From dusk to dawn while moving along the road, we encounter innumerable people walking with a limp almost everywhere. The cause is severe pain in the knees, incidentally the most vulnerable joints in the body. The knee is the largest and most complicated and unstable joint in human body where two bones are placed over one another and held together by ligaments. It is a weight – bearing joint that straightens, bends, twists and rotates.

The knee is used for everything such as standing up, sitting, walking, running, jogging, jumping, climbing etc. All these motions put the knee joint under stress and increase your risk of acute knee injury. Most sudden injury of the knee is caused by overuse or overload. Women suffer more frequently as compared to men because of their weak muscles and wider hips, putting more pressure on the knee joint.

The common symptoms are swelling, difficulty in straightening the knee joint i.e. locking, sound like click, feeling of giving away.

Swelling occurs due to the accumulation of sensorial fluid or  blood inside or outside the joint. Acute swelling is due to injury to ligament. Chronic swelling is due to chronic arthritis, or infection. Knee might give away for a moment while walking or climbing down the stairs when one is forced to stop. Reason may be due to loose body in the joint, injury to ligament or weakness of surrounding muscles. If we hear the only click sound and if it doesn’t accompany any pain or swelling we need not have to worry.

Factors  helping  in reducing stress:

·        Walking is very good exercise  for the knee joint. The walking distance should be increased gradually.

·        Should run on a soft surface and avoid an uneven surface.

·        Proper footwear help in curing the pain.

·        Increase in body weight is a major contribution to knee problem as it places more stress on knee joint. Therefore weight reduction may help in reducing stress on the knees.

·        Lying on the back and moving both legs like cycling in both clockwise and anti clockwise direction.

Most knee pain is treated conservatively but there are situations in which surgery is required. Athletes are at an elevated risk for sudden injuries that may require surgery such as torn ligament in the center of the knee or certain type of fractures. For advanced knee osteoartherisis knee replacement is the last resort.

Early symptom of knee problem is commonly ignored due to various reasons resulting in long –term suffering, permanent disability and also inevitable surgery. In order to save one self from pain, long-term suffering, decreased mobility and feeling of helplessness, one should seek treatment in the initial stages of knee problem so that disability and surgery can be avoided.

Some herbs used in treating Knee pain:

Aloe vera—This plant contain an enzyme called bradykininase that helps in reducing the  swelling of the knee caused by injury and water retention. It is also believed to help relieve pain.

Cabbage Leaves–Although a tasty vegetable, cabbage leaves also have cooling effects and serve as a slight anti-inflammatory for hot, inflamed knees