Management of Knee Pain

There are around 150 joints in our body and the Knee joint is most afflicted by disease or injury. The knee joint bears the brunt of our body weight and pain in this joint affects our mobility. Knee injury, immunological disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis in addition to age related bone disorders may complicate the problem. Early management of pain and care of knee joints could be helpful to prevent any deformity and disability. Knee pain may be at front, back or at inner or outer side of knee joint. Our body weight exerts pressure on our knee joints during we walk, run or climb stairs. Pressure force on knee joint is almost 5 to 6 times more when we climb stairs as compared to when we walk on leveled ground or road. The size of our hips also affects pressure on our knee joints. Individuals with broader hips are at more risk to develop knee pain. Both the young and old people can be inflicted by knee pain but site of pain may vary person to person.

Tips to manage knee pain:

• Consult your family doctor or bone & joint expert for an early diagnosis.
• At home, early treatment involves wrapping with crepe bandage and elevation of knees to prevent swelling.
• Obesity is the major factor for the knee problem, so body weight control should be your first priority.
• Avoid climbing stairs and do non-impact exercise like walking or stationary cycling.
• Use sports shoes as these would help to reduce impact shock while walking.
• Warm oil or pain relieving liniment, spray or gel can be applied to knee joint and injured muscles.
• Try to keep your knees straight while sitting in a chair.
• Join rehabilitation exercise program to strengthen the muscles involved in injury and to regain power & coordination of the knee joint movement.
• Keep in touch with your physician for proper medication to avoid osteoarthritis.