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Dealing With Knee Problems

Aching knees are not thing of old age anymore. Many middle aged, and even young people complain of knee pain. Notwithstanding the discomfort the constant throb brings, knee aches can be rather debilitating. They can severely impede mobility as well.

Why Do Your Knees Hurt?

One of the reasons for knee pain is old age. When your knees have been through the wear and tear, the stress of it can cause the knees to throb. Minor injury like sprained or twisted knee or blow to the knee can also be the reason behind the aching joints. Symptoms include inflammation, pain and difficulty in walking.

Another reason why your knees might be hurting is due to torn cartilage. This is when the peripheral structure, cartilage, of the joint gets torn due to trauma or injury. Inflammation of the tendon, tendonitis, that stems from overuse of the tendon can also result in knee pain. This is common in athletes, especially.

Arthritis is a disease in which the cartilage in the joints of the body wears away. This is particularly common in women and obese people. Symptoms include stiffness and pain in the joints alongside swelling in the region. Movement and range of motion of the joint is also impaired. Unfortunately, it is a degenerative process, and cannot be undone.

Many a times, knee pain, especially that stemming from minor injury, inflammation etc. can be fixed with pain killers and OTC treatment. A more serious case of knee injury or extreme pain naturally requires the intervention of the best Orthopedic Surgeon in Lahore.

Managing Knee Pain At Home

Mild to moderate knee aches, depending on the cause, can be managed at home. Following are some of the things you can do to help ease the pain.

Icing

Icing is a great way to reduce swelling and inflammation. It thereby is also effective at reducing the pain. Use can use a cold pack or make-shift one like a bag of peas or ice cubes. However, make sure that the pack covers the entire knee. Also, do not apply ice directly to the skin; wrap it around a towel to prevent burns.

Icing should not be overdone; 15-20 minutes should suffice.

Heating

Heating can help soothe the muscles and provide semblance of relief from the pain. Heat also eases the stiffness in the joints. You can use a hot pad or hot water bottle to provide the heat. Even warm baths are effective.

You can also alternate the hot-cold packs. However, do not use heat if your joint is already warm during the bouts of pain.

Do Rice For Injuries

In case of the pain stemming from injury or sprain, an easy way to remember the treatment plan is through the acronym RICE, which stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Therefore, be sure to keep off your feet, and ice your knee at intervals. Compression bandages help ease the swelling but make sure that they are just tight enough; you do not want to cut off your circulation. Keep your knees elevated to help with the pain.

Exercise

If may seem counterintuitive, but it really is not. Exercise is a great help against aching knees. Muscles become stronger due to regular exercise, and thus the pain episodes also decrease.

Exercise is especially useful for the patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Low intensity workouts like cycling, walking, swimming are excellent options. However, in the aftermath of injury, make sure that the intensity of your exercise is not too much for the body.

Furthermore, exercise should be done after resting, not during the flareup of the joint pain or right after an injury.

Watch Your Weight

The more you weigh, the greater stress your knees have to take. Thus, make sure that your BMI is in the normal range. Even dropping as much as 10 pounds can have tangible impact on your knees.

Ointment

If your knees are inflamed, or you have had an injury, you can also use salves and ointments that are created especially to easy joint aches. Many herbal alternatives are also available that give similar relief against the pain.

Too Much Rest Is Bad

Rest also needs to be adequate. Too much of it will aggravate the knee pain. It will weaken muscles and further hamper mobility. Joints will also become rather stiff. Therefore, make sure that you continue with light exercises and movement.

If the pain is rather serious, you should first consult with the Best Orthopedic Surgeon in Karachi about the exercises that are suitable for your condition and continue with them to improve your symptoms.

To know your psoas muscles is to know the functions they perform when they are healthy and what symptoms they exhibit when they are not healthy (too tight). When functioning properly the psoas muscles ensure your posture when sitting. They influence your spinal alignment and balance while standing, and your movements in twisting, bending, walking, or running. The muscles in your psoas are essential stabilizers.

The tight muscles of the psoas can manifest in the form of groin pain, deep pelvic pain, as well as an intense belly pain. Postural symptoms include a butt sticking out from the back and a bulging belly as your pelvis changes position towards top-forward. In movement, stride length is restricted. Hamstrings that are tight tending in order to offset the extra drag.

Constipation that is chronic also occurs in certain people, because of the effects of an overactive psoas that is located on the nerve plexus, which regulates the activity of the intestine. Psoas as well as Iliacus is an oblique muscle in the hips on the body’s front that can cause severe lower back pain when it is tight. Fortunately, QL Claw ramp can be an extremely effective Psoas release device.