Can My Knee Pain Be Treated Without Surgery
Chronic pain from a knee injury can limit your mobility and keep you from enjoying the things you once loved doing. However, you may feel youre too young for a knee replacement. Can knee pain be treated without resorting to surgical intervention?
At The Spine and Sports Center in Sugarland and Houston, Texas, Dr. Benoy Benny providesa wide range of treatments for knee pain, from completely conservative to minimally invasive to surgical. He can examine your joint and determine if your knee pain can be treated without surgery.
Bringing It All Together
When it comes to knee rehabilitation, taking things slow is always encouraged. Running back into the gym after a meniscus tear or an ACL injury is not a good idea, especially if your doctor advises you to rest.
But, taking things slow and stopping altogether for 6 months are two very different things. You should still be training in the gym, moving your joints, and definitely stretching as soon as possible post-injury. Doing so will help to speed up the recovery process, keep you from gaining weight, and will help strengthen the muscles around your knee to prevent injury in the future.
I often wonder if I could avoided my second injury if I had followed this advice ten years ago. Let my injury experience be a warning and motivator for you to take care of your knees right now.
Cstrengthening Of The Quadriceps
If the thigh muscles are weak, they will have a difficult time stabilizing the knee in the neutral position.
Straight Leg Raise
- Lie down on your back.
- Lock your knee by flattening it onto the floor.
- Make sure you can feel your quadriceps muscles engaging.
- Lift your locked leg up/down.
- Repeat 30 times.
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When Knee Pain Is Chronic
If your knee pain continues for three months or longer, stick with an exercise program apply ice or heat as needed use NSAIDs judiciously continue to lose weight, if needed and consider the following:
Walking aids. Using a cane or walker as needed can reduce the load on the affected knee, easing discomfort. A study published in 2012 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases found that people with knee OA who used a cane daily for two months had less pain and better function.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy. Some evidence finds that CBT, a short-term therapy that can provide strategies for coping with pain, may help reduce discomfort and help you function better. A study published in 2015 in Arthritis & Rheumatology reported that people with knee OA plus insomnia who received CBT not only slept better but also reported less pain.
Get Your Body In Proper Alignment
Ever see a car that’s out of alignment? Notice how it wears down those tires quickly? And the gas mileage you get is downright atrocious to boot. So what if your body is out of alignment?
Well, just walking around could be a chore, and I can virtually guarantee one part of your knee joint is taking the brunt of the load. To make it worse, you’re probably squatting, deadlifting, and lunging heavily as well, which is kind of like speeding with that same faulty alignment. It’s going to catch up to you one of these days when the tires blow!
Check out the Neanderthal No More series if you’re in need of a tune-up. Optimal alignment may not be easy, but the benefits far outweigh the time and energy it takes to get you there.
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Why Knock Knees Are Not Allowed In Army
Answer is simple, in the military training you will need to go through vigorous physical training i.e Long distance running 30-40km, long standing, heavy lifting, crawling, climbing etc. If you have knock knees, your knees will not be able to cope with the amount of load needed in the military training.
How Is Knock Knee Treated
For mild cases of knock knee in children or adolescents, bracing may reposition the knees. When this does not work, or if the patient is an adult at the time of diagnosis, a knee-realignment osteotomy is done to prevent or delay the need for .
If knock knee is caused by an underlying disease or infection, that condition will be addressed before any orthopedic correction begins. Treatment for mild cases of knock knee in children or adolescents may include braces to help bones grow in the correct position.
If a gradual correction does not occur, surgery may be recommended. In the growing child, guided-growth minimal-incision surgery may be used to encourage the leg to gradually grow straight.
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Fix Your Knee Pain: A Routine For Healthy Knees
Heres where things get fun
If you have existing knee pain , there are 3 main things youll want to focus on:
For the first two, see our leg strength routine and our hip mobility routine. For the third focus, though, the following routine will be an important key to getting your knees feeling better.
One note before we get into the routine: The idea with these exercises is not to work through your painplease do not do that! Go slowly, and only work within ranges that do not exacerbate your knee pain. Over time, those ranges may increase, but for now, just work at your own level.
As you can see, the purpose of these movements is not to get a workout or to try to get as many reps as you can. The purpose is to introduce your body, and specifically your knees, to movements in different planes.
Giving your knees this kind of regular motion will help them start to feel more at ease with movement. Plus, by getting comfortable with these types of movements in a controlled and gentle manner, youll increase your ability to avoid re-injuring your knee if you wind up moving in those ways, even if inadvertently.
Help For Arthritic Knees
Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of pain and disability in knees. In the knee joint, smooth articulate cartilage, called surface cartilage, covers the ends of the femur and tibia . Between the two bones sits a second type of cartilage, called menisci, which acts as a shock absorber. Joint fluid also lubricates the knee joint.
Osteoarthritis starts as the lack or loss of surface cartilage, progressively involving the surrounding bone, tissues and synovial fluid. In OA, your knee cartilage may thin in spots or disappear completely, resulting in areas of exposed bone.
X-rays, MRI and knee arthroscopy can help you and your doctor to determine the right treatment plan, which may include these noninvasive options.
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What Conditions Can Exercise Help
Knee exercises and stretches can help relieve knee pain caused by many conditions, including these three that commonly affect older women:
Patellofemoral pain. This condition typically causes a dull, aching pain in the front of the knee thats made worse by daily activities, such as squatting, going up or down stairs, or standing up after sitting for a long period of time. The pain is caused by irritation of the cartilage underneath the kneecap when it does not glide or sit properly. Exercise can help to eliminate problems that lead to this irritation. Stretches can loosen tight muscles on the side of the knee that may be pulling the kneecap out of its groove as it moves. Strengthening weak hip muscles or stretching tight muscles in the front or back of the legs can also reduce discomfort.
Chronic degenerative meniscal tears. When one or both pads of cartilage that cushion each of your knee joints deteriorates or tears, you may feel pain and a sticking or locking sensation. While surgery is sometimes necessary, doctors usually first recommend physical therapy to help build up the muscles around the knee to take the pressure off the joint and reduce discomfort.
Learn To Absorb Force
As I’m writing this, I can envision people taking it to the Nth degree and performing depth drops off a ten foot wall. Before we take it there, let me clarify my point a little bit.
What I’d like all trainees to have is at least a basic knowledge of how to absorb force. If you were to jump up in the air and then land with your knees straight and a loud “thud,” you’re not allowing your muscles and tendons to absorb force. Instead, all the force is being absorbed by your joints, and this just isn’t a good thing if you value your knee joints
The vertical jump is actually a great test and exercise to utilize. Jump up in the air and try to minimize the sound when you hit the ground. Land with soft knees, soft feet, and lower into a half squat to absorb the force. I’m not trying to make you into an elite athlete with this recommendation, just give you some food for thought. It wouldn’t kill you to be a little more athletic, would it?
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What Causes Arthritis Of The Knee
Experts have identified some genes that might cause arthritis, including arthritis of the knee. They predict that there are more genes not yet discovered. You could have a gene linked to arthritis without knowing it and a virus or injury could trigger arthritis of the knee.
Though the cause is unknown, some risk factors increase the possibility of arthritis of the knee. Risk factors of osteoarthritis, specifically, include:
- Age. Osteoarthritis happens to older adults more often than younger adults and children.
- Bone anomalies. Youre at a higher risk for osteoarthritis if your bones or joints are naturally crooked.
- Gout. Gout, also a type of inflammatory arthritis, might lead to osteoarthritis.
- Injuries. Knee injuries can cause arthritis of the knee.
- Stress. A lot of stress on your knees from jogging, playing sports or working an active job can lead to osteoarthritis of the knee.
- Weight. Extra weight puts more pressure on your knees.
Know When To See Your Doctor
While many conditions that cause knee pain can be helped by exercise, in some instances it may not be appropriate, says Dr. Lauren Elson, an instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. You should stop exercising and see a doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:
- fever
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You Sit For Long Periods Of Time
If your knee hurts, you might want to stay off of it. But resting too much makes your muscles weaken and often makes knee pain worse. Find a way to get moving without hurting your knee. Some good exercises for people with knee pain include walking, swimming, and water aerobics.
Exercise strengthens the muscles around your knee and helps support the joint. At Coastal Empire Orthopedics, we can help you find the best exercise to keep you moving, even with knee pain.
Is Squatting Bad For Your Knees
The short answer: No, especially with proper conditioning of the knees.
Understanding how the knee works and what can go wrong is different from knowing what will or wont aggravate issues going on in your body.
We see comments every day from people, saying things like squatting is bad for your knees, or, if you move like that, youre going to wreck your knees, or, my doctor said to only do X, and youre showing Y, so thats clearly going to hurt people.
99% of these comments are coming from a good place. If someone has had a particular experience thats hurt their knees, they want to share that experience with others, to help them avoid injuries.
The problem with taking those comments at face value is that they dont account for the very wide range of responses that can occur in different peoples bodies. Just because squatting a certain way aggravated John Smiths knee injury doesnt mean it will do the same for you.
Plus, certain motions may technically be wrong for the knees, but if done with proper mechanics and with some nuances, and if you are adequately prepared, they are not dangerous by any means.
In this video, I demonstrate twisting and rotational movements, distinguishing between safe and unsafe approaches:
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How To Fix Knock Knee Leg With Resistance Bands
The lateral band walk is an effective resistance band exercise that helps correct the knock knee leg gradually by strengthening weak hip abductors and glutes. Follow the steps below to do this knock knee treatment exercise: Start off in a standing position and placing a resistance band around your legs right above your knees.
What Causes Knee Valgus
a) Functional cause
A combination of tight and/or weak muscles in the leg can result in the knee collapsing inwards.
This blog post is dedicated to showing you all of the knee valgus exercises that will help address this issue.
b)Structural cause
The physical shape/position/angle of the bone and/or joints in the leg can result in Knee Valgus.
This may be related to:
- Genetic factors
- Scurvy
Unfortunately there is no way we can undo these structural changes once they have established.
However with the appropriate exercises , it is possible to prevent further deformation of the knees.
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What Else Can Help With Knee Pain
Finding relief from knee pain depends on the cause or issue thats making it difficult for you to go about your daily activities. Carrying excess weight puts extra stress on your knees, which may lead to osteoarthritis.
In this case, the most effective treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is weight loss. Your doctor may recommend a combination of diet and exercise to help you lose weight and strengthen the muscles in your lower body, especially around your knees.
A 2013 study found that adults with overweight and knee osteoarthritis experienced a reduction in weight and knee pain after 18 months of a diet and exercise program.
But if overuse is the culprit, your doctor will likely suggest RICE which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation and physical therapy. A physical therapist can work with you to develop a program that includes range of motion exercises, stretches, and muscle strengthening movements.
Forget About Isolating The Vmo
A lot of athletes and lifters are interested in getting that VMO to fire, especially those with patello-femoral pain. This anterior knee pain, in many cases, is due to soft-tissue imbalances between the stronger/tighter lateral knee structures and the weaker/inhibited medial knee structures . This muscle imbalance leads to a lateral pulling of the patella into the femoral condyle, resulting in knee pain.
The obvious solution here would be to isolate and then strengthen the VMO, but it just doesn’t seem to be that easy. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be any true VMO “isolation” exercises. Sure, terminal knee extensions hit the VMO, but it’s not “isolated.”
In an article discussing muscular control of the patella, Malone et al. flat out state, “The concept of VMO isolation through specific exercise should no longer be part of our lexicon.”
Instead, I feel a more comprehensive plan of attack is necessary. For instance, a comprehensive patello-femoral pain program could include any of the following:
- Foam rolling of the lateral structures
- Direct soft tissue work for the lateral structures
- Improving general quad strength TKEs could definitely be part of the program just understand they aren’t a true isolation exercise.
- Improving the motor control and strength of the gluteals
- Stretching the quads and calves
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Why Do My Knees Point Inwards
If the front of your pelvis tends to be tilted downwards in an anterior pelvic tilt, this can cause the hips to internally rotate forcing the knees to point inwards. Finding the root cause of knee valgus is not a simple job. Since the knee is in the middle of the hip joint and the ankle, the problem can originate from either end.
What Is The Function Of Cartilage
Cartilage is a form of connective tissue that covers the end of each bone in the body. It provides cushioning and shock absorption to the joints, allowing them to move smoothly without restriction. When there is decreased cartilage within a joint, you may experience pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving your joints through their full range of motion.
A variety of treatments are used to treat loss of cartilage in the knee, ranging from conservative measures like pain medications, weight loss, and physical therapy to more invasive procedures like injections and surgery, depending on the severity of your symptoms and degree of cartilage loss.
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Natural Ways To Correct Overpronation
1. Improve Your Posture & Form
Improper form when standing, exercising or especially running is one of the most common underlying reasons for foot, heel and leg pains. This can lead to dysfunctions that causes symptoms to reappear again and again, even if you begin gradually and then rest enough in between sessions. When it comes to exercise-related injuries, many of the most common are due to fallen arches and flat feet.
Look for any of the signs below that indicate youre using incorrect form:
- Not rolling arches upward , which means stepping causes your arches to collapse
- Having the heel strike the ground too abruptly without rolling it evenly forward. In other words, youre pounding the foot too much.
- Not lifting the toes, which can cause you to trip often
Try to have the foot/heel make contact with the ground from the outside. Experiment with landing closer to the midfoot if youre a heel striker and aim for a softer landing. Most runners naturally land more lightly when they dont lead with the heel. Slightly increase cadence the number of steps you take per minute. Avoid having only the toes do most of the pushing during lift-off. This might take some time to improve, but with training and practice it will become easier.
2. Stretch Your Legs More
3. Visit a Soft Tissue Therapist
4. Wear Firmer, Supportive Shoes
5. Treat Calluses & Bunions