Priya
Body pain is one of the side effects of the postpartum period and knee pain is the most painful of all. Let us look at how to relieve knee pain after giving birth in this article.
After giving birth to my first daughter I experienced sharp pain in my knees and I wasn’t even able to move around the house without experiencing pain. It was really hard for me to look after my daughter with shooting pain in my knees. That is when I researched the reasons behind knee pain and how to relieve knee pain after giving birth. It helped me with curbing the knee pain after I gave birth to my second daughter. So, without further delay, let us get into the article
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Reasons for knee pain after delivery
In order to know how to relieve knee pain after giving birth, we should understand the reasons for the pain in the first place. One of the first and foremost reasons for knee pain after delivery is the hormonal changes that happen in the body. The hormone relaxin that is produced during childbirth relaxes and softens the ligaments. This in turn will affect our knees as it has to carry the entire body’s weight while being weak. Apart from the ligaments, the muscles around the knees also get weak.
Another important reason for knee pain after giving birth is the amount of work that we have to do as new moms. Since we are constantly resting in bed, it gets hard for the knees to get used to movements, thereby resulting in pain. Also, if it’s a vaginal birth, then it’s only understandable that our knees hurt as our body had to push out a human being, thereby undergoing a lot of pressure. These are some of the reasons for knee pain after giving birth.
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How to relieve knee pain after giving birth?
Now that we have looked at the reasons for knee pain after giving birth, let us look at how to relieve knee pain after giving birth. There are a lot of ways to go about it but I’ll be listing five of the personally tested tips and tricks. Some may sound like a piece of commonplace advice but trust me, they do have good results. If the knee pain persist even after following these methods and if it gets unbearable, it is advisable to consult with a physician.
Yoga and Exercise
The first and the most affordable answer to the question of ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’ is doing yoga or exercising on a regular basis. It might sound really hard, particularly in the first few weeks after delivery. But trust me, moving your body a little bit every day will help you to strengthen your muscles. There are a lot of video tutorials on YouTube that you can follow to help build a routine. Start yoga/ exercising slowly but be consistent.
Patches
The next answer to the question ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’ is to use pain relief patches. They help immediately numb the pain and reduce any swelling in the knees. It should be noted that a new mom who is breastfeeding should choose a relief patch that is organic and doesn’t have any chemicals. The chemicals in the relief patch might affect the composition of the breast milk. Viopatch has a range of herbal knee patch and they are perfectly safe to use.
Hot/ cold packs
The next answer to the question ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’ is to use hold/ cold compression or packs. This works wonderfully to reduce the pain immediately. You can simply place a hot/ cold pack and it will numb the pain. There are reusable hot/cold packs and you can refrigerate them so that they come in handy when you are in pain. It should be noted that a hot/ cold compress is only a temporary solution and not a permanent one.
Rest
The next answer to ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’ might sound very commonplace but it is something that a lot of people overlook. Taking rest after delivery is really important as it helps our body to heal itself. It is easier said than done, but as a new mom you’d have to rest properly so that you can care for your baby better. Make sure that you get enough sleep and give your body the rest it deserves.
Oil massage
Last but the most effective of all the answer for ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’ is to massage your knees with herbal oils. This will improve the strength of your muscles and ligaments in your knees. They will also help relieve the pain as herbal oils have ingredients like camphor that numb the pain and reduce any swelling. There are certain nonsticky massage oils as well, so you don’t have to worry about it staining the clothes.
Answers to other common questions
Now that we have looked at the answers to ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’, let us move to other common questions that you might have about knee pain.
- ‘How long does the postpartum knee pain last?’ is another question that many people ask me. It can last from anywhere between a few weeks to upto a year depending on the individual.
- ‘How to relieve pain in other body parts?’ is something that every new mom wonders about. It is more than enough if you follow the suggestions that I’ve mentioned for knee pain. You can extend it to any other body part depending on the pain.
- One of the common questions that pop up when you think of how to relieve knee pain after giving birth is ‘can I take painkillers?’ It is not advisable to take painkillers without consulting a physician as it may have some effect on breast milk.
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Wrap up
I hope that the article has given you a clear answer to the question ‘how to relieve knee pain after giving birth’. It is indeed hard to take time for yourself when your baby constantly needs you. But it is essential to look after your body and mind so that you would care for your little bundle of joy better. Our bodies are capable of healing themselves on their own, you just have to give it some time. Happy healing to you from my end!
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