The human body consists of numerous joints which help with the basic types of movement. The most common joint to suffer an injury is the knee. When an injury occurs the knee, normal activities may cause pain, inflammation, and stiffness. One’s quality of life is drastically diminished due to knee pain.
From walking to climbing stairs, consistent knee pain adversely affects the simplest of daily living activities. Managing knee pain is essential for participating and resuming one’s normal, daily activities.
1. Keep a Healthy Weight
Everyone is aware of the negative effects extra weight can have on the human body. Managing knee pain by maintaining a healthy weight will aid in removing extra stress and pressure to the knee joint. Even when a person gains a few extra pounds, the added stress can create more pain. As a pain sufferer, a person tends to limit activities which reduces participation in a normal lifestyle.
2. Exercise
Exercise may be the furthest concept from a person’s mind when considering tips for managing knee pain. Exercise may actually help combat the symptoms of knee pain. The exercise routine should be low impact to help prevent further damage to the knee joint. In most cases, swimming is a great choice for people with chronic knee pain. Physical therapy is an excellent treatment method for building up strength and flexibility which ease the symptoms of knee pain.
3. Pain Relievers
Managing knee pain with various forms of pain relievers may give a person temporary relief.
- Over the counter or prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain and swelling of the knee area
- Topical pain reliever, including gels, creams, sprays ,and patches may be applied directly to the skin around the knee pain.
- Corticosteroid injections can help reduce the pain symptoms.
4. Using Hot or Cold Compresses
Managing knee pain can be done with the use of hot or cold compresses. In some cases, a combination of the two may help pain sufferers find relief. Discuss the proper use of this option with a health care professional. Usually, a time limit of 20 minutes every two to three hours is used for either type of compress in combination of keeping the knee elevated.
5. Support Aids
In some cases, a brace, splint or other support aid may be an essential component in managing knee pain. The extra support will help reduce pain while making the user feel more stable when doing normal daily activities. Consider using this option with a cane to help keep the stress and pressure off the knee until further treatment options are utilized.
Knee pain can keep a person away from enjoyable activities. For some people, a combination of these tips for managing knee pain will be enough to return to a normal daily living routine. For others, surgery may be the only option to reduce or eliminate the symptoms surrounding knee joint pain.
Knee Pain Specialist
Dr. Howard Marans works with each patient to find the best treatment approach for achieving an optimal outcome. Dr. Marans begins with an accurate diagnosis, followed by non-surgical options before recommending invasive surgery.
To schedule your knee pain consultation at OCOrthopedic+ click the icon below and enter your information – or – call 714.979.8981.