Tips & Advice on Easing Knee Discomfort
Our knees are put under a lot of strain every day, which is why it’s not surprising that they are one of the most frequently injured joints in the whole body. In fact, they have recently surpassed hips as being the most common joint to be replaced through surgery.
The knee is lined by articular cartilage, between which are two fibro-cartilage structures – these are important for distributing forces evenly throughout the knee. When we get older or we suffer trauma to the knees, the articular cartilage starts to wear. This may result in swelling, pain and restricted movement.
Arthritic knee pain doesn’t ever entirely go away, at least not without surgery. As a specialist in joint replacement surgery in London, we know that an operation is often the last resort for a lot of people. Therefore before considering joint replacement, there are a few things that you can do to try ease the discomfort that knee pain causes. Read on for some of our tips and advice for making knee pain bearable.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight isn’t good for your health in general, but it can also cause your body a lot of other problems. Your weight can have a huge influence on your knees – they actually bear the brunt of your weight. Therefore if you put weight on, you are putting unnecessary strain onto your joints. To avoid putting yourself in any more discomfort, you should attempt to maintain a healthy weight by eating healthier and staying active.
Wear sensible & appropriate shoes
The shoes that you wear can have a big impact on your joint pain. You should avoid wearing anything with high heels (these aren’t good for your feet either!) or no support such as sandals. We suggest wearing shoes with small heels that you can lace up – these are the best for providing your feet with some support. If you really don’t want to stop wearing heels, try avoid wearing them for a long period of time. Take them with you and change into them when arriving somewhere.
Try building muscle with gentle exercise
To stop your knee from damaging further, you should try doing some gentle exercise that targets the muscles in your legs. Exercise is probably the last thing you want to do if your knee is hurting, but it’s the thing that every professional will recommend.
Aerobic exercises – Simple exercise like walking and swimming are brilliant for your knee joints, as they allow you to stay active without putting more pressure on them. When walking, we suggest avoiding any steep hills – this will put strain on the knees.
Flexible exercises – Things such as yoga are brilliant for making you more flexible without putting too much weight on your painful joints.
Don’t overdo it
Within time it will come naturally, but at the beginning, you need to learn how to pace yourself so that you are not doing too much at once. When going about your daily activities, allow yourself time to rest when needed. If you’re not allowing yourself regular breaks, then you run the risk of damaging your knee even more.
If the pain just doesn’t seem to be letting up and you don’t know what else to do, it might be time to consider speaking to a medical professional. Here at Joint Replacement Surgery, Miss Samantha Z. Tross is an experienced Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon. With years of experience, you can be assured that you are in safe hands.
For more information on joint replacement surgery, or to request an appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can give us a call on 07943 947 639 and a member of the team will be happy to answer any questions.
