How to manage knee pain at home?
Are you suffering from mild or moderate pain in the knee? Well, for as long as the pain is mild or moderate, you can easily treat it at home. It does not really matter whether the pain is because of arthritis or sprains, it can be easily manageable. However, this does not mean that you should throw going to a knee specialist out of the equation!
The RICE formula
Well, the first thing that you should try is the RICE formula. RICE is an acronym that stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. This involves resting your knees enough for recovery and applying an ice bag from time to time. Then compression and elevation could further help you in relieving your pain and put you on the road to recovery.
Tai Chi
This is a mind and body exercise that hails from China. Basically, the purpose of Tai Chi is to give flexibility and balance to the body-mind duo. According to a study from 2009, tai chi is very helpful for people that suffer from osteoarthritis.
So, start performing Tai Chi every day. It helps in increasing your range of motion while reducing pain at the same time. Furthermore, Tai Chi exercises also improve deep breathing and help your mind relax. Once the stress aspects are reduced, then you can easily manage any type of chronic pain.
Exercising
The next tip would be to exercise on a daily basis. However, if you are already injured, then it is not recommended to perform any sort of hardcore exercise. In that case, it would be better to reach out to your doctor and ask for their advice.
The main theory behind exercising is that when you limit the movement and rest your leg a lot after an injury, it results in joint stiffness. And when you are suffering from pain, joint stiffness can simply make things much worse.
However, you are good to go with low-impact exercises that involve cycling, walking, yoga, tai chi, and swimming. Just make sure that you are not running or sprinting with a sprained or injured knee, as it will make things a lot worse for you.
Management of weight
This is one of the most important factors when it comes to keeping your knees in great health. Well, it might not come naturally, but obesity and overweight result in extra pressure on the knee joints. According to researchers, 10 pounds of weight could result in up to 50 pounds of pressure on the joints. So, if you are overweight or obese, then know that your joints will be bearing a lot more pressure and weight. This means that you are also more likely to suffer from knee pain and sprains.
So, in the long run, weight management could do wonders for your overall joint health. So, what are you waiting for? Start tracking your weight today and go to a doctor if you may. A nutritionist can also help you in taking good care of your diet, hence resulting in reduced weight.
However, remember that intelligent diet plans are the key to losing weight. You certainly do not have to starve yourself just to achieve the right body weight.
Conclusion
In this article, we have put together everything that you should know about knee pain management. Though, remember that going to a doctor is just as important as taking care of your knees yourself. That is because some injuries might need the intervention of a knee injury doctor Woodbridge. Just do not try to sort out everything on your own, otherwise, you can end up further making your symptoms worse.