Knee pain is a common problem faced by a lot of people. One that can be triggered by various causes. While in some cases knee pain could be the result of an injury, it is often the outcome of wear and tears in the joints that occur as we age. Knee pain can be quite frustrating to live with as it makes taking each step a challenge. From playing your favorite sport to going for a jog, from climbing the stairs to walking your dog, knee pain can take the joy out of your favorite activities. While treating and reversing knee pain can be quite difficult and even impossible in certain situations, managing it and keeping it at bay is very much possible. Here are a few knee pain dos and don’ts according to experts that can help you deal with it.
Knee Pain Don’ts
Knee pain can be quite troublesome, but there are some things that can make it worse. Avoiding these can prevent it from worsening and keep it within bearable levels.
Don’t Take Excessive Rest
The first response to an injury is to rest until you recover. However, when it comes to knee pain, excessive rest could be counterproductive. Sitting too much and avoiding moving your knees can weaken your muscles and worsen your pain. Exercising, on the other hand, can help strengthen the muscles around your knee joints and can help prevent injuries. So after some initial rest, it is important that you get up from your couch and get moving.
Don’t Ignore Your Weight
Every extra pound that you gain puts extra strain on your knees and every bit of extra strain on your knees takes you a step closer to painful arthritis. However, to help your case, you don’t need to lose a lot of weight or even reach your ideal weight. Just losing a small amount of weight can result in remarkable improvement and make your daily activities simpler and more enjoyable.
Don’t Risk Slips, Tumbles, and Falls
When you are dealing with knee pain but lack strength in your muscles and joints, you are more likely to succumb to a fall, which can worsen your pain. It is important to avoid any type of falls, and you must adjust and organize your surroundings to ensure the same. Make sure that your home is well lit, clear your floor of things that you could trip over, wear shoes that are comfortable and offer good grip, and use handrails while using stairs to reduce the stress on your knees.
Don’t Avoid Stretching Your Joints and Muscles
After suffering from knee pain it is natural for one to avoid movement as much as possible in order to minimize the pain. However, if your joints and muscles don’t get enough movement, they tend to get still, which could therefore lead to injuries. Stretching your muscles and joints periodically can help avoid that. There are various exercises and stretches that you can practice. The best solution would be to get in touch with your physiotherapist for some physiotherapy exercises.
Knee Pain Do’s
Just like there are certain things that must be avoided, certain activities and home treatment techniques can help add a spring to your step.
Take Supplements
Supplements can help manage knee pain due to arthritis. A lot of people take supplements like Glucosamine and Chondroitin as they have an anti-inflammatory effect. However, these supplements also come in the form of natural supplements. Eric from https://www.for-knees.com recommends taking natural supplement pills containing turmeric and pepper which have an anti-inflammatory effect. Such supplements can not only help reduce inflammation, but also help strengthen your joints, muscles, and cartilages.
Use RICE
RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. RICE is a commonly used treatment that can help relieve pain and swelling, and boost recovery. RICE has been proven to be beneficial for knee pains due to any injury or arthritis. It consists of the following steps:
- Providing ample rest to your knee after an injury. Rest, however, doesn’t imply avoiding any form of activity, but rather activities that strain the affected part.
- Applying ice to the affected area can help reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. The best approach is to apply ice to the affected area as soon as possible after the injury. Ice or a cold pack should be applied for a few minutes three to four times a day.
- Applying compression to the affected area with an elastic bandage can help reduce swelling. The amount of compression should be just right. Too loose, and it would not have the desired effect, too tight, and it could make the swelling worse.
- Elevate the injured or sore part at a level higher than your heart to avoid swelling. Elevation can also be performed while applying ice or a cold pack to your knee.
Use Walking Aids and Braces
It is common for people to be reluctant when it comes to using a walking aid or braces. However, there is no shame in doing so. Using a walking aid like a crutch or a walking stick can help take some stress off your knees and accelerate their recovery. Knee braces can also help provide some much-needed support to your knees and help in your daily activities.
Low Impact Exercises
Getting some exercise is essential to your road to recovery. But it is important to participate in low-impact exercises to avoid inflicting additional stress on your knees. Running naturally gets ruled out as it leads to repeated impact, but exercises like walking and swimming can help keep your muscles and joints conditioned without stressing your knees.
Dealing with daily knee pain that hinders all your daily activities can be quite frustrating. But, while living with knee pain can be quite difficult, there are various methods that can help manage it. Following certain do’s and don’ts can not only help keep your knee pain in check but also help you recover and strengthen your knees. Both physiotherapy exercises and supplements have proven to be effective. However, before engaging in any particular exercises or taking any supplements, it would be a good idea to run it by your doctor.
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