Do you get a lot of pain and weakness in your knees? Knee pain is one of the most common forms of chronic pain. It is one of the most important joints in our body, so when pain persists, it can severely debilitate us. It can make it difficult to walk, run, work, or even sleep at night. Fortunately, there are many pain reduction techniques that you can try.
Give your knees some rest
If your knees are giving you extra pain, it might be time to give them a rest. If you have time off of work, spend a couple of days relaxing with your feet up. Propping your feet up promotes the blood flow to continue moving through your knees, thus promoting healing. Avoid working on the house during these rest days. If you do not have any time off of work, consider spending the weekend relaxing. If your knee pain does not reduce or gets worse, it might be time to seek medical treatment.
Ice and heat
Ice is good for reducing inflammation and heat is good for promoting blood flow. Both can encourage healing. When you get home from work in the evenings, put your knees up on the couch and alternate between ice and heat. It is best to do an on and off method, to prevent getting only one of the benefits. Additionally, you can utilize over the counter medications to further reduce inflammation and to help reduce pain. If the pain persists, it might warrant a visit with your physician, as it could be a sign of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, or OA, is the most common form of arthritis. It is sometimes referred to as a degenerative joint disease or wear and tear arthritis and is most common in the hips, knees, and hands.
Pay attention to your diet
The foods and drinks that you consume can also affect your pain. Some foods are known for increasing inflammation, which can increase the pain in your knees or hips. Also, if you are lacking in needed nutrients, you can notice an increase in pain. To help you decipher the ever changing trends of health foods today, consider the magical mineral, magnesium. This mineral is critical for over 300 enzyme processes in your body. Also, try to eat more greens and vegetable throughout the day.
Schedule an appointment with your physician
If many months go by and your knee pain is still persisting, it could be due to something more serious. It might require surgical treatment, prescription medications, or physical therapy. It is likely that your physician will run some tests, including imaging tests. From here, they will figure out the best treatment options. It is very likely that physical therapy will be a part of the overall treatment plan, as it has many advantages.
Why you should consider physical therapy
At first, physical therapy might seem time consuming and expensive. However, it can be extremely helpful with chronic pain conditions. Many chronic pain conditions are due to the fact that the injury is never able to fully heal, and repeat injuries continue to occur. Over time, OA occurs and the pain never seems to go away. With physical therapy, you can learn exercises that will strengthen the injured area. You can also work to strengthen the surrounding muscles of the body to help compensate for the injury, at least while you are still healing.
Injuries can be a huge inconvenience in your life. This is especially true of the knees. The knees allow you to walk, jump, run and do all of your daily activities. Every year, about 50% of U.S. adults develop a musculoskeletal injury that persists longer than three months. Imagine having knee pain for over three months. If you are currently experiencing chronic knee pain, make sure you are resting them when needed, using both ice and heat, and that you know when it is time to consult with your physician, possibly for physical therapy.