Massage techniques to treat knee pain?

[Mrs.Mommy]

Hi I'm looking for some advice on treating knee pain. First off to describe where the pain is imagine looking down at your own left knee and envision a clock on it (with 12o'clock being closest to the shin) It's hard to pinpoint the exact place of the pain but it's between 4 and 5 o'clock. It has been continuous since yesterday afternoon. It is not on the actual knee cap, it's just a few centimetres down from the actual cap.

I was also having chest pains yesterday and went to A&E, my heart was fine though, they said it's most likely stress. They didn't have much to say about my knee pain but did prescribe codeine and paracetamol. Today I've taken the maximum daily dose of the codeine (240mg) and paracetamol and although it has made me chest pain go away it has done very very little for my knee. The pain is not present when my leg is straightened. Any amount of bending or weight bearing on that leg and it does hurt. If I press on the area it does hurt.

So far I have been using an elastic compression band for 20 minutes on/20 minutes off with an ice cold cloth (I get it wet then pop it in the freezer until it's stiff) under the band so it's on tight. This does help some but it still hurts when bent, just not quite as much as the ice numbs it a bit. I tried massaging it to no effect. I am no expert on massage techniques though so I would be happy to hear any suggestions on how to massage the area to relieve the pain. It feels similar to what a trapped nerve feels like. My own guess is that something is just out of place and needs realigned so I'm hoping someone can advise me on how to do that. It's too late to see my GP today and I'm not going to go to A&E over simple knee pain so any (helpful) advice is welcome =)

Thanks in advance!


Oh and I'm a 20yr old female, average BMI (21) so I doubt it's weight related. I have recently stopped breastfeeding after having done it for a year so it's possible the change in hormones is messing with my body.

 

[Ari]

The ice is great but don't use the compression band. The point of the ice is to get blood flowing through the area and the compression band limits the tissue's ability to circulate fluid.Limit the use of the ice to 10 minutes at a time.

Try these steps:

1) Take a nice warm epsom salt bath. The magnesium sulfate is a muscle relaxant that actually penetrates muscles directly through the skin so don't be stingy with it - dump in a cup or two.

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJQz3FlTUqg - this video looks pretty decent. It is a bit fast - you don't have to do it that fast at all just follow the steps and pause when you need to. I recommend doing this once (10 mins) without lotion or oil and then...

3)Go through the video again using lotion or oil on the knee and surrounding musculature. The second time you will likely notice more little irregularities in the muscles (small bands of tight tissue, little bumps etc) resist the urge to dig into these and instead gently but firmly massage them in a circular motion(if you are into energy or "chi" at all - that paradigm would instruct to massage in a counter-clockwise circular motion).

4)At the end of the second set of the video firmly massage the area in long straight strokes going towards the heart. Follow along the muscles.

5)Try gently stretching your leg - begin with hamstrings, then quads, then your outer thigh, then your inner thigh.

6)Lay down on your bed and prop your lower legs up with pillows - and ice that knee for 10 mins. Lay there as long as you want but remember to take the ice off after 10. Also make sure to wrap the ice pack in a t-shirt or pillow case (I probably don't have to tell you that but you never know).

If the pain isn't relieved in a day or two see a massage therapist (search for medical, clinical or orthopedic massage therapists). We work wonders on knees.

 

[imsety]

Various other alternative treatments that can be helpful in relieving knee pain include:

Acupressure
Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Chinese medicine
Exercise
Food therapy
Homeopathy
Hydrotherapy
Magnetic therapy
Massage
Reflexology
Rolfing
Supplements. Knee pain may be relieved by taking vitamin C to promote healing, the B vitamins to balance the nervous system, which reduces pain, and calcium to increase bone strength.
See your health care provider as soon as possible (orthopedic surgeon), for consultation.
I hope this helps you. And good luck.