You aren’t alone! According to a CDC (center for disease control) survey, 18% of adults over 18 years old reported to have experienced knee pain in the previous 30 days.  We deal with an older group than that,  so we see people with knee pain all the time.

Of course this advice would need to be tailored to you specifically and we can do that in a one-on-one session, but this is my quick advice to you.  These are things I look at and encourage for all our clients.

STRETCH

This is #1 – There are some instances of knee pain that you can get to go away almost instantly with just one good stretch while others will take weeks of stretching to go away.  If you are having knee pain,  you might try stretching.  (if you just blew out your knee going to a doctor is a WAY better idea than stretching).

Here is a video of a little known technique that we use with our clients.  We have found that it helps a little for some people and a LOT for others!

click here>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAYkqteTFHQ&t=39s

SIT LESS

The sitting position is not a great position for our knees to stay in often.   It creates a lot of stress on the patella “knee cap” and the more time you spend sitting, the tighter your muscles become.

DRINK WATER

This sounds crazy but most people are chronically dehydrated.  Our joints have a liquid inside called synovial fluid.  If we are dehydrated,  it will affect this fluid.  Have you ever seen a rubber band that’s been out in the sun too long?  Can you say SNAP!  That’s an extreme example of what’s happening in our body when we are dehydrated.  I recommend a ½ ounce per pound of body weight.  150 pounds?  Drink at least 75 ounces of water EACH DAY.  (the extra trips to the bathroom at first will return to normal as your body gets used to the more reliable water intake, plus you’ll most likely lose some weight too!)

EXERCISE

But do the exercise correctly!!    We have people come in all the time listing all the things that they CAN’T do.  Often, it is just a matter of teaching the proper posture and movement and they can STOP their pain.  Just the other day, we had someone in our group class say that their knees hurt.  We adjusted their position and the hurt knee problem was solved.  Don’t PUSH THROUGH THE PAIN.  Figure out why it’s there and fix the cause!  If you’re lost, that’s what we are here for!

When in doubt REST and see a professional.  Don’t make a small problem into a big problem by trying to ignore it or work through it.