Prevent and treat knee injuries with these steps!
Therefore, it plays a crucial role in supporting the body’s weight and of course allowing body movement like bending your knee.
The knee can be a very complex part of the body hence, it is prone to several injuries. We often hear older people complaining about knee pain.
Knee pain is often caused by aging or general wear and tear from day-to-day activities such as walking, lifting, or even standing.
That is why in this article we will be sharing with you tips on how to prevent knee injuries/ knee pain.
What to do to prevent knee pain?
- Remember to stretch the muscles in front of and behind the thigh before exercising to relieve pressure on your knees.
This will help reduce tension on your tendons. Before you begin your workout, try some warm-up exercises like walking or other low-impact activities.
- You are not getting any younger, helpful exercises like walking, stair climbing, or doing a supervised workout could do the trick in strengthening your leg muscles to maintain stability in your knees.
- If you are getting tired of your usual workout routine, make sure to gradually increase or decrease the force and duration of your workout to avoid knee pressure.
- Footwear is also a factor in avoiding knee pains/ knee injuries.
When going for a walk or run, keep in mind that your footwear fits you properly and is in good condition since this will help you maintain your balance and leg alignment upon running/walking.
Some knee problems are usually due to flat or pronated feet, meaning feet that roll inward. Special shoe inserts that are custom-molded to the shape of your feet can help in this situation.
- Obesity greatly stresses the joints and increases the risk of osteoarthritis. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a healthy weight to avoid stressing your knee joints.
Just you are not able to follow these prevention tips and accidents occur, here are things that you can do to treat knee pain/ injuries:
- You can take prescribed medications to relieve the pain, upon consultation with your doctor
- Your doctor may also suggest you follow knee pain therapy to strengthen the muscles around your knee to make it more stable.
This physical therapy is based on the specific condition that is causing your pain.
- Medical experts may also recommend injecting medications or other substances directly into your joint like:
- Corticosteroids is a type of medication that reduces the symptoms of an arthritis flare and provides pain relief that may last a few months.
Note that these injections may not be effective in all cases.
- Hyaluronic acid is a thick fluid that improves mobility and ease the pain.
However, relief from a series of shots can last for at least 6 months.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains a concentration of many different growth factors that appear to reduce inflammation and promote healing.
- For serious injuries that may require surgery, consider the pros and cons of both nonsurgical rehabilitation and surgical reconstruction of what is most important to you.
If you decide on undergoing surgery, your options may include:
- Arthroscopic surgery which is often done to remove loose bodies from your knee joint, or repair damaged cartilage to reconstruct torn ligaments.
- Partial knee replacement surgery which is performed by replacing only the most damaged portion of your knee with parts made of metal and plastic.
The surgery is done through small incisions for a quicker healing process.
- Total knee replacement on the other hand is done through cutting away damaged bone and cartilage from your thigh bone, shinbone, and kneecap and replacing it with an artificial joint.
- Osteotomy involves removing bone from the thigh bone or shinbone to align the knee and relieve arthritis pain.
You can also schedule an appointment at Performance Physical Therapy in Delaware especially to those who experience knee pain for quite some time now as they offer steps on how to therapy in treating knee pain without invasive procedures.
And remember to take care of your knees now, since it can really make a difference in avoiding chronic problems that could take you out of the game for good.
