Tips for People with Knee Pain

Unfortunately, knee pain is common. The good news is, many cases of knee pain can be prevented, treated, and reduced or eliminated with proper treatment and exercise!

Here are a few tips for dealing with you knee pain. Remember, knee pain has many causes, and if you’re dealing with acute pain, severe pain, or knee pain from trauma, you should see your doctor or physical therapist to find the cause of your knee pain.
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• If your knee is inflamed, rest and use ice to reduce swelling (because swelling is a cause of pain). Ice for 15-20 minutes, several times a day.

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• Exercise! Cardio (walking, running, biking, elliptical, etc.), resistance training, and stretching help strengthen and increase flexibility in the muscles that surround and support your knee, taking pressure off the knee joint.
  
  • If you have arthritis or if certain exercises are painful for you, find low impact exercises that are not painful. For example, if running hurts your knees, opt for the elliptical or swimming instead. If squatting and lunging are painful for you, check your form: hinge at your hips, sending your hips backward when you squat, so that your knees do not come forward over your toes. Same for lunging: make sure that your knees don’t go over your toes, and when you’re pushing your weight up from your lunge, drive your weight through your front heel. Start low in weight and repetitions, and increase slowly. If you are currently suffering from knee pain, avoid jarring exercises like jumping and running until your pain is gone.​

                         Air squats                                                                        Backward lunges

• Strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes with exercises like the ones above and below. Remember to warm-up before exercising with a walk or some lighter sets of exercise!

                       Glute bridges                                                                   Single leg balance

                       Calf raises                                                                   Donkey kicks

                                                                                Clams

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• Stretch your calves and quads, with the stretches below:
  • Standing calf stretch against wall, standing quad stretch with band/without band, hamstring stretch with foot on a step

                               Calf stretch 1                                                  Calf stretch 2

                    Quad stretch                                                                  Hamstring stretch

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• Think twice about your everyday shoes! Find shoes with good support for your foot type, or use insoles that reduce stress on your knees. If you have osteoarthritis in your knees, talk to your doctor or therapist about orthotics.

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When should you see a doctor? If your pain is new, very painful, or persistent, it is a good idea to see a doctor or physical therapist right away and get advice on what treatment you may require or what your next steps should be.

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By: Lisa Bartz, Certified Exercise Physiologist (C-EP)

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