FEELING GREAT: Some '˜remedies' cause more pain

A client of mine had the same experience, here’s what she asked me: “Paul, I’m really starting to get frustrated with the knee pain I have. I feel like I’ve tried everything. I’ve looked online and was advised to exercise more regularly and have even bought a knee support that I use daily. I went to see my doctor and was advised to rest. Now I seem to feel worse than I originally did and don’t know why” -Sandra, 52, Hart

I empathise with Sandra, I really do. I understand that she’s trying her hardest to ease her knee pain but the reality is that she might be doing more harm than good.

My reason for saying this is because sitting down won’t really ease the knee pain. Our bodies aren’t designed to sit. The knee joint and surrounding muscles are stretched, which over time, can cause problems with your knees.

Because a lot of people fall into this trap of taking advice from Google, I thought it would be best to explain why some of the things you think are easing your knee pain, are actually making them worse, so you don’t end up making the same mistakes too.

When it comes to using a knee support, please don’t let the fact that this is a support fool you. Supports are meant to support you but ONLY as a last resort.

Think of it like this: when you have a broken leg or arm you get a cast put on. After six weeks or so, once you take the cast off, the muscles underneath are weak. This is exactly the same as wearing supports everyday.

Once you take the support off because it’s eased your knee pain, there’s a strong chance it will come back quicker and worse than before! So please only use supports when necessary and don’t rely on them to fix what’s going on.

When going to see a health professional - don’t just ask about your knee pain. You see, your knee may be experiencing pain but the cause may be coming from elsewhere. We get this often in my clinic. Some people will come in with a knee pain and when we assess them, we find out that they have a lower back or hip problem.

So please, go and see a physiotherapist with an open mind.

Next big thing – stop exercising. If you mainly exercise by running, going slow on the stair master in the gym, or enjoy doing a gentle breaststroke then stop. All of the above exercises provide repetitive motions for your knee.

Also if you don’t already, I really recommend you stretch before and after your workout, even if you’re going swimming! It really helps prevent any further injury and will ease your aches and pains.

Another quick point I’d like to make is, no matter if you are exercising or not, remember to wear cushioned shoes or trainers. These types of shoes absorb shock when you put your feet on the floor and help support your body better.

So to answer Sandra’s question: Remember that not all advice on the internet is right.

I also recommended Sandra to ease herself away from the knee support so that her knee gradually became stronger, and to come and see me if any pain persists.

If you feel like Sandra and would like some more tips or advice on easing knee pain, then have a look at my free report and gain back your independencehttp://www.paulgoughphysio.com/knee-pain

P.S. This weekend we’re hosting our most popular event – our back pain and sciatica workshop at our Hartlepool clinic this Saturday 6th August at 12:30 pm. If you, or some you know is suffering with a bad back right now and has tried everything but still has no solution to easing their back pain then give us a call on 0800 043 867, to reserve a seat, and remember to let us know what your favourite drink is when you call and we’ll have it waiting for you.