Suffering with annoying knee pain when walking, finding it harder and harder to do the weekly shop, and missing out on weekend strolls around Durham?
Knee pain is an extremely common problem for people over 50, and we understand how frustrating it can be.
A lot of patients visit our clinics after seeing their GP and being told to take painkillers and rest, or that it’s just something that they will have to live with in their retirement…
But what if you don’t want to rely on painkillers, and you don’t want to miss out on spending quality time with your friends and family in your retirement because of niggling knee pain?
That’s where we can help…
In this blog article we will cover:
- The most common causes of knee pain when walking
- Simple advice to ease knee pain
- Quick and easy at-home exercise to help reduce knee pain
- Natural, drug-free solutions to your knee pain
The Most Common Cause Of Knee Pain When Walking
Knee pain when walking can be caused by many reasons, but generally the pain will fall into two categories:
- A sharp, shooting pain behind the knee when walking
This type of pain is commonly associated with a pulled muscle following a sporting injury, a trip or fall, or an accident. The severity of the pulled muscle will vary, and it may heal by itself, or you may need professional support to recover fully.
If you are suffering with a sharp, shooting pain behind your knee when walking, then this is more likely to be related to a pulled muscle, and we have an entire blog article specifically related to this problem.
Click Here To Learn What To Do When You Pull A Muscle
- A dull ache, or throbbing pain behind the knee when walking
The second type of pain is commonly caused by a condition called Osteoarthritis which causes joints to become painful and stiff. It usually affects people over the age of 50, and it’s the most common type of arthritis in the UK.
After a period of walking (approximately 30 minutes onwards), the knee pain will typically flare up and cause discomfort behind the knee and surrounding area.
If the knee pain is caused by Osteoarthritis, and aggravated by walking, the pain will usually subside after a few hours once you have stopped.
However, if you have a particularly busy day (relative to your normal life), then the knee pain may last for several days.
For example, if you do the weekly shop, have a lot of housework to do, and then take the grandchildren out to the park, you may find knee pain lasts for days afterwards.
Fast Knee Pain Relief
There are some simple things you can do for fast knee pain relief that don’t involve reaching for the painkillers.
When you are suffering with knee pain, the application of heat can be incredibly beneficial – Use a heat pack, or hot water bottle to the affected knee for 15-20 minutes which should reduce stiffness, and will likely provide fast knee pain relief.
Another important thing to remember is that pain behind the knee when walking will be made worse, and occur more often if you go through long periods of inactivity – so an effective tip can be to keep active (during the day, and throughout the week).
For example, try to avoid sitting for long periods of time each day and aim to move every hour if you find that knee pain and stiffness is a problem for you.
If you feel like you need to increase your activity level, George, one of our expert physios, advises to do this gradually which will help avoid making the problem worse.
Finally, there are a number of exercises which can be very powerful at reducing knee pain, and minimising the severity and frequency in future…
Quick And Easy At-Home Exercise If You Suffer With Knee Pain When Walking
Watch George demonstrate a quick and easy at-home exercise that you can do if you suffer with knee pain when walking. This exercise is very safe for people of all ages, and helps to stretch tight muscles, and loosen stiffen joints which should reduce discomfort behind the knee.
- To start, sit on a chair
- By bending one knee, bring your heel under the chair as far as you can
- Hold the position for one second (you may feel a stretch on the top of your leg)
- Gently straighten your knee with a focus on pointing your toe toward you
- Hold the position for one second (you may feel a stretch on the back of your lower leg, or the back of your knee/upper leg)
- Return to the starting position
- Repeat for 10 repetitions, and do the same for the other leg
If your condition or injury is relative minor, then applying the advice of keeping active, and regularly exercising may be enough to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee, and avoid the knee becoming stiff and painless.
However, if your condition or injury is more severe and the discomfort is getting worse, you may benefit from some more advanced pain relief techniques, and more specific exercise tailored to your individual needs…
More Natural, Drug-Free Solution To Your Knee Pain
Our founder, leading UK physiotherapist, and multi-time No.1 bestselling author Paul Gough has written a FREE downloadable report for anyone who is suffering with knee pain and wants to know…
“How To Stop Chronic, Daily Annoying Knee Pain WITHOUT Injections, WITHOUT Taking Painkillers and WITHOUT Having To Wear A Support or Brace”.
Click Here To Download Your FREE Knee Pain Report
Over the last 15 years, we have helped THOUSANDS of people in the North East across our four clinics; Darlington, Durham, Guisborough, and Hartlepool and more and more people are putting their faith in private physiotherapy.
If you’re currently stuck on the NHS waiting list, and wondering whether private physiotherapy is right for you, we have put together a blog article which outlines 6 major differences between the NHS and private physiotherapy.
Click Here To Read About The 6 Major Differences Between The NHS And Private Physiotherapy
Start Your Journey To A Life Without Knee Pain
If you realise that your knee pain is only getting worse, and you are missing out on creating treasured memories with your friends and family and you want expert help from the best physio for knee pain in the North East arrange a FREE taster consultation today.
A taster consultation is the first step to a happier, healthier and more active life so click the link below to arrange your FREE taster consultation – we can’t wait to meet you!
Click Here To Arrange Your Free Physiotherapy Taster Consultation
Alternatively, you can call us on 01429 866 771.
Want to read more about knee exercises?
Read Our Blog – How To Reduce Knee Pain When Cycling
Check out Paul’s weekly column in the newspaper; The Hartlepool Mail.
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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