Ice treatment for knee injury
Ice treatment is quite good and effective for knee injuries. Icing is most effective immediately following an injury. The effect of icing reduces significantly after about 48 hours.
You should apply ice directly to the injury, then move the ice frequently without sitting in one spot.
Keep your injured knee elevated above the heart while icing. This will further help reduce swelling. Apply the ice for 15-20 minutes which should be enough. You can cause further damage to the tissues, by icing for too long.
Take a break for at least 45 minutes or an hour before beginning the icing routine again. Apply ice treatment as frequently as you wish, as long as the area is warm to touch and has normal sensation before repeating.
You can use a Ziploc bag with ice cubes or crushed ice. Also, add a little water to the ice bag so it will conform to your body easily.
Keep paper cups filled with water in your freezer. Peel the top of the cup away and massage the ice-cup over the injury in a circular pattern allowing the ice to melt away.
You may use a bag of frozen peas or corn from the frozen food section.
Do not allow ice to sit against the skin without a layer of protection. Either continually move the ice or use a thin towel between the ice and skin.
Exercise at Office
People who have desk jobs need to get up and move legs. Sitting behind the desk for several hours may decrease the blood circulation of legs and cause blood clots. Legs are the farthest away from heart and it can increase the risk of heart attack for people who are not active. More »
10 Exercises for knee pain
The following exercises will help reduce the knee pain and strengthen the knees.
Exercise 1:
1. Lie down on a flat surface and do the straight leg exercises. Knees shouldn’t be bent as it may increase the knee pain.
2. Take a 10 seconds break in each raise.
3. Hold the position for a few seconds each time.
4. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Exercise 2:
1. Lie on the stomach and relax.
2. Lift your toe slowly up as much as you can.
3. When completely lifted, hold it up with your hand and push the heel towards the buttock.
4. Maintain the same position for about 20 seconds.
5. Repeat this exercise 5 times for each leg.
Exercise 3:
1. Sit straight in a chair, keep the heels on the floor.
2. Lift your toes slowly and pull back your heels.
3. Hold the position for 10 seconds and then repeat the same procedure twice.
Exercise 4:
1. Stand facing the wall, support yourself with the wall.
2. Put the affected leg behind, foot facing forward.
3. Lean your body weight slowly forward keeping both the heels on ground.
4. Hold the position for 20 seconds.
5. Repeat the exercise 5 times.
Exercise 5:
1. Lie down and bend your left leg at 45º placing the foot on the floor.
2. Keep your right leg straight on the floor.
3. Raise the left leg from the ground to 35º and then put it down.
4. Knees should be locked during the whole exercise.
5. Do it for 10 times and repeat it with the right leg.
Exercise 6:
1. Stand straight and keep a chair in front of you.
2. Hold the chair, bend your knees and stay there for 5 seconds.
3. Stand straight again and then repeat the same procedure for 10 times.
4. Now remove the chair and do the same exercise without the support for 10 times.
Exercise 7:
1. Place half of a rolled towel under your left feet.
2. Use rest of the towel to pull your feet towards yourself with your hands.
3. Lift the leg up as much as possible, maintain the position at least for 15 seconds before releasing it slowly down.
4. Repeat the same procedure with the other leg, keeping your knees straight while doing this exercise.
Exercise 8:
1. Place a small stool which can behave as a step or stand in front of the staircases.
2. Put your right leg on the step or the stool and climb it and then again step down.
3. Do it for 10 times from right leg and then repeat it with your left leg.
4. Place the stool to your left side and climb it side-wise.
5. Repeat it with the right side and do it for 10 times.
Exercise 9:
1. Stand on raised platform.
2. Keep only your feet fingers on it, the rest of your foot should not be on the platform.
3. Balance yourself and then slowly push your heels down, without steeping down entirely.
4. Keep your knees straight, and do the exercise for 10 seconds.
5. Lift your heels up by pressing your feet fingers on the platform.
Exercise 10:
1. Lie on your stomach for this exercise.
2. Lift your left foot slowly.
3. Place it on your right heel.
4. Pull your right heel towards your buttocks, creating resistance with your left foot.
5. Hold the position for 10 seconds and then relax.
6. Repeat the exercise 10 times, with both the feet.
ISU study finds high heels may lead to joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis
High heels may be doing harm to womens’ knees and joints over time. A new study by an Iowa State University kinesiology master’s student has found that prolonged wearing of high heels can contribute to joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis.
ISU kinesiology master's student Danielle Barkema (left) and kinesiology professor and chair Phil Martin (right)
Danielle Barkema, the ISU student recently completed her thesis research studying the effects of high-heeled walking on forces acting on lower extremity joints. Kinesiology professor and department chair Phil Martin assisted her in the study.
“Obviously with research like this, you can’t say with any certainty that if you wear high heels regularly you will develop osteoarthritis. We don’t know that,” Barkema said. “There are probably people [high heel wearers] who do and those who do not. However, based on this information, wearing high heels puts individuals at greater risk for developing osteoarthritis. And it seems to be that the higher the heel height, the greater the risk.”
Barkema selected three different heel heights — flat, two inches, and 3.5 inches. She had each of the 15 women in her study complete walking trials and she measured the forces acting about the knee joint and the heelstrike-induced shock wave that travels up the body when walking in heels. The ISU researchers found that heel height changes walking characteristics and as the heels got higher, they also saw an increase in the compression on the inside of the knee.
“This means that prolonged wearing and walking in heels could, over time, contribute to joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis,” Barkema said. Wearing high heels regularly puts a person at risk and the higher the heel, the greater the risk.
Barkema also found that wearing heels – especially those two inches and higher – alters body posture by changing joint positions at the ankle, knee, hip, and trunk, which can create strain on the lower back.
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Knee Exercise
Weakness in the muscles around the knee combined with a lack of flexibility can cause Knee pain. A twisting low lunge strengthens the quads and the muscles in the lower leg.
You can prevent running injuries by doing the following knee exercise:
1. Step forward with your right foot.
2. Bring your right knee directly over your right ankle in a low lunge.
3. Your left knee and foot should rest on the floor. Inhale.
4. Exhale and twist to the right.
5. Bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee.
6. Bring your palms together and press your right shoulder up and back.
7. Keep your right foot relaxed and your weight evenly distributed on it.
8. Resist any tendency to roll to the outer edge of the foot.
3. Stay for at least five breaths before carefully unwinding and changing legs to twist to the left. You might be more flexible on one side, so give your weaker side equal attention, even if it is not as comfortable at first.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body. It involves the breakdown of cartilage. It consists of more than 100 different conditions. No one knows what causes arthritis, though scientists have uncovered many clues.
The pain from arthritis in knee occurs due to inflammation that occurs around the knee joint, damage to the knee joint from disease, daily wear and tear of knee joint. Also muscles strains caused by forceful movements against stiff, painful knee joints.
The common symptoms for all arthritis disorders include pain, swelling, joint stiffness and a constant ache around the joints.
One can reduce the risks of Arthiritis by becoming physically active, participating in physical therapy, eating healthy and losing weight.
Tags: Arthiritis