to 10 breaths.

This is such a relaxing pose that it’s easy to forget your knees are hurting. This pose is great for unwinding at the end of a long day. If your knee is really bothering you, you can try a few drops of French Vanilla CBD Oil before doing this pose to help you wind down, soothe some of that tension, and promote peaceful sleep.

Warrior Pose

This is a classic yoga pose for good reason. It’s similar to a lunge, which makes it good for stretching out the knee and alleviating some tenderness. There are a few variations of the warrior pose, but warrior 1 is the easiest to master:

1. Stand straight with both of your feet facing forward, knees slightly bent.
2. Extend your right leg about four feet in front of you. Raise your arms perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other. Your right arm should be in front of you and your left arm should be held out straight behind you.
3. Turn your left ankle 90 degrees counterclockwise while keeping your right foot pointed straight ahead. Your chest should be facing to the left.
4. Maintain the pose for as long as you can comfortably, then return to standing position. Repeat on the opposite leg.

This pose will both bend your knee and also torque your knee in a direction that is not common. It might be just the type of stretch that you need to feel some relief in your joints.

Other Ways To Help With Knee Pain

Despite the benefits of yoga, it might not be enough to bring solace to aching joints and muscles. Before you call your doctor, there are some other things you can try.

Ice and Heat

You’ve probably been told to put ice on a cut or bruise ever since you were a child. Icing a wound is a great practice for immediately after the injury occurs. Upon return from the gym or a jog, if you notice tenderness in your knee, an ice pack will constrict the blood vessels and reduce swelling which can help prevent soreness later on.

Heat should only be used during the healing process. After a day or two when the swelling starts to subside, heat will open up blood vessels and loosen muscles, which is useful in preventing further injury down the road. The heat also feels soothing in areas.

Topical Creams

Topical ointments and creams are popular products for soothing tension and discomfort. When topicals are absorbed by the skin, they can work underneath the surface to alleviate muscle pain and stiffness.

An especially beneficial type is CBD Pain Cream, which combines the restorative properties of CBD with the fast-acting formula of over the counter creams. It offers a perfect balance of  powerful nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties to aid in mild pain relief.

CBD also has antioxidant properties, which actively defends skin cells against free radicals — promoting healthy skin and a nourished complexion. So while your joints are being soothed, your skin is getting moisturized!

In Summary

Knee pain is a common occurrence that is usually nothing serious. But that doesn’t make it any less frustrating and painful during everyday routines. To help reduce the pain, yoga is a fantastic home remedy.

Poses like the chair and bridge will challenge you to bend your knees while also applying some pressure, which might stretch the muscles in such a way to help them loosen and unstiffen. Similarly, the warrior pose will have you bend the knee at an angle that is not normal during daily use, so it can help stretch areas that are often sedentary.

In addition to yoga, you can use ice, heat, or topical creams to bring fast relief to the nagging pain. Just remember that if the pain persists after trying all of these things, you might want to contact a doctor to seek proper treatment.

Achy joints can make us feel bogged down. But with so many home remedies available, you should be feeling like yourself in no time at all. And that’s definitely something to smile about.

Sources:

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases–conditions/patellofemoral-pain-syndrome/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/knee-pain-and-problems

https://www.boystownhospital.org/knowledge-center/injury-use-ice-heat#:~:text=Using%20a%20cold%20compress%20or,decreases%20circulation%20to%20the%20area.