Are you suffering with annoying knee pain when you are walking?  Is it harder and harder to do the weekly shopping, walk the dog, go golfing, or a weekend stroll?

Knee pain is an extremely common problem especially for people over the age of 50. This pain can be very frustrating as it interferes with pretty much everything. Doctors will tell you to take pain killers, rest or just live with the pain.  What if you do not like those options and you do not want to miss out on spending quality time with your friends and family due to knee pain?

Knee pain will generally fall into 2 categories.

1. A sharp shooting pain behind the knee when walking. This is frequently a pulled muscle following an injury and this may heal by itself or you may need professional help to fully recover.

2.  A dull ache or throbbing pain in or behind the knee when walking.

This type of pain is generally due to osteoarthritis which causes joints to become painful and stiff.  After a period of walking (approximately 30 min) the knee pain will flare up and cause discomfort in the knee and surrounding areas.  The pain will then subside after a few hours of rest.  However, if you have a particularly busy day (relative to normal life), the knee pain may last for several days.

There are some simple things you can do to help with knee pain without taking pain meds.  When you are suffering from knee pain, some people find that a hot pack on the knee for 15-20 min can be beneficial in reducing the stiffness and pain.  Another important thing to remember is long periods of inactivity will increase the stiffness.  So to help with that you want graded activity.  In other words keep active but not so much that you increase your symptoms.  If you want to increase your activity level make sure to do this gradually so as to not make the problem worse.

If you have any questions about how to improve your activity level or be able to walk with less symptoms, call 414-235-3660 and our therapists can provide you with information and an exercise program to get your life back on track.

Remember: Feel Better Live Better