Knee pain in one of the most common complaints that I treat patients for. The issue is associated with very common conditions including arthritis and tendinitis. If managed correctly, injections and surgeries can often be delayed, postponed or totally avoided. If you are experiencing knee pain, you should most definitely see a Doctor of Physical Therapy and have it checked out. In the meantime, I’ve put together a list of the little things that you can do to start seeing some immediate improvement. Though basic, some of these are often overlooked. One or more of these tips has significantly helped a patient more times than I can count. Without further ado, here we go:
Go up stairs with your whole foot on the step, rather than just the ball of your foot, and push through your heel, rather than your toes. If you have giant clown feet like me, push through the back-most part of your foot. This allows the glutes to engage and takes pressure off of the knee cap.
Avoid sitting with legs crossed, aka “dad reading the newspaper,” style. This position can place undue stress on your knee ligaments and shock absorbers. While we’re on this topic, avoid prolonged sitting with knees excessively bent in general. And please, please stop sitting on your leg/foot.
Wear sneakers around the house if you have hard floors as opposed to walking around barefoot. This provides more joint support. In order to avoid angry emails from your significant other for ruining the floors, please assign a pair of sneakers whose “sole” purpose is for use around the house. If you try one thing from this post, this is the one.
Speaking of shoes, try to wear sneakers as often as possible. It’s also a good idea to rotate them and not allow them to wear. Unsupportive shoes can place excessive stress on the body. Ladies, at least try flats instead of heels. For men, companies like Cole Haan make dress shoes that are actually cleverly disguised sneakers. Definitely worth the investment if you walk a significant amount for work. And try to think outside the box a bit. Is it possible to wear sneakers for part of your day and change into dress shoes or heels only when needed?
Avoid kneeling whenever possible. If you must kneel, be mindful and make it brief or use some sort of cushion. I purchased an inexpensive kneeling pad it has helped tremendously for giving my kids baths.
Sleep with bulky pillows under the knees if you are a back sleeper. Usually, one pillow is not enough to achieve the amount of knee bend that is needed. If you’re a side sleeper, place a pillow between your knees.
Avoid prolonged standing or stand with some swagger (put a little bend in your knees and sway a bit.) When cooking, cleaning or washing dishes in the kitchen, it may be helpful to either stand on a foam mat or with one leg up on a stool.
Exercise tips
Foam roll your quads instead of that old school standing quad stretch. Also, if you find yourself waking up with knee stiffness or discomfort, try foam rolling your quads as soon as you get out of bed.
Focus strength training on your glutes rather than the quads. Squats and daily life will provide all the training that your quads really need.
If you are actively experiencing knee pain, avoid squats and lunges until things are under control. Deadlifts and leg press are generally much safer choices for now.
Go for walks. Exercise brings protective nutrition to the joints.
Running is usually okay if done correctly. I remember reading a great article on this.
If you are not a jumping athlete, don’t jump. Jumps are often used in interval training workouts to spike the heart rate; however, step training exercises are safer if performed correctly and will achieve the same cardio effect.
Use a thick yoga mat! Those super thin ones drive me insane. Some of us are bony!
Does this list replace a structured Physical Therapy program? Absolutely not. But if you are already making some progress by the time you make it to PT, things usually go a whole lot smoother. And these tips are by no means exhaustive, but here is a place to start.
Comments