How to Put an End to Your Knee Pain

August 2, 2018

Why does pain always shows up at the most inconvenient time? You have a life and things to do; you don’t have time to be held back by knee pain.

When knee pain sets in, there are ways to effectively eliminate it without the use of drugs. The goal shouldn’t be to just ignore your pain, it should be to fix it and prevent it from happening again. Kelly Starrett, DPT has worked with every type of athlete, from the pro player to the person who takes CrossFit classes to get fitter. Whatever level you’re at, pain can affect you; so Kelly Starrett has shared his Marc Pro Plus technique for knee pain relief that works quickly and effectively.

Relieve the Pain

The first step is to immediately relieve the pain. Place one electrode on each side of the knee, “sandwiching” the area that’s in the most pain. Turn up the intensity on the high setting to create a buzzing sensation that’s strong, but comfortable. Keep this going for about 30-60 minutes. For the most effective results, over the course of the session turn up the intensity as you get used to the sensation.

Recover the Area…

Too much congestion in the knee (aka swelling) usually isn’t a good thing, and can often be the cause of pain or contribute to it. The placement above will provide lasting relief, but the following placement will help decongest the area, bring nutrients in, and help your knee recover.

“The more movement and more non-fatiguing muscle contraction I can derive, the more easily I can get the ship turned around and be ready for tomorrow’s training.” – Kelly Starrett, DPT

Place one pad on the inside of your lower quad and another slightly higher on your outer thigh. Turn on the low setting and turn up the intensity to a level that is comfortable but strong. Since the low setting is non-fatiguing you can use this placement for as long as you desire. Longer use means better recovery.

You can use both of these placements at the same time for up to 60 minutes. If you want to keep going after 60 minutes, take the pads that were directly on the knee and place them on the lower half of your leg (ie. calf placement) and use the low setting. By this time, your knee pain will be eliminated and you can now work on recovering the joint.

Managing More Intense Knee Pain

Sometimes, you may find yourself in need of a little more knee pain relief. If you’re in a situation where your knee pain is intense and the above placement isn’t working, try making an “X” with the pads around the area that needs relief (use the high setting). This will create a cross current that will do a great job at stopping the pain.