Knee Pain Home Care Treatment And Prevention

May 18, 2010 by · Leave a Comment
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Most of us have had a minor knee pain problem at one time or another. Usually our body movements do not cause problems; however, it is not surprising that unpleasant symptoms develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, and a result of an injury such as a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage or, certain medical conditions, including arthritis, gout and infection may be the root of your knee pain. Knee pain most often occur during sports or recreational activities, work-related tasks or home projects. Fortunately, many relatively minor instances of
knee pain responds well to self-care measures. More-serious injuries such as ruptured ligament or tendon may need surgical repair. Although every knee pain problem cannot be prevented particularly if you are physically active you can take at home treatments to reduce the risk of injury or disease.

Home Care Guide

Many causes of knee pain, particularly those related to overuse or physical activity, respond well to self-care:

* Rest. Taking a break from your normal activity reduces repetitive strain on your knee, gives the injury time to heal and helps avoid further damage. A day or two of rest may be all that is needed for minor knee pain injuries.  But a more severe damage is likely to need a longer recovery time.

* Icing. Ice reduces both pain and inflammation. Some sport doctors recommend applying ice to injured knee for about 20 to 30 minutes in three times a day. A bag of frozen peas works well because it covers your whole knee.  You can also use an ice pack wrapped in thin fabric to protect your skin. Even though ice therapy is generally safe and effective, do not leave ice on longer than advised because of the risk of damage to your nerves and skin.

* Keep your knee elevated as much as possible to help reduce swelling and drain away fluids that might if not accumulate after a knee injury.

* Compression. Gently compress the knee by wearing an ace bandage or elastic sleeve. This help prevents fluid buildup in damaged tissues and maintains knee alignment and stability. Either can be purchased at most drug stores.

* Take a knee pain treatment or reliever for pain and swelling.

* Protect your knee from further damage. For most minor injuries, a compression bandage is usually sufficient.  For more serious injuries, such as a torn ACL or high-grade collateral ligament sprain, typically require crutches and sometimes also a brace to help stabilize the joint with weight bearing.

However, when self-care measures aren’t enough to control knee pain and swelling and promote healing in an injured knee, your physician may advise other knee pain treatment options, including:

* Physical Therapy. The goal of physical therapy is to strengthen the muscles around your knee and help you regain knee stability. Depending on your knee injury, exercise is likely to focus on the muscles in the back of your thigh, the muscles on the front of your thing and your calf, hip and ankle.

* Treating the pain underlying medical conditions. If your knee pain is caused by other medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout, your physician will likely prescribe disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to help control those conditions.

* Surgery. There is no single best way to cure most knee pain injuries. Whether surgical treatment is best for you depend on many factors, including: The type of injury and amount of damage to your knee; The risk of future injury or damage if you do not have a surgery; Your lifestyle, including which sports you play; Your willingness to modify your activities and sports; and your motivation to work through rehabilitation to strengthen your knee after surgery.

* Other knee pain treatment options. In recent years, numerous nonsurgical knee pain treatments that results from arthritis have been investigated or become available. Some are in the experimental stage and others are used routinely to control knee pain and inflammation. These are: Orthotics and bracing; Corticosteroid injections; Hyaluronic acid; and Topical knee painkillers such as ointment.

Knee Pain Prevention

Although it is not always possible to prevent knee pain or injury, the following tips may help forestall injuries and joint deterioration:

* Increase your physical activity level slowly over time for example, when you begin exercising again, walk rather than run.

* Optimize your method. If you are involved in a sport or any activity on a regular basis, it is important to have the best method possible so that proper movement patters are trained.

* Make sure your sport shoes fit well. A well-fitting shoe helps you maintain stability, so choose footwear that is appropriate for your sport. For example, running shoes aren’t designed for pivots and turns but tennis and racquetball shoes are.

* Maintain a healthy weight. Keeping an extra pound off is the best thing you can do for your knees. Every extra pound puts additional strain on your joints, increasing the risk of ligament and tendon injuries and even osteoarthritis.

* Always listen to your body. If your knees hurt, or you feel tired, do not be a hero – take a break. You are much more likely to injure yourself when you are forcing yourself.

Bottom line: Knee pain is extremely common. And treatment for a knee problem or injury may always include first aid measures, rest, bracing, physical therapy, medicine and sometimes surgery. Treatment depends on the location, type and severity of the injury as well as your age, health condition and activity level such as work, sports and hobbies. So always check your symptoms and consult your doctor immediately if it doesn’t get better after 24 hours of home care treatment.

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  • How Does Knee Pain Arthritis Differ From Arthritis in the Foot?

    Arthritis is among those ailments that can appear so broad that they sometimes merit their very own category. Well, that’s true up to a point. Arthritis can come in the form of knee pain, tendonitis, foot pain, joint pain, hip pain etc…

    Despite the variation involved with arthritis however, it’s worth noting also that they are generally caused by the same problems. So regardless where you may be feeling the pain, as long as you are experiencing arthritis you can be confident that your problems are caused by the same things that are plaguing other people who are suffering from arthritis.

    Now, you might probably ask: How does knee pain arthritis differ from arthritis in the foot?

    In order to address that question, we will need to delve a little deeper. For starters, it’s important to remember that the cause of arthritis may extend well beyond the area where you are experiencing pain. What this means is that the pain you’re feeling – knee pain to be specific – is just the tip of the iceberg.

    Now, arthritis has many causes. Some of these may involve the tearing of muscles – a notable problem among people of advanced age. Other causes may involve Tendonitis or severe stress on the muscles resulting from overwork or just plain muscle degradation.

    In the case of the knees, it’s important to remember that this part of the body is connected to many other muscles, some of which extend all the way up to the hips.

    So the first big difference between knee pain and foot pain? It’s the scope. If you develop knee pain, there’s a very good chance that the pain will spread upwards and downwards if left untreated. In contrast foot pain arthritis is less likely to spread and when they do their direction is usually up.

    The second difference between these two types of arthritis that you should be aware of is that foot arthritis tends be comparatively more common as you grow older, whereas knee pain can affect anyone provided the right conditions are in place. For example, an athlete who overexerts himself is likely to experience knee pain even at an early age by virtue of his profession.

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