Ease Knee Pain With These Suggestions

Knee pain can not only be uncomfortable, but it can interfere with the simple act of walking from one location to another. Your pain can cause you to isolate yourself and avoid activities that you used to enjoy. To get your life back it's vital that you take every action possible to soothe and ease your knee so you can move without too much trouble. The following ideas have helped others, so try each and see which are effective for your own knee.

Change Your Shoes

A change of shoes might make your knees feel much better. Shoes with support features such as reinforced arches can take pressure off of your calves and feet; as a result, your knees might not hurt so much. If you're a woman who wears heels regularly, be aware that they can cause joint compression that can also lead to more pain. Spend more time in flat shoes and sneakers to see if your knee pain fades a bit.

Exercise More

It may not surprise you to discover that if you're carrying a lot of extra weight on your body, that will affect your knees. Even if your knee pain is caused by something else, having a big body can exert pressure that makes your knees even more uncomfortable. Even something as small as a 10 percent weight loss has been reported to help with knee pain.

To lose weight, you might want to start exercising on a regular basis. You may feel that's impossible because of the pain in your knee, and while you may want to avoid lunges and jumping jacks, you can still attempt walks in the neighborhood or take an aqautic exercise class. Soreness is something you can expect to feel, especially if you're out of shape, so you should definitely stop you feel an increased intensity in pain or a sharp pain. Talk with a doctor at a clinic like Pottstown Surgical Associates about specific exercises you can participate in that will A) help decrease knee pain and B) help you avoid overexerting your knee.

Eat Better

Exercise alone won't help you lose weight or avoid knee pain, so adjusting your daily diet is also important. Cutting down on bread, pasta and foods containing sugar might help. You can also focus on highly nutritious foods that contain vitamin C and omega-fatty acids. These substances can lower inflammation in your body overall; that may mean less pain.

If you eat a lot of so-called "nightshade" foods such as tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes, you may want to cut them out of your diet for a while. These foods can make joints feel worse. If you notice no difference in your pain, you can add those foods back in one by one.

Using these tips for knee pain may give you some mobility back and help you feel better. Speak to an experienced knee pain doctor to get a fuller understanding of what more you can do to ease your discomfort.