What To Do When My Knee Hurts

Your Knee Keeps Buckling

When you got hurt, did it feel like your knee gave way underneath you? Were not talking about a temporary sensation of weakness or some wobbliness, but more like your shin and thigh bone werent connecting or staying in place. A buckling knee could signal an ACL tear or a cruciate ligament injury.

It could start with a small pop or crack, or you could feel it after a strenuous exercise session or a soccer game.

Either way, your knee feels unstable or weak. Your knee may give out momentarily, which is scary because you might not trust yourself to walk safely when this happens. According to Dr. Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon, this could indicate a tear in the patella or the quadriceps tendon.

These tendons are on the front of your knees and offer a lot of support to keep you upright. If theyre not in top form, youre bound to feel weak in the knees , and you might not be able to walk at all. If this is the case, you could need surgery.

On the other hand, the weakness could be temporary, caused by wear and tear, improper footwear, or a strain. If youre a weekend warrior or youre over the age of 30 , you might experience this symptom on a regular basis.

However, if the weakness is recurring and happens every time you exercise, its possible you have a time bomb thats waiting to happen. When in doubt, seek advice from a physician.

If your knee buckles under you when you are walking, then it usually indicates instability, she says.

Causes Of Outer Knee Pain

Like the inside of your knee, the outside or lateral portion of the joint is a crossroads of many different anatomical structures. This can make getting to the bottom of pain in this area equally frustrating. If you have soreness near the lateral part of your knee, the most frequently seen causes are listed below.

Tips To Help You Achieve Success With A Walking Program

People newly diagnosed with a knee condition should first have an assessment and initial treatment done by a physiotherapist. Start with bike riding and swimming before beginning a walking program. Once you are ready to begin a walking and weight training program, hire an advanced personal trainer with experience and knowledge about rehabilitation. The goal with working out is to strengthen your knee and prolong the need for a knee replacement. The sooner you can develop muscle and strengthen the connective tissue, the more successful a knee replacement will be later on!

Good Luck and Happy Training

Cathie Glennon BCRPA/SFL, Rehabilitation Specialist,Pharm.Tech

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What Are The Symptoms Of Knee Pain In Teens

Symptoms depend on whats causing your teens knee pain.

Anterior knee pain:

• Pain begins gradually worsens with activity.
• Dull, aching pain behind the kneecap, below the knee or on sides of the kneecap.
• Pain flares and grinding sensation with repeat knee bending .
• Thigh muscle weakness .
• Knee buckles .

Trauma to knee:

• Popping, clicking, crackling in the knee when bending .
• Knee that locks or buckles.

Osgood-Schlatter:

• Pain on the bony prominence.
• Pain that varies and gets worse during or just after the activity.
• Reduced range of movement.

• Pain, tenderness and swelling at the bottom of the kneecap.
• Balance problems.

• Trouble putting weight on the affected leg limps first thing in the morning.
• Redness, swelling, warmth, stiffness and soreness in joints, including the knee.
• Symptoms come and go.

• Dull ache, stiffness and swelling at the knee.
• Joint clicking.

Treatment For A Twisted Knee

Immediate treatment for a twisted knee follows PRICE principles. Further treatment will depend on what injury has resulted from your twisted knee you can find out more about the best treatments for specific injuries using the links above.

Protect: Protect the knee from further damage. This may involve wearing a knee splint to immobilise the knee and/or crutches to take the weight off the knee

Rest:Avoid any aggravating activities to allow the knee to recover

Ice: Regularly applying ice for 10-15 minutes every couple of hours helps to reduce swelling and pain. There are a number of different ways to apply ice, but it must be done safely and effectively to avoid creating more problems visit the ice therapy section for more information

Compression:Compression bandaging or tubigrip helps to support the knee and reduce swelling

Elevation: Keeping the knee elevated, ideally above the level of the heart, helps to reduce swelling

If you have twisted your knee and are suffering from pain and/or swelling, follow these principles and get checked out by your doctor.

Early diagnosis of ligament and cartilage tears is vital to reduce to risk of ongoing problems, so do see your doctor as soon as possible after a twisted knee

If none of these meniscus or knee ligament injuries is seeming quite like your problem, visit the knee pain diagnosis section for help working out what is causing the pain.

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Where Does Your Knee Hurt

• Knee pain on the front of the jointcould be patellar arthritis or patellar tendonitis. These conditions tend to hurt when bending the knee, kneeling and/or squatting. Typically the deeper the knee bend the worse it will hurt.

• Pain on the lateral or outside of the knee is common in runners.Iliotibial band syndromeis one of the most common knee ailments affecting the lateral aspect of the knee.

• The discomfort localized to the medial or inside of the knee could indicate tibiofemoral arthritis or meniscal irritation.

• Nagging pain or pressure that is localized to the back of the knee could be a sign that youve damaged your meniscus. It is also possible that you irritated the popliteal muscleand surrounding area.

When Will My Knee Feel Better

People heal at different rates. Your recovery time depends on your body and your injury.

While you get better, you need to take it easy on your knee. That doesnât mean you have to give up exercise. Just try something new that won’t hurt your joint. If you’re a jogger, swim laps in a pool instead.

Whatever you do, don’t rush things. If you try to get back to your workouts before youâre healed, you could damage the joint for good. Don’t return to your old level of physical activity until:

• You can fully bend and straighten your knee without pain.
• You feel no pain in your knee when you walk, jog, sprint, or jump.
• Your knee is as strong as your uninjured knee.

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How Is Knee Pain Treated After A Fall

Treatment for a knee injury caused by a fall usually involves rest and if necessary, a brace to stabilize the joint. In most cases, anti-inflammatory pain relievers, such as ibuprofen , may be helpful.

Minor knee injuries can often be treated at home. However, its important to see a doctor if symptoms worsen or if the pain is accompanied by:

• significant joint swelling
• an inability to bear weight
• a feeling of giving way
• other signs of ligament or tendon damage

When the injury is serious, surgery may be necessary to restore function and eliminate pain.

Apple Cider Vinegar And Other Foods

According to some sources, apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve arthritis and other types of pain.

However, there is a lack of scientific evidence to support this. The Arthritis Foundation refers to ACV as a food myth.

Other popular advice for arthritis includes:

• consuming collagen, gelatin, or pectin, and raw foods.
• avoiding dairy, acidic foods, and nightshade vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant

There is no evidence to suggest that these are helpful or even advisable.

Pain at the front of the knee is one of the most common aches and pains. It is second only to lower back pain around a quarter of people will get it at some point in their lives.

It commonly affects teenagers, especially young female athletes. It is the most common overuse syndrome in sportspeople.

Most cases of front knee pain are injuries from overuse, or from poor preparation for exercise. The problems usually go away on their own, and sporting activities can resume after the pain subsides.

The pain varies but tends to:

• be a dull ache that starts gradually, and is linked to activities
• produce clicking or other sounds
• come on when going upstairs, or when getting up after a long time sitting, squatting down, or kneeling
• produce a weakness in the legs

Recommended treatments for front knee pain include:

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sprains, and gout are some of the most common causes of knee pain.

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Is Your Knee Pain Making Daily Activities A Chore

Knee pain makes doing daily activities a chore. Walking becomes a love/hate activity. Walking is a recommended way to help reduce symptoms by maintaining muscle mass, reducing blood pressure and also as a way to stay functional by maintaining joint mobility. Many people are tentative to start a walking program because they think it will create more knee pain!

Contrary to popular belief, walking doesnt make symptoms worse. Daily structured walking programs reduce stiffness and inflammation. Walking is definitely an exercise that is preferred for people with osteoarthritis, it is always recommended to discuss any forms of exercise with your physician when you have a chronic condition. Walking not only helps with reducing pain and increasing joint flexibility it also helps with bone density, increased speed and a better quality of life.

Walking can help to decrease overall health risks. According to the Arthritis Foundation Walking lowers the risk of blood clots, since the calf acts as a venous muscle pump, contracting and pumping blood from the feet and legs back to the heart, reducing the load on the heart.

Simple Home Exercises And Stretches Can Help Ease Some Common Types Of Knee Pain

If youve got sore knees, exercise might seem like the hardest thing you can do but its also one of the best.

“Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for knee pain,” says Dr. Lauren Elson, an instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.

The right combination of strengthening and stretching exercises can relieve pain by helping to improve the way the joint moves and functions.

“The knee is often an innocent bystander between the hip and the foot. Knee pain is often caused by problems occurring above or below,” says Dr. Elson.

For example, weak hip muscles may cause more strain on the knee, intensifying your pain. Strengthening the muscles around the hip joint can help relieve it, says Dr. Elson.

In addition, knee pain is sometimes caused or aggravated by tight muscles around the knee, a problem that is often successfully addressed by stretching. If the muscles arent flexible, the knee joint sometimes wont move properly, says Dr. Elson.

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Treatment For Inside Knee Pain

Once your doctor determines the cause of the pain inside knee, he or she will be able to suggest forms of treatment.

Treatment varies depending on the severity of the injury. Immediate treatment after traumatic injuries include RICE and anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin.

If a more serious injury such as an MCL tear is present, then arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn ligament may be necessary. In all cases, physical therapy may be beneficial, because strengthening the muscles around knee will help reduce pain inside the knee both before and after surgery . Speak with your doctor about all of your options in regards to your inside knee pain.

Youre Trying To Relax

When your body is at rest, you may notice the mild to moderate pains that you could more easily ignore when your mind was preoccupied with busy thoughts during your waking hours.Additionally, when you sleep, your body produces less cortisol. While high cortisol levels can lead to heart disease, healthier levels can help your body reduce inflammation.

Since most joint pains are caused by or worsened by inflammation, moderate amounts of cortisol can help your body manage this inflammation. But when your body is relaxed, such as when youre trying to go to sleep, your body has less cortisol to mitigate the swelling and irritation in your knees.

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How Does Walking Help The Knees

The knee is a very intricately designed joint comprised of a series of tendons, ligaments, and meniscus . Unlike muscles, cartilage doesnt get its nourishment from blood, but instead relies on synovial fluid within the joint. Movement causes the release of synovial fluid into the joint, walking can lubricate the knee, reduce stiffness and provide nutrients to the cartilage.

When To See A Doctor For Knee Pain At Night

Its good to remember that knee pain that keeps you awake at night can impact your daily activities. Not getting enough sleep can cause irritability, depression, increase your risk of various diseases, and aggravate chronic pain.

You should visit your doctor if you keep waking up with severe, throbbing knee pain. Doctors from the Mayo Clinic recommend visiting a doctor for knee pain in the following circumstances:

• You notice swelling and redness around the kneecap
• You have significant knee pain at night and during the day
• You cant put any weight on the knee joint
• You cant get a good nights sleep because of the knee pain

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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

What To Do If Your Knees Hurt When It Rains

Live by the mantra, motion is lotion, says Grahlman. That means you should move the joint as much as possible. If you stop moving because of pain, its going to hurt even more when you do move. The body doesnt just respond to stimulus, it responds to a lack of stimulus as well.

Beyond just doing low-impact exercises like yoga, swimming, or easy cycling, find someone to help you develop an appropriate strength training program as well. That can help you maintain strength and a good range of motion that will keep pain down over the long run, Grahlman explains.

A true strength training program one that includes ample fundamental movement skills and drills, and takes athletes bodies to end ranges of motion under appropriate loads, says Bryant. Consistency in such a program helps the athlete maintain a body with more than enough joint mobility and stability to handle Mother Natures ups and downs.

To cut down on the episodic pain, Dr. Fredericson says, Consider an anti-inflammatory diet to decrease systemic inflammation, which is associated with increased inflammatory markers in the joints. A taste-friendly anti-inflammatory diet: the Mediterranean diet.

When the weathers bad and your joints are hurting, also try to stay warm with additional layers of clothing, take frequent warm showers, baths, or saunas, and consider pain medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, curcumin, or CBD, Dr. Fredericson says.

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Prevention Tips For Knee Injuries

• Warm up joints and muscles by gently going through the motions of your sport or activity and stretching muscles.
• Wear appropriate footwear.
• Avoid sudden jarring motions.
• Try to turn on the balls of your feet when youre changing direction, rather than twisting through your knees.
• Cool down after exercise by performing light, easy and sustained stretches
• Build up an exercise program slowly over time.

How Did You Hurt Your Knee

Traumatic injuriesare noticeable right away and worsen dramatically the next day as pain and inflammation set in. traumatic injuries typically occur playing sports, during slips, falls, and other work-related accidents. The trauma is caused by the injury exceeding the tolerance of knee structures leading to breaks, ruptures or tears.

Knee ligaments, bones, and menisci are the most commonly damaged structures in the knee joint. Injuries to bone and connective tissue result in long term pain and will impede normal knee function for some time after the initial injury. Less serious traumatic injuries may result in only painful, superficial contusions which heal relatively quickly. If you believe you have incurred serious knee trauma you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. If bone or connective tissue within your joint is damaged a surgical assessment could be required.

Overuse injuriestypically cause knee pain that comes and goes and varies in intensity. Sometimes our favorite activities subject our knees to stressful movement patterns repetitively. Think jumping, squatting, kneeling, running, lunging type movements. Moving in this way over and over again can irritate knee structures such as bursae, tendons, and articular cartilage.

Degenerative Joint Disease is the number one cause of long term disability relating to knee pain. Pain often comes on slowly and over time those affected by arthritis will experience constant pain while performing weight-bearing activities.

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What You Need To Know

• The most common causes of knee pain are related to aging, injury or repeated stress on the knee.
• Common knee problems include sprained or strained ligaments, cartilage tears, tendonitis and arthritis.
• Diagnosing a knee injury or problem includes a medical examination and usually the use of a diagnostic procedure such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or arthroscopy.
• Both non-operative and surgical treatment options are available to treat knee pain and problems depending on the type and severity of the condition.