LACEY (WA) – A patient came into the clinic a few weeks ago limping with knee pain and asked, “I’ve had this knee pain for a few weeks now; I’m not sure what I’ve done to it. I was trying to rest it so that it wouldn’t hurt, but that didn’t help. Whenever I stand up and start moving, it hurts again, so I have to sit down. Now I’m wearing a brace to see if that helps, but I can still feel the pain when I take it off. Is there anything else I can do to get rid of the pain?”
I know how frustrating it can be when you’re not sure what you’ve done to hurt your knee (or any other body part), and even more frustrating when everything you’re trying to do to help isn’t working. Everyone thinks and hopes that there will be a “quick fix” to their problem.
However, we frequently get people who are confused, fed up, and even skeptical about what can be done to help with their knee pain. I wanted to address this idea of “quick fixes” for your knees–or for any joint problem really, and tell you why they’re no good.
With that said, here are the 3 most common “quick fixes” that people THINK will ease their knee pain, but actually do the opposite.
1. Reaching for the Painkillers. Let’s face it. When you’re in pain, one of the easiest things to do is reach for the painkillers to “kill” the pain quickly. It’s also unfortunately the first option that your doctor or GP will give you to help your knee pain. But the thing is, painkillers won’t get to the root cause of your problem and actually do anything to fix it. They just mask the pain instead, which doesn’t help anyone. At the end of the day, that pain will still be there when the painkillers wear off. So it’s better to do something to fix your pain long-term instead.
2. Resting. When pain strikes, it’s very tempting to do nothing but rest “in case the pain gets worse,” which means many people end up lying on the sofa watching their favorite TV shows. But when it comes to knee pain, “rest” actually means to not do “too much.” If you rest too much (A.K.A not moving much at all), your joints will become stiff and tight, which can make your knees feel even more achy when you try to move them. To actually help your knee, you should go swimming, go for a light walk, do yoga, or go for a cycle–basically any low impact exercise will help keep you moving and not place any added pressure on your knees.
3. Wearing a Support. Things like knee supports should ONLY be used as a last resort. Wearing a support on your knee on a daily basis to try and ease the pain is actually masking the pain and creating an even bigger problem. Imagine you have a broken leg or arm, and you have a cast put on. After 6 weeks or so, when the cast is taken off, the muscles underneath are weak. It’s exactly the same as wearing a support every day. Because your joint is supported, it takes the pressure off your muscles. Doing this every day will make your muscles lazy, which will make them weaker. Once you take off the support because it has eased the pain, there’s a very strong chance it could come back quicker and worse than before!
So there you have it, 3 ‘quick fixes’ that people think ease their knee pain, but do the opposite: Painkillers, rest, and wearing a support. When it comes to your joints, these quick fixes are not the way forward to fix your problem long-term.
That’s everything from me this week. I’ll be back again next week with more help and advice on knee pain. Until then, stay well and have a great day!
The author, Jennifer Penrose, is a Physical Therapist and owner of Penrose Physical Therapy. If you have any questions about knee pain, you can call (360) 456-1444 or email info@penrosept.com.
