Fitness Comfort Protection Freedom Confidence Lifestyle
It's the biggest joint in the body, it supports nearly all our body weight and it's fiendishly complicated - what can possibly go wrong?
Looking after your knee
It's the meeting place of the thigh bone, shin bone, and patella, with the fibula showing up too. The bone and cartilage is all held together, and held in place, by a combination of ligaments and tendons - and they must all be healthy and functioning properly for the knee to function properly.
And whatever your sport or activity the knee takes a battering, so it's a good idea to look after it, because there is a lot to go wrong!
See your doctor, or go straight to a hospital, if:
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your knee can't bear any weight
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you experience severe pain, swelling or numbness, redness or heat
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home care and treatment haven't worked after a few days
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if in any doubt at all
Common injuries for home care and treatment
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simple sprain or strain
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meniscus and cartilage damage
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tendonitus, torn ligament or tendon
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bursitis
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Osgood Schlatter
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arthritis
Looking after your knee
RICE
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not real rice - Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation
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Top Tip - rice grains in a bag, chucked in the freezer for a couple of hours, make a great reusable icepack! Ice works best as a treatment on very recent injuries, but will still provide relief to virtually any knee condition.
Exercise for Prevention
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strengthen the muscles around the knee - leg raises from lying and sitting, squats, steps and side-steps, are some typical low intensity exercises
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even a small amount of regular exercise will show massive long term benefits
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maintain correct posture and movement
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keep your weight sensible
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warm up and warm down properly
Exercise for Treatment
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walking
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as Exercise for Prevention above, but REMEMBER - the idea is to make it better, not worse! So go easy, and remember if home care and treatment haven't worked after a few days consult your physician
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use RICE treatment after exercising
