Is Knee Pain Inhibiting Your Workout Routine?

More people than ever are invested in maintaining a healthy and fit body. This could be for aesthetic or image reasons in our increasingly social media-driven culture. However, for others, maintaining a healthy respiratory and circulatory system increases longevity and quality of life.

While a calorie and nutrient balanced diet is necessary in maintaining an optimal weight, experts agree that this is not the only requirement. Most people should also incorporate an exercise regime to stay physically fit. However, what happens when a keep-fit routine is causing you to experience pain?

Knee Pain from Exercise

It can be difficult to determine if knee pain experienced during exercise is as a result of a strenuous session, or symptomatic of something more serious. You should be concerned if your knees experience discomfort during activity, or symptoms do not abate after periods of rest.

It is time to seek medical advice if you experience increased pain while running downhill, kneeling or squatting. An ache felt in the front of the kneecap is additional cause for alarm. The source of this pain is most likely a softening of the outside of the kneecap, caused by repetitive stress. This usually results from exercise and is why the condition is known as runner’s knee.

Seek Medical Advice for Any Joint Pain

Runner’s knee, in most cases, does not require invasive treatment to correct. Anti-inflammatory medication and resting the joint will usually relieve symptoms. The condition can be managed with improved knee support from specialist footwear or knee braces, or specific physical therapy.

However, in some cases, the damage to the kneecap is so severe that surgery is required. In addition, your knee pain could have resulted from a more serious issue, such as a ligament injury, cartilage damage or the onset of arthritis or osteoarthritis. Do not ignore symptoms that cause pain, stiffness, inflammation or reduced range of movement of the knee joint. Early treatment can determine the effectiveness of certain treatments.

Doctor Buechel recommends never ignoring pain in the knee. If you are experiencing discomfort, contact the Robotic Joint Center today for a knee health consultation.