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A Simple diet changes can help chase away knee pain. Believe it!

By Jan Sheehan

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Looking for a natural way to relieve knee pain? You may want to tweak your diet. A growing body of research suggests that small dietary changes can add up to big benefits for knee health. “A number of foods have powerful anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties that may be as effective as some prescription medicines for arthritis and other types of knee pain,” says Beth Reardon, RD, MS, an integrative nutritionist and medicinal foods expert at Duke Integrative Medicine Center in Durham, N.C. Read on to learn how mealtime may be affecting the health of your knees.

Go Fish

The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are natural anti-inflammatories. Calming joint inflammation can often help ease knee soreness, according to Steven Stuchin, MD, director of orthopedic surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City. In randomized clinical studies, omega-3 fatty acids were found to ease pain and reduce the duration of morning stiffness in people with rheumatoid arthritis. The best sources of omega-3s are salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, cod, and mackerel, as well as fish oil supplements. Another benefit of adding fish to your diet: “Fish is safer than anti-inflammatory medication, which may have side effects,” says Reardon.

Drink Orange Juice

Orange juice is a top-notch source of vitamin C, a nutrient that may guard against knee osteoarthritis. A 10-year Australian study of almost 300 middle-aged adults found that those getting high amounts of vitamin C were less likely to suffer the kind of bone degeneration associated with knee osteoarthritis. “Drinking a glass of orange juice provides about 25 percent more vitamin C than eating an orange,” says Reardon. Other good sources of vitamin C to prevent knee pain are green peppers, grapefruit, and strawberries.

Eat Spinach and Onions

Follow Popeye's lead and add spinach to your regime. Australian researchers found that getting high amounts of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin (found in green veggies like spinach) can help relieve knee pain caused by osteoarthritis. Several studies have found an additional benefit of lutein and zeaxanthin, as they can help prevent vision-related diseases.

Don't forget to add some onions to your spinach salad as well. Adding onions to salads, sandwiches, stews, and casseroles may help put the brakes on knee pain. Onions are a rich source of quercetin, a flavonoid with strong anti-inflammatory properties, says Reardon. In studies of arthritic mice, quercetin resulted in significant decreases in arthritis symptoms. Apples, red grapes, and tea are also good sources of quercetin.

Order Indian Food

A helping of curry could do wonders for your knee pain. That’s because turmeric, a spice used in curry and other Indian dishes, contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory. “Curcumin works similarly to COX-2 inhibitors — drugs that reduce the COX-2 enzyme that causes the pain and swelling of arthritis,” says Reardon. A 2006 Canadian study of the effects of both curcumin and quercetin found that curcumin reduced the inflammation of arthritis in animals. Quercetin (the flavonoid in onions) worked too, but not to the extent of the curcumin.

Use Ginger Generously

The herb ginger traditionally has been used to relieve upset stomach, but researchers recently discovered that it also reduces knee pain by decreasing inflammation. In a study of 261 patients with moderate to severe knee pain due to osteoarthritis, ginger extract significantly reduced knee pain during standing and walking. Cooking with this spice can increase the flavor of meals while decreasing knee pain.

(AND HERE IT IS AGAIN...............:)

Avoid Refined Carbohydrates

Some research suggests that diets high in refined carbohydrates can increase inflammation, says Reardon. She recommends steering clear of white bread, pasta, and baked goods — taking these foods out of your diet can have an added bonus of helping you drop excess pounds.

Because changing your diet is a relatively easy step, it makes sense to try some — or all — of the foods listed above. You may find some relief from knee pain and get some added health benefits to boot.

BUT WAIT! There's More:

Exercising

Just because you suffer from knee pain doesn't mean you have to stop exercising. Learn how to continue living an active lifestyle with knee pain.

When you have knee pain, exercising may be the last thing on your mind. But exercising could be the best thing you can do for your knees.

“Exercise is good therapy for knee pain, but it needs to be the right kind of exercise,” says Steven Stuchin, MD, director of orthopedic surgery at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City. Pounding your knees with high-impact exercise or overdoing it during workouts could make your knee pain worse. But it’s easy to avoid problems by following these dos and don’ts for exercising with knee pain.

Do exercise in the water. If you’re worried that exercising will be too hard on your knees, try exercising in water first. “Water’s buoyancy will take the load off your knees, allowing you to exercise with less pain and stress on your joints,” says Dr. Stuchin. In fact, a recent Australian study comparing land and water exercise in people with knee pain found that aquatic exercisers had more pain relief immediately following the exercise sessions compared those who exercised on land.

Don't participate in high-impact activities. Basketball, tennis, racquetball, squash, soccer, and football are hard on the knees because they involve sudden starts, stops, and turns, as well as jumping (and landing). Avoid any type of exercise that involves jumping if you have knee pain, recommends Stuchin.

Do walk. Moderate walking is recommended for people with knee pain because it’s a low-impact activity. If your joints are painful and stiff, start slowly and work up to 20 minutes of walking per day, recommends Stuchin. Plus, daily walking will help with weight loss — another bonus since carrying extra weight puts stress on the knees.

Don't exercise on hard surfaces. “Walking or running on concrete or asphalt is a bad idea when you suffer from knee pain because these surfaces have no shock absorption,” says Glenn Gaesser, PhD, professor of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Dr. Gaesser recommends dirt paths — grass is another good option because it absorbs shock, but it tends to be bumpy and uneven. If grass and dirt don't sound appealing, take your walk indoors. “Treadmills have the most consistent surfaces and pretty good shock absorption,” says Gaesser.

Do use knee-friendly exercise equipment. Stationary bikes and elliptical machines (a cross between a stair-climber and bicycle) allow you to get a good aerobic workout without stressing your knee joints. “Recumbent stationary bikes are even better because you’re not sitting upright while exercising, which takes more weight off the knee joints,” says Gaesser.

Don't bend the knees excessively. Avoid doing full squats and leg presses. These strength-training routines often require bending the knees beyond 90 degrees, which puts excessive pressure and strain on the knees, says Stuchin.

Do strengthen muscles. “Like a natural knee brace, stronger muscles will help compensate for weak or injured tendons, ligaments, and joints,” says Stuchin. The quadriceps and hamstrings are the two main muscle groups that support the knee. Do straight leg raises to strengthen the quadriceps and walk backward to help strengthen the hamstrings.

Don't overdo it. When muscles are fatigued, they can’t absorb as much shock, says Stuchin, which places extra stress on the knees. Start your exercise program slowly and make sure to switch up your exercises every day to help avoid overuse injuries like tendinitis. Consider alternating walking and swimming, for example.

Do warm up and stretch. “Warm, flexible muscles aren’t injured as easily,” says Gaesser. Take a few minutes to stretch the quadriceps and hamstrings before your workout. Then start with five minutes of slow walking before getting into the pool or pedaling on the stationary bike. This will also get your heart rate and breathing revved up slowly, which is beneficial for overall fitness.

Although knee pain may present some exercise barriers, many kinds of exercise are easy on the joints and will make your knees feel better, not worse. “Most people with arthritis and other kinds of knee pain don’t get enough exercise,” says Stuchin. “Exercising regularly can help ease knee pain, improve joint function, and improve overall health.” If you aren’t sure what kind of exercising you should do for your specific knee pain, consult your doctor or work with a physical therapist.

Last Updated: 06/22/2009