At 63, my knees used to dread the stairs every morning — here's the little jar that changed how I start my day
After years of rattling through painkillers, I finally tried a fast-absorbing natural cream you rub straight onto the sore joint. I wish someone had told me about it sooner.
I'll be honest with you. For the best part of a decade, the first thought in my head each morning wasn't the kettle or the post — it was my knees. That stiff, grinding ache as I swung my legs out of bed and braced for the trip downstairs. If you're reading this, I suspect you know exactly the feeling I mean.
I'm 63, I live just outside Harrogate, and I've spent most of my working life on my feet. Like a lot of people my age, I'd simply accepted that aching joints were the rent you pay for getting older. Knees, hands, the odd flare in my hip — I told myself it was just wear and tear and got on with it.
What I never really questioned was my routine for dealing with it: a couple of tablets with breakfast, maybe another after lunch, a heat pad in the evening, repeat. It got me through the day, but it never felt like I was actually doing anything about the joint itself. I was just papering over the ache.
The moment I realised the tablets weren't a plan
It was my GP, actually, who made me stop and think. At a routine check-up she asked how often I was reaching for ibuprofen, and when I added it up honestly, the number surprised even me. She didn't lecture me — she just gently said that long-term, daily use of those tablets isn't something to do lightly, and asked whether I'd ever tried anything topical instead. Something I could put exactly where it hurt. That was the penny-drop. I'd been swallowing something that travels through my whole body, when the ache was in two specific joints. It seemed almost obvious once she'd said it.
Why a cream, and why it made sense to me
I started reading about topical joint creams and what tends to go into the better ones. The names that kept coming up were familiar: glucosamine and MSM, both long associated with joint comfort; menthol for that immediate cooling, soothing sensation; and arnica montana, a botanical people have rubbed onto aches and knocks for generations. The appeal was simple — you apply it right onto the sore knee or stiff hand, and it gets to work where you actually need it.
After comparing a fair few, the one I kept coming back to was Reliva™ Joint Relief Cream. Two things sold me: it uses those recognisable natural actives at sensible levels, and it's made to absorb quickly without leaving you greasy or smelling like a changing room. I ordered a single jar, fully expecting to be a bit disappointed.
What the first week was actually like
The first thing I noticed was the cooling. You massage a small amount into the joint and within a minute or two there's that clean, menthol freshness — not harsh, just soothing — and the stiff feeling seems to ease its grip. I used it on both knees morning and night, and on my hands before bed because that's when they tend to seize up. By about day four, the morning stairs stopped being the event of the day. I won't pretend I floated down them, but I wasn't gripping the banister and wincing either. By the end of the second week I'd quietly cut my tablets right back, almost without deciding to — I just kept forgetting to take them because I wasn't being nagged by the ache.
3 mistakes people make
How I use it now (and how the actives soothe)
The way I think of it is layered. The menthol gives that fast cooling-then-gentle-warming sensation that takes the edge off straight away and makes stiff joints feel looser. The glucosamine, MSM and arnica are the part I associate with that steadier, soothed comfort the more consistently I use it. I rub a coin-sized blob into each knee, the base of my thumbs and my fingers, and let it sink in for a minute before I carry on. That's the whole ritual — it takes less time than waiting for the kettle.
The mistakes I see people make
The first mistake is using too little. A thin smear won't do it — you want enough to properly massage into and around the whole joint until it's absorbed. The second is giving up after two applications. The cooling is instant, but the steadier everyday comfort built up for me over a couple of weeks of using it morning and night, not once when I remembered.
And the third — the one I'm most guilty of — is treating a cream like this as a replacement for sensible movement. It isn't a magic wand. Pairing it with gentle daily walking and keeping my hands moving made the biggest difference of all. The cream just made me willing to move in the first place, instead of bracing against the ache.
Where I've landed
I'm on my third jar now. My partner Geoff jokes that he's got his walking companion back, and he's not entirely wrong — we did the full Nidderdale loop last Sunday and I wasn't the one slowing us down. I'm not telling you it's a miracle, because it isn't, and anyone selling you a miracle is selling you something. What I will say is that having a targeted, natural option I can reach for has changed how I start every day. If aching knees, hands or hips are running your mornings the way mine were, I think it's well worth a try.
A quick note before you go: I'm a journalist, not a doctor, and this is my own experience. If you take regular medication or have a health condition, do have a word with your GP or pharmacist before changing anything. But for me, a small jar I'd nearly talked myself out of buying turned out to be one of the better decisions I've made for my own comfort in years.
Try Reliva™ for a full 30 days. If you're not happy with how your joints feel, send it back for a full refund — no fuss, no awkward questions.
Reliva™ Joint Relief Cream
Targeted, fast-absorbing relief — rubbed straight onto the joint that aches.
GET RELIVA NOW →Frequently asked questions
A quick note before you go: I'm a journalist, not a doctor, and this is my own experience. If you take regular medication or have a health condition, do have a word with your GP or pharmacist before changing anything. But for me, a small jar I'd nearly talked myself out of buying turned out to be one of the better decisions I've made for my own comfort in years.
What readers are saying
This article is for general information and reflects the author's personal experience. Reliva™ Joint Relief Cream is a topical cosmetic product intended to soothe and support everyday joint comfort and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Individual results vary. If you are pregnant, taking medication or living with a health condition, please consult your GP or pharmacist before use. For external use only; avoid broken skin and keep away from eyes.
