Don’t Let Your Knees Get You Down

Did your last skiing trip or weekend football fling leave you limping with knee pain? Does squatting, kneeling or walking up stairs make you wince? It’s easy to forget how important our knees are until they don’t function normally. Although knee pain can be the result of a medical condition, knee pain is often the result of injury.

The symptoms and signs of knee pain can vary widely because of the knee’s complexity, the many structures involved, and multiple injuries that can cause acute pain. Ligaments, tendons, bones, cartilage or the fluid-filled sacs around you knee may be injured, leading to differing amounts of disability. You may have immediate swelling after injury, indicating a fracture or interior ligament tear. Swelling a few hours after injury suggests irritation of the cartilage in the knee. Torn cartilage and other loose debris in the joint can lead to locking, or inability to fully extend the knee. Loose debris may also cause catching or clicking of the knee with movement. Your knee may feel like it’s unstable with movement in certain directions. Pain duration and location are helpful in determining which structures are injured as well.

You may wonder when it is appropriate to see a doctor about your knee pain. It would be appropriate to call your doctor if you:

• Can’t bear weight on your affected knee)
• Have marked swelling)
• Notice an obvious deformity in your leg or knee)
• Have night pain, or pain that is worrisome to you)
• Have a fever, in addition to redness, pain, and swelling in your knee)
• Your knee buckles, clicks or locks (won’t bend)

If your knee pain isn’t severe or disabling, you may want to try treating it yourself. Ending the cycle of inflammation is the key in successful self treatment. You can start by protecting your knee. For minor injuries a compression wrap generally is enough. More serious injuries like major ligament sprains may require a brace and/or crutches. Resting your knee is important. Taking a break from your normal activities gives your knee time to heal. Ice is helpful for acute injuries and can be applied for 15-20 minutes three times a day. After 48 hours you may want to switch to heat. Anti-inflammatory medications like Aleve or Ibuprofen can help with the pain, but may actually increase swelling if taken immediately after injury. They may also have side effects. MyoNatural cream has been designed to help the body heal itself. The cream may help decrease inflammation and pain associated with acute injury.

In conclusion, steps to prevent re-injury are always good to remember. Keeping your muscles strong and flexible, changing your activities to low impact activities and maintaining a healthy weight are some of the best ways to avoid knee injury. We hope these tips help you to live a more pain free and active life.