The Arthritis Foundation* estimates that approximately 31 million people suffer from osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most widely recognised cause of knee pain among adults. Knee pain is widespread, especially as we age, and the cartilage that cushions our joints in the knees starts to wear out. Hence, knee pain can slow you down.
Approximately one in five adults over 45 suffer from knee arthritis. It can have a significant impact on your daily activity level. Preventing knee osteoarthritis from progressing is critical because there is no way to reverse joint damage once the disease process has begun.
It can be frustrating to live with excruciating knee pain, but there are things you can do to help manage it daily. You may schedule a meeting with regenerative medicine specialists for knee osteoarthritis treatment, and to ensure that your knees feel their best, follow the guidelines below.
Things You should do
- Engage in regular exercise. Cardio exercises such as walking, stationary cycling, swimming, elliptical machines, and water aerobics can reinforce the muscles that help your knee joints and enhance flexibility. Weight lifting and stretching can likewise help. Yoga and tai chi can also help with balance and stiffness. Look for low-impact exercises, especially those that involve water.
- Follow R.I.C.E. When knee pain is brought on by a minor injury or a flare-up of arthritis, follow R.I.C.E. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E.) are important ways to ease the pain and reduce inflammation. Make sure to rest, use ice packs to reduce swelling, wear a compressive bandage, and raise your knee whenever possible.
- Try varied temperatures. Use ice for the first 48 to 72 hours after an injury to reduce swelling and numb the pain. Since it is simple to shape around your knee, frozen corn or peas make excellent ice packs. Use it for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times every day. You can also wrap your ice pack in a towel. Next, you can apply heat by using a warm bath, a heating pad, or a warm towel three or four times a day for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep playing with temperature.
- Keep Moving. Even though you might be tempted to rest due to the pain after a knee injury, sitting too much can cause your muscles to weaken and make your pain worse. Remember to remain active and continue to move when you experience knee pain. Perform stretching to warm up muscles around joints delicately. Stress reduction can also assist in managing muscle tension and inflammation.
- Pay attention while climbing stairs. Many individuals keep away from climbing steps after injury. However, you can surely do that for specific preventive measures. Take your healthy (normal) leg up the stairs first and your injured leg last when you descend the stairs. When you’re having pain in your knee, it’s best to climb slowly, but do not avoid climbing up and down the stairs.
- Roll up a cloth. Roll a towel or cloth into a cylinder format and place it under your knee with your leg extended. Try to press down on the towel or cloth with your knee and then let go. Do this four to five times. You can strengthen your knee muscles by performing these exercises.
- Consume foods that make your knee stronger. Increase calcium and vitamin D3 uptake to strengthen your knees, including almonds, walnuts, milk, milk products, fish, and broccoli. Avoid egg yolk if you have high triglycerides or cholesterol. Include Omega-3 foods like fish, flaxseed, anti-inflammatory foods, and high antioxidants like fruits and vegetables. At the same time, avoid inflammation-causing foods like saturated fats, MSG (Monosodium glutamate), processed sugar, and aspartame.
- Consult an expert. Be bold and talk to your doctor if you’re having knee pain for the first time, especially if you’ve not been hurt. It could be knee arthritis. The doctor will examine your symptoms and pain points and develop a knee osteoarthritis treatment plan to prevent worsening.
Things you shouldn’t do
- Don’t rest too much. While it’s great to take rest, an excessive amount of time off can debilitate the muscles and worsen the pain. Talk to your doctor and find a workout schedule that brings pain relief and assists you with improving strength and flexibility.
- Don’t risk a fall. You might not be steady when you’re hurt or have knee pain. A fall can cause more damage to your knee as well as other serious injuries. Use handrails on stairs and other uneven surfaces, use a sturdy ladder or footstool whenever you need to reach something high overhead and ensure that your home is well-lit and clutter-free to reduce your risk of falling.
- Don’t overlook your weight. Like ageing, weight gain can lead to joint wear and tear. So, make sure to start a weight loss program if you are overweight. Losing a few pounds can improve your pain and stiffness, even if you aren’t reaching your ideal weight.
- Don’t skip walking aids. A cane, walker, or crutch can help you stabilize your knee and take some of the weight off of it. Knee braces and splints can also alleviate pain and keep you stable.
- Don’t let your shoes trigger pain. Your shoes have a significant impact on how you carry your weight. Cushioned insoles can assist in minimising impact during walking. For more information about them, consult your physician or physical therapist. Don’t let your shoes worsen the situation. Also, don’t wear heels over one inch if you’re in pain.
- Don’t let high-impact exercises harm your joints. High-impact exercises like running, squats, jumping, kickboxing, etc., can increase your pain and even damage your joints. Deep squats and lunges can also harm your knees by putting too much stress on them. So, make sure to avoid doing them.
- Don’t bend the knees excessively. Lunges and squats, as previously mentioned, can be highly bothersome for people with knee pain. As these kinds of activities can put too much stress and strain on painful knees, they can keep people from exercising, which greatly benefits knee health.
- Don’t exercise during acute pain. During or after a strenuous workout, you may experience aches or muscle fatigue. However, knee pain that is sudden, sharp, or shooting is a sign that the offending activity needs to be stopped right away.
- Don’t kneel. Try not to sit on your knees or kneel. These actions can worsen the condition, leading to more pain and a prolonged recovery time.
Don’t consume painkillers for a long duration. If taken for an extended time, commonly prescribed painkillers can exacerbate existing asthma and lead to increased blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, and kidney failure. Taking them only for a short time and with food and an antacid if your knee is swollen is safe. Before taking these medications, pregnant women or people with renal disease, high blood pressure, or asthma should talk to their doctors.
don’t let your knee pain put you down!
Tackle your knee pain before it turns into a serious issue. You have only two knees! There are better ways to go than placing your bets on knee replacement at a later stage.
Are you prepared to choose a non-invasive knee osteoarthritis treatment? Contact Medica Stem Cells Clinic, where a pain-free life is within reach. You opt for a joint inflammation treatment for a wide range of body parts, including the knee, from our dedicated team of regenerative medicine specialists.
Make sure that you don’t experience knee pain throughout your life. Don’t wait any longer to find out how we can help you live pain-free. Take care of yourself first and get a proper diagnosis and knee pain treatment on time!
RESOURCES:
*Arthritis Foundation: Arthritis by The Numbers, Book of Trusted Facts & Figures 2020. (https://www.arthritis.org/)
