The 3 Most Common Causes of Knee Pain...and What To Do About It

If you have knee pain you know how annoying it can be, especially when your knee pain makes simple things like walking, shopping and doing things around your home more difficult.  Not to mention being unable to keep up with your regular exercise program or participate with in your favorite recreational activities. 

Knee pain is an extremely common problem, especially for people over 50, but in most cases it’s not something you “just have to live with”. 

I had a patient come in this week who had been to see his primary doctor about his knee pain and was told to take pain pills and rest, otherwise there was nothing he could until it was bad enough for a knee replacement.

It’s so frustrating to hear this is the advice people are getting, because there is so much that can be done to alleviate (or even eliminate) knee pain for most people. 

Yes, even if you have ARTHRITIS!
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​In today’s blog we’ll cover:

• The 3 most common causes of knee pain
• Simple advice to ease knee pain
• Easy at-home exercises to reduce knee pain [SEE VIDEO BELOW]
• Natural, drug-free solutions for knee pain

The 3 Most Common Causes Of Knee Pain
Knee pain can be caused for many reasons, but the three most common causes are:

1.  Muscle imbalances in your hips and legs
Things like too much sitting can cause muscles in the back of your knees and legs to get tight and muscles in the front of your thigh and your buttocks to get weak.  These imbalances can put a lot of strain on your knee joint and can even contribute to faster progression of arthritis.  

2.  Straining or pulling a muscle around the knee
Things like stepping wrong, twisting your knee, or a fall can strain your knee and cause pain.  Depending on the severity of a strain, it may heal by itself, or you may need the help of a professional to fully recover.  So, if your knee pain lingers for longer than 2-3 weeks, I would recommend seeing your physical therapist for support and guidance.   

3.  Too much or too little activity
Doing too much of an activity, especially if you’re not accustomed to the activity, can lead to a repetitive strain type injury that can cause knee pain.  For example, runners will often develop knee pain if they don’t balance out their running with other activities or exercises to prevent overuse injuries.

On the other hand, being sedentary or not doing enough activity can cause some of the muscle imbalances we just spoke about above. 

Simple Advice To Ease Knee Pain

• Apply a heat pack to the affected knee for 15-20 minutes to reduce stiffness and pain.
• If your knee is a little swollen, applying an ice pack for 10-15 minutes can reduce swelling and pain.
• Avoid doing too much activity all at once.  Break large tasks into smaller chunks and do a little at a time. 
• Avoid overuse injuries by balancing out any repetitive activities you do with other activities or a corrective exercise program (your physical therapist can help with this).
• Avoid sitting for long periods of time.  Get up and move every 30 minutes or at least every hour.

Easy At-Home Exercises To Reduce Knee Pain
There are several exercises that can be very powerful and effective at reducing knee pain and protecting your knee health long-term. 
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Watch this short video for a demonstration of three beginner level exercises that are easy and safe for people of all ages that can be done at home, at work, or anywhere you can find a place to sit down for a few minutes. 

These exercises can help stretch tight muscles, loosen stiff joints, and strengthen some key muscles that are important stabilizers for your knees.  As these exercises get easier you can gradually progress to more challenging exercises for continue improvements.   
  
If your knee condition or injury is relatively minor, then staying active and exercising regularly in a way that doesn’t aggravate your knee problem may be enough to strengthen the muscles around the knee and prevent your joints from becoming stiff and painful.

However, if your condition or injury is more severe and your pain is getting worse or just isn’t getting better, you may benefit from some of the more advanced pain relief techniques and more specific exercises tailored to your individual needs.  

Other Natural, Drug-Free Solutions For Your Knee Pain
If you’re ready to get help from a physical therapy knee pain specialist, just give us a call at 503-744-0046 to schedule or click the link below to fill out a short form and we’ll call you to arrange a time for your Initial Evaluation & Treatment Session.

Click Here To Arrange To See A Knee Pain Specialist

If you’re still a little unsure if physical therapy is the right solution for your knee pain problem, you may prefer to start with a FREE In-Person Discovery Visit.  This gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you might have and discover:

• What’s wrong
• What your options are to fix the problem
• How long it might take
• What the cost will be
• How you can speed up the process by doing things at home.

If you would like to take advantage of one of our FREE Discovery Visits, simply click the link below to complete a quick and easy form and we’ll be in touch to arrange a time for your visit.

Click Here To Arrange Your FREE Discovery Visit

There is no obligation!  After your consultation if you decide you want to work with us, great!  We can't wait to see your transformation unfold!  If not, we will try to guide you to the right person to help you. 

More Information To Help Stop Your Knee Pain
If you want to get even more knee pain advice right now, then download our free e-book entitled:
“5 Expert Tips to STOP Chronic Knee Pain & Stiffness...Without Relying On Injections or Having to Wear A Brace!"

This e-book is packed with powerful, but simple strategies to help you start your journey toward living without knee pain.

Yes! I Want The Free E-BOOK

You can also check out our other knee pain blogs by clicking the link below.
Click Here To Read More Knee Pain Blogs