How to reduce knee swelling
Among various knee problems and diseases, knee swelling turns out to be the common one. As fluid starts to accumulate around or on the knee joint, it creates effusion, which is commonly referred to as water on the knee. When the knee pain and swelling is at the initial level, doctors recommend taking some medications and undergoing physiotherapy in order to get rid of the problem. But, what if it gets uncontrollable? This is when the role of an orthopedic surgeon becomes crucial and patients would not have any other option but to visit one of the best surgeons in town.
So, the question is to how to deal with knee problems? What to do when the knee swells? To begin with this, it is important to get in-depth information about knee swelling, its symptoms and causes behind it.
Let’s have a look at them.
Symptoms
· The skin gets puffy around the kneecap
· The knee gets difficult to straighten or bend
· The knee hurts while bearing weight
· Warmth or redness
Chronic swelling is the intense form of knee swelling that leads to extreme situations, like bone softening, joint damage or cartilage degradation.
Causes of Knee Swelling
Every individual who suffers from injuries like damage to the ligaments, broken bones, overuse and tearing of cartilage cause fluid to accumulate around the knee, leading to some of the major and underlying conditions- tumors, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, bursitis, pseudogout, infection and cysts.
As soon as the person notices these causes, it is recommended to visit an orthopedic surgeon who could assist with their experience and expertise.
Treatments for Knee Swelling
No doubt, the complex structure of cartilage and knee joints, when not taken care of properly, is vulnerable to minor or severe injuries. Most of which usually leads to Osteoarthritis (OA), affecting knee joints followed by other body parts. In fact, sports enthusiasts, especially athletes, are prone to having such problems because of extra movement and efforts made to improve their sports performance. Almost half of them deal with tears in cartilage and knee ligaments, which are transformed into OA over a certain time period. Other than that, bursitis rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis and wear and tear with age are additional reasons causing knee pain.
Although the effects of knee arthritis or swelling are not reversed, an orthopedic surgeon can still help to reduce or slow them down. Patients can even avoid knee surgery and save a significant amount of money by following these simple tips that have proven effects over knee swelling and other problems.
1. Visit a Doctor
Having knee pain means that it is time to take an appointment with a primary care physician, who can provide enough treatment to control initial knee swelling.
Additionally, one of the smart actions is to visit a physical therapist who can help to strengthen muscles and bones. Most of the sports doctors recommend that as soon as people will enroll themselves in different knee strengthening exercises, their health would be better, resulting in avoidance of surgery. Physical therapy is among those few methods that can ease pain, swelling and improve motion for patients who are suffering from OA.
2. Lose Weight
No doubt, knees are responsible to bear entire body weight and therefore, they may be having trouble when there are extra pounds imposed on them. For a sporty, it is very important to keep their weight in control because it is not just about being active but also about keeping the knee in good condition.
3. Work on the Key Muscles
According to an Orthopedic surgeon, people should focus on building and strengthening the muscles at the back and front of thighs i.e. hamstrings and quadriceps. So, do a warm-up session of around 10 minutes and then perform the following exercises.
Short arc Quad: Proving to be the easiest exercise for knee, patients can feel relaxed and relieved after performing this exercise. All they have to do is to lie on their back with knees placed on a rolled towel. Now lift and straighten the knee by tightening the thigh muscles. Hold knee for about five seconds and then go back to the original position.
Wall Slides: To work on quadriceps in a better way, it is recommended to use a wall though. Press the spine against the wall to slide vertically in order to attain a sitting position. Remain in that position for some time and slide back up. Repeat this exercise with longer holds over time.
Bridge: This exercise has turned out to be effective for hamstring strength, the core and butt. It is responsible to straighten the posture by allowing the knees and shoulders to create a straight line.
4. Avoid Heels
For women who have been suffering from knee swelling and pain, it is advised to avoid wearing high heels, as they cause pressure. They should be using flat shows having no arch support, such as ballet flats and loafers so that there would be least pressure on their knees. They may also find difficulty in knee surgery recovery because high heels affect overall posture and performance of the body.
5. Use Supplements
Last but not the least; supplements’ intake plays a crucial role to cure knee swelling as it is quite common to see people deficient of certain nutrients or minerals that are necessary to treat the problems. Apart from taking sport medicine, supplements are also a must-have to ensure good sports performance.
Now that you the basic tips to knee swelling, we are sure you will keep these in mind and also share among your peers.