Sitting Position If your kneecap hurts when sitting, you may have your legs crossed or be sitting on your legs, which puts your kneecaps under pressure. Change how you sit to a more ergonomic position, keeping your feet on the floor and your back straight for good posture.
Positioning: Sit upright with square shoulders. Your shoulders should be relaxed but not slumped. Hold your shoulders in the same position when you're sitting as you would when you're standing. Your hips and knees should be at 90-degree angles.
While simply sitting still too much can lead to knee pain and stiffness, staying in the wrong position for extended periods of time can be rough on the knees as well. In particular, office environments can often be hard on the knees.
On the other hand, standing for too long can put pressure on the cartilage of your knees. Over time, this pressure, combined with heavy lifting or movement, can wear out the cartilage. As this pain grows, sitting would be the better option since it would give your body a chance to recuperate.
Avoid more-strenuous or painful activities, but keep active. Try alternate activities that cause less discomfort — swimming instead of jogging, bicycling instead of tennis. For acute injuries, you may have to stay off your feet as much as possible or even use crutches for a short time.
But high-impact activities can make knee pain worse. Exercise like running, kickboxing, or high intensity interval training (HIIT) can jar your joints and make your knee pain worse. Some stretching exercises, like squats and lunges, can put extra pressure on your knees as well.
Walking is a fantastic option for many patients with knee arthritis because it is a low-impact activity that does not put undue stress on the joints. Furthermore, walking can increase the knee's range of motion and keep it from becoming overly stiff.
Knee pain from arthritis doesn't mean you should stop moving your knee. In fact, for most people it's important to keep using the affected joint. Exercise can reduce pain, increase flexibility and range of motion, and help maintain function.
Pills. NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others). All work by blocking enzymes that cause pain and swelling.
Knee pain will usually go away without further medical treatment, using only a few self-help measures. If you need help you might first see a physiotherapist or your GP.
Knee Pain: Use Ice or Heat
If there is swelling in your knee, you should ice for at least 72 hours until the swelling goes down. After that, heat can be used to help regain mobility. If you are suffering from joint tightness and stiffness, heat can help relax these away.
A minor knee sprain may take up to 6 weeks to heal, while a severe sprain may take months. Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse advice line (811 in most provinces and territories) if you are having problems.
You're putting too much pressure on your knee
The right exercise is good for your knee, and the wrong exercise, such as running, can put too much pressure on your knee. Likewise, doing deep bends and squats for exercise for leisure, as with gardening, can exacerbate knee pain.
So mistake number one, is to rest completely and stop doing any form of exercise. This is a big problem because often your knee will get stiff and the muscles around your knee will get weak, you'll lose fitness and most of us will put on some weight.
The worst exercises for people with bad knees are full-arc knee extension (using the machine at the gym), full-deep lunges, deep squats, and Hurdler's stretches as these exercises put excessive strain on the knee joints, increasing pain and causing injury.
Overview. A knee brace is one tool in managing the discomfort of knee osteoarthritis. A brace might help reduce pain by shifting your weight off the most damaged portion of your knee. Wearing a brace can improve your ability to get around and help you walk farther comfortably.
Causes of knee pain
Knee pain when bending is a common problem for many people and can have numerous underlying causes. Osteoarthritis, meniscus tears, bursitis, ligament strain, and tendonitis are some of the most common causes. Bone fractures or infections in the joint may also cause knee pain.