Knee pain can affect people of all ages and activity levels. Whether you are a high school athlete or a long-time runner, knee pain can keep you from the activities you love.
Managing and preventing knee pain can help you stay active. Start by following these tips:
Stretching
Stretching helps keep muscles long, lean and flexible, so they resist injury. This is true for all muscles, but especially those around the knee. Tight muscles are more likely to be injured.
Regular stretching also increases the strength of knee-supporting muscles, including the iliotibial band (IT band) and quadriceps muscles. This improves knee stability and reduces pain from exercise, such as running or jumping.
To avoid knee injuries, choose low-impact exercises such as walking or swimming. Also consider using a rowing machine or cross-country skiing machine at the gym to get a good workout without the stress on your knees. Weight training is a great way to strengthen knee muscles, but consult with an expert first on the right technique.
Ice
Ice decreases pain and inflammation by narrowing, or constricting, blood vessels. Place a bag of frozen peas or an ice pack on your knee for up to 20 minutes at a time. Always put a towel between the ice and your skin to avoid burns. Ice is most effective for acute injuries like sprains, strains, meniscus tears and tendonitis.
You should only use ice for up to 48 hours or until the swelling stops. After that, switch to heat. Heat increases the flexibility of stiff joints and muscles by widening (dilating) blood vessels, which allows oxygen-rich blood to flow to the affected area. Heat can also help reduce chronic knee pain from arthritis. Be sure to warm up the knee muscles with light exercises or stretches before applying heat.
Compression
No matter your workout routine, you may experience knee pain from time to time. Wearing a compression sleeve increases joint stability, which decreases knee damage and speeds recovery time.
When you injure your knee, the body’s natural inflammatory response causes the knee to become warm and tender. This is a good thing because it helps the knee heal itself.
Ice can also reduce swelling and numb the pain. A plastic bag filled with ice or frozen peas works well and should be used for 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times per day.
Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen can help ease your knee pain. If pain persists, your doctor might prescribe a pain medication or a corticosteroid injection in the knee to decrease inflammation.
Rest
From walking around to doing errands to reaching something on a high shelf, our knees take a lot of abuse. They’re complex body parts involving bones, cartilage and ligaments. Overuse and injuries can lead to pain, especially in the young and active. They can also develop arthritis or conditions such as Osgood-Schlatter disease, a painful condition in which the shinbone below the kneecap becomes swollen and tender during and after exercise.
The best treatment is to prevent injury, stretch daily, and use ice for swelling or aches and pains. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can help reduce knee pain. It’s also important to use a handrail on stairs and a step stool or ladder for climbing, as falls can worsen knee problems.
See Your Doctor
Depending on what is causing your knee pain, over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be helpful in reducing symptoms. If your pain is chronic, a doctor can prescribe more powerful drugs to help with the problem or suggest other techniques to ease the discomfort.
Knee pain is common, but it shouldn’t be ignored. If you notice the pain getting worse or is accompanied by fever, chills or redness around the knee, see your doctor.
Your doctor may recommend certain lifestyle changes, such as weight loss to reduce knee stress, or limit high-impact exercise that can further injure the knees. A physical therapist can also help with the exercises that are best for your knees. In some cases, a knee replacement is recommended by your doctor if other treatments don’t provide relief from the knee pain.