Knee pain in older adults is a common problem. As you move and walk, your knees suffer from wear and tear over time. Other factors can cause pain in the knees besides natural, inevitable aging. Injuries, increased body weight, muscle weakness, and osteoarthritis can all lead to knee pain. Previous trauma or repetitive stress from kneeling, running, etc. can also lead to knee injuries that create acute, dull, recurring, or chronic pain. Leaving the injury untreated may lead to osteoarthritis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, more than 32.5 million adults suffer from osteoarthritis. There are many types of arthritis, but osteoarthritis is the most common. The cartilage that cushions joints breaks down in people with this degenerative disease, which causes swelling, aching, and immobility.
You are also at risk for knee pain if you place extra stress on weight-bearing joints like the knees. In addition to accelerating joint deterioration, gaining weight increases your risk of developing osteoarthritis. When standing still, your knees bear 80 percent of your body weight, and when walking, 150 percent or more. In a person weighing 160 pounds, that would be 240 pounds of impact! Likewise, weak or inflexible muscles put undue strain on joints. In the absence of muscular strength and flexibility, your knees are more susceptible to injury.
Here are some things you can do to protect your knees as you get older, or at the very least minimize damage.
Lose Weight
By losing just 10 pounds, you can remove as much as 40 pounds of force from your knees. (The force varies depending on what you’re doing.) That’s 40 fewer pounds of wear and tear on your knees every day, which will add up to a lot over time. You may even experience less joint pain after losing weight. Weight loss is not the only factor. A combination of the chemicals released by your fat cells can cause inflammation in your body, which leads to osteoarthritis. If you lose weight, inflammation could be reduced. Weight loss of any amount can help protect your knees.
Maintain a healthy weight, and you’re less likely to develop arthritis in your later years. However, not every person should try to lose weight. You should discuss your weight loss goals with your doctor. The goal is to keep your BMI (body mass index) between 18.5 and 24.9. Work with your physician to develop a healthy weight loss program that fits in with your daily habits and lifestyle.
Exercise Your Knee
When done properly, exercise can help keep your joints healthy. Just be careful not to overuse the joints (like the knee) that may already be injured. If you have knee pain and don’t want to aggravate it, speak with your doctor. If you have problems with your knees, it may be best to avoid exercises that require kneeling, bending deeply, or running downhill.
However, a lack of activity could be just as harmful as too much repetition of the same motion. Patients who cannot move because of surgery, an injury, or illness actually lose cartilage in their knees and elsewhere because of inactivity. You need at least some physical activity to maintain your knees.
Exercise doesn’t just benefit cartilage. The complex collection of muscles, ligaments, and tendons that constitute and move the knee are strengthened and stretched by exercise. By doing so, the knee remains stable and moves smoothly. As well as reducing joint inflammation, exercise also helps with inflammation that comes with osteoarthritis.
What type of exercise is recommended?
- Physical activity, such as walking, swimming, or rowing, can lower inflammation and boost your stamina, so you can stay active for a longer period of time.
- The muscles around your knee joint, such as your hamstrings, calves, and quadriceps, are strengthened through resistance exercises, such as weightlifting or lunges. Such exercises prevent injury to the joint. Knee strengthening exercises are also good for your core muscles.
- Increasing the range of motion of your knee will benefit you if you stretch the muscles and connective tissue around it, such as the iliotibial (IT) band.
Perfect Your Posture
With age, people often slouch or become more stooped over. As a result, your center of gravity shifts, placing additional strain on your knees and hips. As you stand, make sure your head is aligned with your shoulders, your shoulders are directly over your hips, your hips are parallel to your knees, and your knees are parallel to your feet. You can improve your posture, prevent irritation under and around the kneecaps, and prevent falls by practicing Pilates, yoga, tai chi, and core-strengthening exercises such as planks and back extensions.
Choose The Right Shoes
Proper alignment of the knee joints in your lower extremities is promoted by wearing supportive, comfortable shoes. For exercise, choose footwear that suits your activity, such as running shoes for running, and make sure they are appropriate for your stride and foot. Studies have shown that postural abnormalities of the feet can actually contribute to knee osteoarthritis, which is why wearing shoes that prevent outward or inward rolling of the feet is so important. Whenever you buy new exercise footwear, you should have a top-notch running or sports goods store evaluate and fit the shoes for you. When you are not exercising, avoid wearing high heels, which put more weight on your knees.
Warm-Up Before Exercising
It’s a good idea to loosen up your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints before exercise or another form of movement. A simple method is to march in place while raising one knee then the other. This only takes 5-10 minutes. This will prevent injuries.
Start Slowly
Your new exercise plan might have you excited. However, it’s best to ease into it. It takes time for your body to adjust to a new workout that you’ve never done before. You can gradually increase speed, distance, weight, or intensity over the weeks and months, depending on your sport. Make sure you don’t injure your knees or anything else by checking your body’s reaction.
Keep Moving
Physical activity maintains knee joint function and range of motion in the knees, reducing forces applied to them. The latest evidence suggests that high-impact activities such as running are not necessarily bad for the knees. One study in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that recreational runners have a lower risk of knee osteoarthritis than competitive runners. Don’t run consecutively; run every other day, since our bodies cannot recover as efficiently as we age. It’s also a good idea to rotate your exercise routines; so if you run five times a week, you should alternate with something low-impact, like bicycling, Pilates, swimming, or using the elliptical machine.
Listen To Your Knee Pain
You should take a break from walking, running, or engaging in other high-impact activities if your knee becomes painful and swollen. If your knee pain is severe, you should rest, ice, compress, and elevate it, as well as take ibuprofen to relieve inflammation. After it improves on its own, you can resume what you were doing. You should see a doctor if it doesn’t respond within a week or two. Meanwhile, you can keep exercising by doing a gentle activity, such as swimming, aqua aerobics, or bicycling, so that you don’t lose any of the fitness you have built.
Knee Surgery Options
If you have tried non-surgical treatments but still experience knee pain, you may need knee surgery. We at Florida Surgery Consultants are proud to provide the very best care for our patients. Our surgeons are proficient in treating knee injuries. We have outstanding patient outcomes and excellent patient satisfaction. Some of the knee surgeries we are able to perform include the following:
- ACL Reconstruction: This surgery involves replacing a damaged ligament with a piece of tendon. This tendon is usually obtained from another part of the knee, though a donated tendon may also be used. An ACL reconstruction sounds scary, but it is a common outpatient procedure that does not require large incisions.
- Partial Meniscectomy: To ensure that the patient is comfortable throughout the entire procedure, the partial meniscectomy is performed under either local or regional anesthesia. After the anesthesia takes effect, the orthopedic surgeon will make two to five small incisions in the knee. To obtain a clear view of the surgical site, the surgeon inserts an arthroscope, a small, tube-like camera, into the incisions as required.
- Meniscus Repair: An operation to repair either the medial or lateral meniscus is known as meniscus repair surgery. This minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure involves small incisions that allow your doctor to gain access to the knee. There is little risk associated with meniscus repair. Complications are very rare, and your doctor will work with you to prevent any complications
We recommend you contact us as soon as possible if you require knee surgery. Our orthopedic surgeons are among the best in Tampa, Ocala, Lakeland, Lakewood Ranch, and Gainesville. We work hard to help you get better quickly. Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons are currently accepting appointments.