Homeopathic medicine, treatment and remedies for Knee Pain

• Rhus Toxicodendron
  Common name: Poison-ivy
  Symptoms: This medicine is frequently indicated in rheumatic pains, and typhoid fever and is mainly used for its effects on the skin. It acts on fibrous tissue mainly in joints, tendons and sheaths that causes stiffness and pain. Poison-ivy also helps relieve the following symptoms:
  • Pain on lifting heavy objects or with strenuous activity
  • Septic conditions
  • Cellulitis and infections, carbuncles in the initial stages
  • Rheumatism in cold weather
  • Hot and painful swelling of the knee joint
  • Stiffness and paralysis of limbs
  • Tenderness around the knee joint
  • Sciatica 
  • Paralysis and trembling after exertion
  • Symptoms worsen in cold, wet and rainy weather; during sleep; while resting; at night; after being drenched; and while lying on the back or right side. The patient mostly “limbers up” and feels better for some time on changing the position
  • Warm, dry weather, motion, warm applications, rubbing, changing of position and stretching of limbs reduces the symptoms
• Arnica Montana
  Common name: Leopard’s bane
  Symptoms: Leopard’s bane is best used after traumatic injuries, sprained joints and limb pain. It acts well in plethoric persons and feebly in those with poor blood supply. Those who benefit from this medicine show the following symptoms:
  • Pooling of venous blood in legs
  • Soreness with a bruised feeling
  • Bruising and bleeding of the skin
  • Rheumatism of muscle tissues, mostly of the shoulders and back
  • Haematocele and blood clots
  • Gout
  • Inability to walk erect
  • Rheumatism, beginning in lower limbs and moves upward
  • The condition worsens on slight touch, motion, rest, having wine and damp cold condition and improves in the head lowered and lying down positions
• Ledum Palustre
  Common name: Marsh tea
  Symptoms: Marsh tea is the medicine of choice in rheumatism, which begins from feet and travels upwards. It’s effective against insect stings and skin eruptions like poison-oak. This medicine is also widely used for open wounds and puncture wounds that feel cold. Other symptoms that can be relieved by this remedy are:
  • Gouty pain in joints
  • Cracking in joints, which worsen in the warmth of the bed
  • Swollen ankles that can be easily sprained
  • Symptoms improve in cold weather or by putting feet in cold water but worsen at night due to the heat of the bed
• Sticta Pulmonaria
  Common name: Lungwort
  Symptoms: Lungwort is often used in rheumatic stiffness of the neck, influenza, bronchial catarrh along with generalised dullness and malaise. Other symptoms for which this remedy is prescribed are:
  • Swelling, heat and redness of joints
  • Housemaid’s knee, shooting pain in knee
  • Pain, redness and swelling in muscles surrounding the joint
  • Rheumatic pain followed by catarrhal symptoms
• Radium Bromatum
  Common name: Radium bromide
  Symptoms: Radium Bromatum is found to be highly effective in treating rheumatism, gout, acne rosacea, moles, ulcers and cancers. This remedy is generally given to treat the following symptoms:
  • Increased polymorphonuclear neutrophils in blood, a type of WBC
  • Severe pain in joints, e.g., knees, ankles, limbs and toes
  • Arms feel heavy and brittle
  • Soreness of leg and hip muscles
  • Arthritis that worsens at night
  • Symptoms are relieved in the open air and with a hot bath, lying down, motion and pressure, but worse on getting up
• Causticum
  Common name: Hahnemann’s Tinctura acris sine Kali
  Symptoms: Causticum is mainly indicated in chronic rheumatic, arthritic and paralytic conditions with deformities of joints, and in children who are slow in walking. Burning, soreness and rawness are the characteristic symptoms for which this remedy is prescribed. Patients who benefit from this medicine also show the following symptoms:
  • Dirty, white, sallow complexion with warts on the face
  • Left-sided sciatica with numbness
  • Tearing pain in hands and arms
  • Heaviness, weakness and numbness of hands
  • Contracted tendons and weakened ankles, leading to unsteady walking and falling very easily
  • Rheumatic pain in limbs, which reduces in warm conditions like with the warmth of bed
  • Cracking, tension and stiffness in knees
  • Tearing pain in joints, which results in restlessness at night
• Apis Mellifica
  Common name: The honey bee
  Symptoms: Apis Mellifica acts on the tissues of the body and results in oedematous swelling of the skin and mucous membranes.Consequently, it is a preferred medicine for pathological conditions like inflammation of the kidneys, red skin rashes, swelling and other problems of the connective tissue. It acts mostly on the outer parts of the body like skin, serous membranes and coatings of inner organs. Stinging pain is a characteristic symptom that indicates the need for using this medicine. Patients who benefit from this remedy also experience the following symptoms:
  • Swollen knees
  • Intolerance to touch and heat
  • Soreness
  • Shiny appearance of skin
  • These symptoms worsen on touching, in the presence of heat and pressure, on lying on the right side, late in the afternoon, after sleeping and in enclosed heated rooms, but reduce on staying in the open air, on keeping the body uncovered and bathing

A study done to explore the effects of the preparation of Apis Mellifica on global human gene expression profiles showed that it has anti-inflammatory action. It was further reported that Apis Mellifica reduced inflammation and swelling by modifying the expression of certain genes in human cells.

• Berberis Vulgaris
  Common name: Barberry
  Symptoms: Barberry is widely used in gout, renal problems and gallstones. It helps improve the flow of bile and works well in fleshy people with less endurance but good liver. Other symptoms that indicate its use are:
  • Radiating pain
  • An alternate feeling of thirst and no thirst; hunger and loss of appetite
  • Rheumatic pain in knee
  • Increased urinary complaints
  • Symptoms worsen with motion and on standing
• Benzoicum Acidum
  Common name: Benzoic Acid
  Symptoms: Benzoic Acid acts on the body's metabolism and cures symptoms of gout and uric acid diathesis. It also helps relieve the following symptoms:
  • Swollen and painful knees
  • Cracking of joints on motion
  • These symptoms aggravate in the open air and on keeping the body uncovered
  • Change in urine colour along with an offensive odour in urine
• Ellaps Corallinus
  Common name: Coral-snake
  Symptoms: This remedy is used for relieving symptoms that are similar to those of snake poisoning. These include:
  • Increased acidity with a feeling of faintness
  • Distinct black discharges
  • Cold feeling in the stomach
  • Spasms followed by paresis
  • Paralysis of the right side
  • A feeling of a sprain in knee joint
  • Ice cold feet
  • Symptoms worsen on eating fruits, having cold drinks and in wet weather
• Melilotus Officinalis
  Common name: Yellow Melilot - Sweet Clover
  Symptoms: This medicine is mostly used for symptoms related to congestion and haemorrhages. Those treated with Melilotus Officinalis also experience the following symptoms:
  • Aggressive congestive and nervous headache
  • Epilepsy due to a blow on the head
  • Blocked nose, forcing the person to breathe from the mouth
  • Profuse bleeding from the nose
  • Painful knees. The person feels like stretching legs but this does not relieve the pain
  • Numbness and aching in knee joints
  • Symptoms aggravate with rainy weather, storm, changeable weather, at 4 pm and with motion
• Bryonia Alba
  Common name: Wild Hops
  Symptoms: Wild Hops act on serous membranes affecting the most robust, firm and dark complexioned persons, leading to leanness and irritability. Patients who benefit from this medicine experience the following symptoms:
  • Stitching and tearing pain
  • Increased irritability
  • Vertigo on raising the head
  • Dry mucous membranes
  • Physical weakness
  • Stiff and painful knees
  • Swollen, red and hot joints
  • Symptoms worsen on moving, exertion, touching, in warm conditions, hot weather and in the morning. Causes fainting on sitting up
  • Symptoms get better by lying on the painful side, rest, pressure and cold applications

Homeopathic medicines are used at minimum effective doses. Therefore, the diet of the patient should be devoid of substances having any medicinal property as these can either minimise or block the effect of the homeopathic medicines. The following modifications in diet and lifestyle help in the effective treatment of knee pain:

Do’s

• Wear cotton or linen garments in warm weather that provide maximum aeration
• Be physically active and perform regular exercises
• In acute cases, patients show a desire for certain foods and drinks. It is best to fulfil those desires as it may be helpful in the removal of a slight obstacle in the cure of the disease

Don’ts

• Don’t use homeopathic preparations as a substitute to the conventional way of immunisation
• Avoid beverages like herb tea, coffee and liquors or beer with medicinal spices
• Avoid spicy dishes, soups and sauces that include the medicinal qualities of onions, celery, meat and old cheese
• These medicines must not be stored near perfumes, camphor, ether or other volatile products as they neutralise its effect
• Sedentary lifestyle and uncleanliness must be avoided
• Staying in damp rooms for long or in marshy districts should be avoided

Surgery is not the only treatment for chronic knee problems. Sometimes, a non-surgical approach can help reduce the discomfort. However, those patients who frequently injure their knees, like sportspersons, or those who suffer from a torn cartilage that hampers the function of knee joint are treated with surgery with homeopathy as a complementary therapy.

A study found that arnica montana, when used an evening and a morning prior to surgery improves knee pain significantly. Post-surgery, it was given at 20-minute intervals to control the initial pain and inflammation, followed by lengthening the interval between the doses. This reduced the use of narcotics needed after the surgery, and the patients also fared well in post-surgical physiotherapy.

Although an accurate diagnosis is necessary for a better prognosis, homeopathy relies more importantly on the symptoms of the patient. A plethora of new analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs has been developed by pharmaceutical companies, but they have increased ill effects as well. Comparatively, homeopathic medicines are very gentle on your body and are an effective form of treatment that either treat the person as a whole along with reducing the severity of the problem.

Homeopathic medicines are considered safe and nontoxic in nature and they have minimum to no associated side effects.

These remedies can be given to patients of all age groups since they are derived from plants, animals, vegetables, minerals and such natural substances. Homeopathy should not be considered as a replacement for the conventional line of treatment but should be used as a complementary treatment modality.

Also, homeopathic medicine does not affect the efficacy of analgesics taken for postoperative pain control. A placebo-controlled study was done to check for the interference of homeopathic medicines on the action of analgesics for pain relief post-surgery. Around 158 patients were randomised into three groups – a double-blind homeopathic arm of 67 patients, a placebo arm with 66 patients and an open-label, non-interventional control arm of 25 patients. The study showed that homeopathic treatment had no effect on morphine intake between 24 and 72 hours or on the visual pain scale or the quality of life.

To ensure effectiveness, it is recommended that you check in with a doctor before taking any remedy at home.

Knee pain usually occurs due to an injury or trauma to the knee joint and is conventionally treated with analgesics and surgery. Homeopathy is a very effective treatment modality in a variety of diseases. It is safe and effective in treating inflammation that causes knee pain and promoting recovery post surgery. These remedies are prescribed on the basis of individual symptoms and disease severity. When taken along with appropriate lifestyle modifications homeopathic remedies not only help to provide symptomatic relief but also they treat the underlying disease from its root.