3 Things You Might "Think" Will Help Your Knee Pain...That Actually Make It Worse!

​I’ve been seeing a lot of people lately who are suffering from Knee Pain and asking for advice or tips on what they can do to ease it.  So, I’ve decided to write a series of Knee Pain blogs to answer some common questions, “debunk” a few myths and help anyone struggling with Knee Pain that needs some help but hasn’t decided to come to see me yet.  

​A patient came into the clinic last week limping with knee pain and asked:  “I’ve had Knee Pain for the past few weeks.  I’m not sure what I did, but it just doesn’t seem to be going away.  I’ve tried taking Ibuprofen, but that didn’t help much.  Resting seems to help, but only while I’m resting.  Every time I stand up and start moving again it hurts.  I went and bought a knee brace to see if that would help, but I can still feel the pain and it gets worse when I take it off.  What else can I do to get rid of this Knee Pain?”  

Unfortunately, I hear this story all the time.  So, I know how frustrating it can be when you have no idea what you’ve done to hurt your knee, and you’re trying everything you possibly can to get rid of the pain

– yet nothing really makes it feel any better. 

Most people think and hope that since they didn’t have a traumatic injury that there will be a “quick & easy fix” to solve their problem.

This leads to a lot of people who are confused, frustrated and worried they will have this Knee Pain for the rest of their life.  In many cases they’ve already been to their doctor who advised them to take pills and rest, or even worse they're told “it’s just a normal part of aging” and that they just have to accept it.  All of this leaves them skeptical about what (or if anything) can be done to help with their knee pain.

So, today I want to address this idea of a “quick & easy fix” for your knees, or any joint for that matter – knees, back, neck, elbows, whatever – and tell you why it doesn’t work.

There are 3 common “quick fixes” that people THINK will ease their Knee Pain, that will actually make it worse.

1. Taking Pain Medication.  When you’re in pain one of the easiest things to do is reach for the nearest bottle of pain pills to “kill” the pain as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, this is also the first (and sometimes only) thing your physician will recommend.  Now don’t get me wrong here.  I’m not against someone getting some pain relief.  The problem is pain pills only give you temporary relief.  They will not “fix” the underlying cause of the problem.  When the pain pills wear off – that Knee Pain will still be there.  Whether you choose to take pain pills or not, you need to do something to find and fix the problem long-term.  Otherwise the pain just gets worse over time for most people. 
2. Resting.  When it hurts to move, our natural human response is to avoid pain by not moving.  We don’t want to do anything to “make it worse” – right?  So, we come to the logical conclusion that we should rest and avoid any activity “to give it time to heal”.  The problem here is that when it comes to the body healing, “resting” does not mean “total rest”.  If you rest too much your joints and muscles will become stiff and tight, which makes your knees feel worse when you try to move.  Light activity will help your body heal much faster.  You could go for a gentle walk, go swimming or a short bike ride on a flat path – basically any low impact exercise that keeps you moving without adding stress to your knees.   
3. Wearing A Brace.  Things like knee supports or braces should ONLY be used as a last resort and even then, should ONLY be used short term.  Relying on any kind of support or brace on a regular basis only masks the pain and creates an even bigger problem.  Wearing a brace does take some pressure off the joint and muscles, which is why it helps ease your pain - temporarily.  Your body simply doesn’t have to work as hard because the brace does the work the muscles would normally do.  All this does is make your muscles weaker and weaker.  Then just when you “think” it’s better and take the knee brace off – the pain comes back and is worse than before!

So, don’t be fooled by these “quick fixes”!  Painkillers, rest and braces may help ease your Knee Pain in the short-term, but they are not the long-term solution to SOLVE your knee pain.

If you've been suffering with Knee Pain for more than 2 weeks, or if your pain comes and goes, it might be time to consider Physical Therapy.  If you're not sure if Physical Therapy can help you, we can always start with a FREE Discovery Visit to help you figure that out.  This gives you the opportunity to get your questions answered.   It also gives us an opportunity to do a screening to get a better idea of what's going wrong and what it might take to correct it.   

Please don't let Knee Pain (or any other pain) hold you back from doing the things you want to be doing.  Take that next step and give us a call @ 503-744-0046 or email us anytime at info@purelyprimalpt.com.   We’d love to help!