Here’s how Li recommends starting:
Warming massage
Sitting upright in a chair, use your palm to gently massage or push down your thigh from the outside, top, and inside muscle for 20 to 36 repetitions for a total of 2 minutes.
ST36 pressure point
Take the four fingers of your hand (about 3 inches) and apply pressure under the kneecap. From the bottom of where the little finger rests (1 inch toward the outside of the shin), the ST36 point may feel like a pit or a sore sensation. Massage this point for 20 to 30 seconds, three to six times. To see how it’s done, Li recommends watching this video (in English).
Rub the knee
Take your hand and place it on your knee, circle clockwise 20 to 30 times and counterclockwise 20 to 30 times for a total of 2 minutes until you generate a little heat.
Move your knee
Lastly, while sitting, gently extend and flex your knee within a comfortable range. Ideally do this with your legs dangling above the floor, but if your feet touch the floor, slide your foot on the floor to extend your knee to a comfortable range. Then, slowly bend your knee down until your foot touches the ground. Aim for 20 to 30 repetitions, as long as you feel comfortable, for a total of 2 minutes. The sequence should take no more than 10 minutes.
Be sure to consult with your doctor or physical therapist before trying any new exercises or therapies.
6. Try a plant-based, anti-inflammatory diet
Here’s another reason to try the Mediterranean diet. A study on an anti-inflammatory diet for knee osteoarthritis published in 2022 found that there was enough evidence to support more research.
“There is increasing evidence supporting an anti-inflammatory diet, and even some data saying that a plant-based diet may help reduce arthritis pain and restore function,” Meininger says, adding that he might suggest patients , “Try it for 30 days and see if you notice less knee pain.”
Be sure to consult with your doctor or physical therapist before trying any new exercises or therapies.
7. Get some hiking poles
Unlike clinical-looking walking devices like canes and walkers, hiking poles carry no stigma. That’s why many people use them for walking on flat surfaces instead of just for exercise walks.
Meininger calls hiking poles a more patient-friendly option. “Even for flat terrain and regular hiking, they don’t seem so negative… and I think hiking poles can be adopted more easily,” he says.
And, according to Betz, they’re especially good for your knees. “I love the idea of hiking with poles,” he says. “Because you’re often going uphill for the first part of the hike, and then you have to go back down. And that’s the worst part for your knee. Hiking poles minimize the stress on your knee when you’re going down,” he says.
“Canes give you an extra leg,” says Dr. Amy S. Beacom, a sports medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “If your limb hurts, why not use them?”
8. Try exercise machines at home
Recumbent or stationary bicycles or stationary pedalers may be helpful. Both Beacom and Meininger note that static pedalers are very popular with some patients. Don’t rule anything out without trying it, Beacom says, “It’s trial and error. You never know what’s going to work for someone. Anything that gets someone moving can be really helpful.”
Before investing in an exercise bike, try one out at a community center, YMCA, gym, or physical therapy office to see how it feels.
9. Find the right rest and relaxation routine
Rest when you feel pain and use hot or cold therapy to help relieve your knee joints. “Ice or heat…usually helps, and neither option is right or wrong,” Beacom says. Some people like compression sleeves or bandages for stability, he says. But you don’t need to spend a lot of money on an item to help cool or warm your knee.
If you feel pain after an activity, pay attention. Callahan cites Walk With Pleasure’s “2-Hour Sore Rule”: Your pain should be no worse two hours after you exercise than before you start. If so, reduce exercise.
Video: 3 simple movements to have stronger knees