Is pain in your knee life holding you back? Here’s how to fix that
Knee pain debilitates you not to live freely and to not enjoy even the little things that you do. You could obtain an injury or overuse, or even perhaps an underlying medical condition such as arthritis. At any rate, though, with some approaches and treatments, you’ll regain mobility and reduce some of that pain. So, here’s a step-by-step guide for managing knee pain, strengthening the surrounding muscles, and getting back to your active lifestyle.
Professional physiotherapy in Surrey is one of the best solutions if you are suffering from problems with pain in your knees. It will allow you to figure out the real reason for your pain and get a treatment plan according to your needs while working with a physiotherapist.
- Get a Professional Assessment with Physiotherapy in Surrey
To address the pain in the knee, the first step would be to come to an understanding of what is causing it. There are several reasons why one could experience the distress of knee pain, such as from an injury caused by a ligament injury, tendinitis, cartilage damage, or even osteoarthritis. A professional physiotherapist will be able to assess your condition, identify the underlying issues, and make a customized treatment plan.
As a client in a Physiotherapy Clinic in Surrey, you will receive a thorough analysis of your aches; movement patterns, and general health. What the physiotherapist may note is a biomechanical imbalance, muscle weakness, and improper alignment factors that may be contributing to the knee pain.
Once you have identified the cause of the problem, your physiotherapist will design a holistic treatment program for you including manual therapy, corrective exercises, and modalities to enable you to minimize the pain and gain functionality too.
- Strengthen the muscles around your knee
Weak muscles on the inner side of the knee cause it to strain and thus trigger pain. Strengthening these muscles, especially most notably the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, can help significantly reduce knee pains in most cases. These muscles stabilize the knee joint and go on to absorb the impact that movement around this joint applies.
Some of the most relevant exercises to strengthen your knees include:
Wall sits: Stand against the wall, squatting back on your haunches, bending your knees at about 90 degrees, and hold it for as long as you can. This one hits your quadriceps without overloading your knees.
Step-ups: You can use a sturdy platform or step, walking on it and down in controlled motions. Your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes get a good workout.
Leg raises: This you can achieve by lying down or even sitting on a chair and then raising one of your legs while keeping it straight. This will enable your quadriceps and make your knees stable.
Glute bridges: You lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, then bend your knees up, and you hold as you get to meet the ceiling. This will target your glutes and hamstrings and then support your knee better.
These exercises, if done properly, will ease stress on your knees and gradually relieve the pain. Working with a physiotherapist in a Physiotherapy Clinic in Surrey ensures that you execute these exercises safely and effectively. He or she will assess your form and adjust the level of difficulty as you advance.
- Stretch to Improve Flexibility and Mobility
Stiff muscles around the knee joint limit your range of motion and can be painful. Through regular stretches, maintain flexibility and keep on moving your knee. Stretching should be done to the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and the front of the hip flexors, among others. When any of these muscles become tight, knee pain worsens.
Sit on the floor with one leg straight out in front of you and the other bent at a 90-degree angle under you. Now you should stretch forward and try to touch your toes on the extended leg without jerking your back up off the ground. This will stretch your hamstrings, which indirectly reduces pressure on the knee.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold on for balance, then grasp the ankle and pull toward your glutes, keeping the knees next to each other stretches the front of the thigh, reducing tension on the knee.
Calf stretch: Stand facing a wall and step one foot forward with the other extended straight out behind you. Now, bend to stretch your back calf muscle. Long calves allow for a greater range of leg movement, and besides that, they reduce stress on the knees.
 At a Physiotherapy Clinic in Surrey, you’ll be advised on the correct stretches to achieve and how to integrate them into your daily routine so you can ensure you maintain and further develop your range.
Maintain a healthy weight to reduce the pressure on your knees.
Excess weight often places pressure on the knee joints, and this strain grows with time, affecting not only the pain but also the degeneration. For every pound of excess weight you carry, you put four pounds of pressure on your knees each time you go up a staircase or walk. This can imply maintaining a good weight, preventing much strain on your knees, and lowering the progression rate of your condition, for instance, osteoarthritis.
If you want to lose some weight, your physiotherapist can build you an exercise routine that will let you lose weight while not aggravating the pain in your knee. Good low-impact cardiovascular exercises include swimming and cycling with an elliptical machine.
Regular exercise, physiotherapy, and healthy eating can help you gain and retain a healthy weight that goes a long way to minimize pressure on the knees.
- Engage in Low-Impact Activities
If your knee pain is induced by high-impact activities, such as running and jumping, consider low-impact exercises in your exercise routine. Low-impact activities will keep you active without overstressing the joints.
Some examples of low-impact activities include:
Swimming: Water supports your body weight, relieving pressure on your knees while you strengthen muscles and enhance cardiovascular health.
Cycling: Riding a bike—stationary or outdoors—builds leg muscle strength without overloading the knee.
Yoga: Yoga will help you achieve flexibility, strengthen your body, and regain balance in life besides providing relaxation and reducing your stress level. Most of the yoga poses tend to toughen up the muscles surrounding your knees without straining your joints.
Physiotherapy Surrey can propose appropriate low-impact exercises tailored according to your fitness level and knee condition so you can lead an active life coupled with the ability to control the pain.
- Wear Correct Footwear and Supportive Equipment
Proper shoes can make all the difference in life, especially when managing knee pain. Soles with good arch support and cushioning absorb shock, thereby greatly reducing the impact on one’s knees. If your shoes do not provide you with proper support, you may be aggravating knee pain without knowing it.
Orthotics or braces may be prescribed according to your physiotherapist’s judgment to help correct alignment and relieve pressure on your knee. A knee brace would be a stabilizer and therefore prevent unnecessary movements, especially in activities that tend to strain the joint.
Maybe a physiotherapy clinic in Surrey will guide you on the best footwear and equipment to use. Your physiotherapist can assess your gait and alignment and advise on the proper tools to support your knees.
- Manual Therapy and Pain Relief Modalities
Manual therapies, which may include joint mobilization and soft tissue massage, are also useful for relieving knee pain. Improved circulation with alleviation of muscular tenseness by promoting better movement in the joints can help minimize knee pain as well as functional impairment.
At Physiotherapy Surrey, your physiotherapist may complement your treatment with pain relief modalities such as ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation, or cold laser therapy to further ease your pain. These therapies reduce inflammation and help in healing damaged tissues; also, they improve blood flow to the affected area.
- Be Consistent with Your Physiotherapy Program
Knee pain management needs perseverance and consistency. The treatment planned by your physiotherapist will work only if you follow your exercise plan, come for regular physiotherapy, and make lifestyle changes too.
Only with perseverance can the muscles become strong, flexible, and healthy enough for joints. Having a Physiotherapy Clinic in Surrey will keep you on course toward recovery.
Conclusion
If knee pain has become an obstacle for you, now is the time to take charge and start taking action toward a pain-free life. Physiotherapy in Surrey will let you have a professional assessment, train your muscles to be more powerful, elasticize your body, and so reduce knee strain. By doing low-impact activities, holding a proper weight, and following up with your plan of treatment, you will be able to perform better in the functionality and mobility aspects of your knee.
Let knee problems limit your lifestyle no more. Get the proper approach coupled with professional guidance from Physiotherapy Surrey and fix that knee pain to get back to doing things you love.
