Knee pain is common. It is a complex joint and a lot can go wrong. Being aware of these causes is the first step toward avoiding this health condition and providing knee pain first aid if it does happen.
What Causes Knee Pain?
Knee pain is often the result of sports injuries, slips, falls, or other accidents. But your knees can also gradually weaken as you get older. Take a look at these common causes of knee pain.
Physical Inactivity
A lack of regular exercise and other forms of physical activity could weaken the muscles that support your knees, which would then make you more prone to knee pain and injuries.
Make sure that you have a consistent exercise regimen, even if it’s as simple as walking in the morning or a set of stretching exercises to start your day.
Obesity
When you have a sedentary lifestyle, you tend to gain significant weight. This would become a problem because, with every pound that you add to your weight, you’re also adding four pounds of pressure to your knees. Tons of possible health conditions come with being overweight, and knee pain is one of them.
Knee Arthritis
Arguably the most common cause of knee pain, knee arthritis is often a sign of aging and wear-and-tear. Arthritis causes the cartilage — the layer of protection that protects our bones — to break down. This will lead to friction in your joints, which will then cause knee pain and stiffness.
Applying Knee Pain First Aid
The key to applying knee pain first aid is always to rest first. If you felt some pain in your knee while walking or lifting something heavy, stop for a while and follow these steps in applying knee pain home treatments.
Apply Ice to Lessen Pain and Swelling
After resting your injured knee, you can start the knee pain first aid process by applying ice on it for 15 to 20 minutes every couple of hours. Ice treatment is a reliable way to reduce knee pain and lessen swelling.
Immobilize Knee Using Proper Compression
One of the most important things you need to do is to immobilize the injured knee to reduce swelling. You can use either a splint, a bandage, or a brace to wrap the knee tightly, but be careful not to make it too tight to impede blood flow.
Elevate Your Knee
The last step for knee pain first aid is to elevate the injured knee to limit swelling. You can use a pillow or a cushion and keep the knee elevated as much as possible for the next 24 hours.
If none of these home treatments give you relief from knee pain or if you are not sure why your knee hurts, see your doctor for a proper diagnosis and advanced treatment plan.
Simply Medical Can Help Ease Your Knee Pain
Knee pain first aid and home treatments are easy to do, especially if you have the right resources. Simply Medical offers every kind of product to help ease your knee pain — from neoprene knee braces and immobilizers to hot and cold compress packs.
With an easy-to-use website and a customer support team always ready to answer your questions, you can trust Simply Medical as your go-to online supplier of home healthcare products.