What to do about knee pain?

What to do about knee pain? If you experience knee pain while jogging or after a fall, stop training immediately and cool your knee with an ice pack. Put your knees up and move as little as possible. Under no circumstances should you continue to exercise despite knee pain.

In addition, you can treat the painful knees with a pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory ointment. Insoles, support bandages, or physiotherapy can also help to alleviate the symptoms.

When to go to the doctor

After a few days of rest, knee pain often disappears, but conservative therapy is not always sufficient. If the symptoms do not improve or if there is severe swelling, you should consult a doctor and have your knees scrutinized. This is especially true when the knee pain occurs at rest, and standing and walking are only possible with pain.

If the pain in the knee occurs repeatedly, so that it can be regarded as chronic, it must be checked whether the pain has its cause in the knee. In some cases, problems in the hip joint or irritated nerve cells in the spinal cord can also lead to knee pain.

In addition, many other causes can lead to knee pain, so you should consult a doctor if the symptoms persist.

Preventing knee pain: tips and tricks

A painful knee injury is usually challenging to prevent. However, you can prevent knee pain caused by improper strain with a few simple tricks:

• Buy new running shoes regularly and use a treadmill analysis to find your running shoes.
• In the case of pronounced leg deformities, wearing special insoles in running shoes can also make sense.
• If you jog regularly, run on a soft surface like a forest floor. This measure protects the joints.
• Perform stretching and stabilization exercises regularly to compensate for possible shortening and imbalances. See a physiotherapist who can identify possible imbalances and recommend appropriate exercises.
• If you are overweight, reduce your weight a little, taking the pressure off your knees. If you are severely overweight, you should choose joint-gentle sports such as swimming, cycling or Nordic walking.

Sport for knee pain

Those who often struggle with knee pain do not necessarily have to do without sport. Strong leg muscles help protect the knee from injury and wear and tear. However, it is important not to overestimate yourself in sports. If you already have knee pain, you should also choose an easy sport on your knees.

The sports below have a different risk of injury to the knee joint:

• low risk of injury: moderate cycling, backstroke and front crawl, hiking, walking, gymnastics, dancing
• medium risk of injury:  jogging, bowling, horseback riding, golf, inline skating
• high risk of injury: football, tennis, squash, martial arts, alpine skiing, basketball, volleyball, handball, skateboarding