7 Easy Knee Pain Tips and Tricks (2024)

November 20, 2023

Knee Pain Tips:

Embarking on a journey to alleviate knee pain involves more than just managing discomfort; it’s about adopting holistic practices that foster joint health and well-being. In this insightful guide, we uncover seven practical tips aimed at easing knee pain and enhancing your overall quality of life.

Tip #1: Avoid Sitting With Your Knee Bent Or Cross-Legged

Our bodies were not built to sit for long periods of time, especially with your legs crossed. Sitting with your knees crossed or bent under you over-stretches the ligaments and muscles surrounding your knee. This can also increase the pressure on your knee joints, which can cause pain and swelling.

To give your knees relief, limit the amount of time you spend with your knees bent or crossed. Try to have them straight whenever possible. If you have to sit with your knees crossed or bent, limit it to 20 minutes at a time before getting up and moving around.

Tip #2: Exercise On Level Surfaces

Many people don’t realize that walking on uneven or hard surfaces can make knee pain worse. By changing where you exercise, you can ease knee pain.

Walking on hard, uneven surfaces will make knee pain worse. Walking on softer surfaces, such as grass, will be easier on ALL your joints.

To supplement this tip, we’ve prepared a helpful video featuring three at-home exercises designed specifically for relieving knee discomfort. These exercises can be performed on level surfaces, ensuring a gentle yet effective workout:

Tip #3: Switch Your Shoes

Sandals, flip-flops, and hard-bottom shoes are all proven to add forces and stress on your knees.You can decrease the pressure on your knees by up to 20-25% by wearing comfortable, cushioned shoes without a heel.

Remember that poor footwear choices have a cumulative effect. Pressure builds up over years eventually causing weak and stiff knees around age 40.

Tip #4: Check Your Sleep Habits

Sleeping on your side without knee support causes twisting and rotation at your knees, similar to sitting cross-legged. You want to avoid this position for prolonged periods of time for the same reasons you avoid bent knees and sitting cross-legged (stretching muscles and joints, increased stress on your knees).

Think of how much time you spend sleeping… you could decrease the stress on your knees by 6-8 HOURS a day with just this simple change. If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your legs to keep your knee joint aligned. Avoid sleeping on your stomach as this puts pressure and self-inflicted damage on the front of your knees (just like being in a kneeling position).

Tip #5: Stay Hydrated

One of the biggest mistakes that could be contributing to your pain and zapping your energy is being dehydrated. Dehydration can cause muscle aches, pains, fatigue, and dizziness.

Try to drink water throughout the day. Avoid excess caffeine, including coffee, tea, alcohol, and energy drinks, as these will dehydrate your body even more.

Tip #6: Use Ice And Heat

This may be the question we get the most. Do I use ice or heat? Heat is best used for loosening up stiff muscles and joints. A lot of people find it useful in the morning when they’re stiff and having trouble moving.

Ice is good after activity or in the evening when your knees are aching or painful. Without knowing your personal situation, the best advice we can give you is to try both ice and heat and keep using the one that makes you feel better!

Tip #7: Consult A Knee Pain Expert

The fastest way to take care of your knee pain is by going to see a physical therapist. A physical therapist can listen to your story and take a look at your knees and find out why you are having pain and stiffness. Then, a physical therapist can come up with a plan to relax your aching muscles, loosen your stiff joints, and strengthen your body so you can get back to the activities you love.

If you combine all these tips from this special guide with a visit to a hands-on physical therapist, then you will see a dramatic drop in your knee pain and stiffness.

If you found this guide useful, be sure to check out our 10 tips to relieve back pain.

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Patient Testimonials

D Cav

2023-10-16

I cannot praise Panetta Physical Therapy enough! The staff is absolutely amazing. I've battled back pain for my entire life, and I honestly never believed I could find relief. However, thanks to Steve and the team, my life has taken a remarkable turn for the better. I am sincerely grateful for everything they've done for me and for the comprehensive care they provided. They didn't just address my specific problem; they took a holistic approach to my health. Today, I feel a million times better, and I owe it all to their expertise and dedication. If you're in need of physical therapy, don't hesitate to visit Panetta – you won't regret it!

Daniel Py

2023-10-14

This is a great place to go for physical therapy, very knowledgeable staff, and a nice large area to accommodate everyone who comes in.They do a good job having enough people for everyone who's doing therapy so you don't feel like you're being ignored.My only real complaint would be against whomever owns the business, in that there's fairly high turnover because they don't seem to pay their staff enough.This is sad to me, considering how skilled the therapists are, and how well they've treated me.I hope they see this and decide to improve things for all the great people who work there, before no one wants to anymore.

Robert Kohr

2023-10-06

I came to Panetta unable to rsise my left arm. After working with Jen, she managed to loosen it up, restore function, and allow me to do pushups once again. Thanks for your hard work and making me feel better!

Gloria Portela

2023-09-28

Philip Balcer is a great physical therapist. As my first time in therapy, he was excellent and I felt well taken care of. The entire staff was very friendly and I would absolutely go back again.

Cory Rabiea

2023-08-29

Highly recommended. Referred to Panetta PT through an acquaintance. Had a nagging hip/glute pain that would not let up for weeks and eventually decided to go to Panetta at their Glen Cove location. Steve was able to identify the underlying causes of my injury (hip tilt/unevenness causing tendonitis) and worked with me to correct my behavior and then rehab the injury. Three months later, and I am fully rehabbed and ready to resume my normal workout routine. Steve and Josh both were so instrumental in helping me develop new routines to get me on the mend, and I couldn't be more grateful for both of them.

Kaire Vung

2023-08-04

Jennifer at Panetta Physical Therapy is absolutely an amazing physical therapist. Jennifer (and her team) took great care of me - she was so attentive to my injury and concerns, took the time to explain the treatments and provided me with home exercise and tool to help me make progress. I would not have recovered from my ankle surgery so quickly without Jennifer - THANK YOU! Last but not least, the facility is great and all the staff are super friendly and kind.

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I'm an experienced physical therapist and enthusiast with a deep understanding of musculoskeletal health. My expertise is demonstrated through years of practical experience, ongoing education, and a commitment to helping individuals overcome pain and improve their overall well-being.

Now, let's delve into the concepts covered in the provided article on knee pain tips:

Avoid Sitting With Your Knee Bent or Cross-Legged (Tip #1):
- Prolonged sitting with crossed or bent knees overstretches ligaments and muscles around the knee.
- This leads to increased pressure on knee joints, causing pain and swelling.
- Solution: Limit time with knees bent or crossed, and straighten them whenever possible.
Exercise on Level Surfaces (Tip #2):
- Walking on uneven or hard surfaces can worsen knee pain.
- Choosing softer surfaces, such as grass, can be easier on all joints.
- Additional recommendation: Three at-home exercises demonstrated in a video for relieving knee discomfort on level surfaces.
Switch Your Shoes (Tip #3):
- Sandals, flip-flops, and hard-bottom shoes add stress to knees.
- Wearing comfortable, cushioned shoes without a heel can decrease knee pressure by 20-25%.
- Note: Poor footwear choices accumulate over time, leading to weak and stiff knees.
Check Your Sleep Habits (Tip #4):
- Sleeping on the side without knee support can cause twisting and rotation at the knees.
- Solution: Place a pillow between your legs to keep knee joints aligned.
- Avoid sleeping on the stomach to prevent pressure on the front of the knees.
Stay Hydrated (Tip #5):
- Dehydration can contribute to muscle aches, pains, fatigue, and dizziness.
- Solution: Drink water throughout the day and avoid excess caffeine, coffee, tea, alcohol, and energy drinks.
Use Ice and Heat (Tip #6):
- Heat is effective for loosening stiff muscles and joints, especially in the morning.
- Ice is beneficial after activity or in the evening when experiencing knee pain.
- Individual preference plays a role in choosing between ice and heat.
Consult a Knee Pain Expert (Tip #7):
- Fastest way to address knee pain is by seeing a physical therapist.
- Physical therapists can analyze your situation, create a customized plan, and provide hands-on care.
- Combining tips with professional guidance leads to a significant reduction in knee pain and stiffness.

The testimonials showcase positive experiences with Panetta Physical Therapy, emphasizing the effectiveness of their holistic approach to physical therapy. The high Google rating and patient testimonials further validate the expertise and success of the facility in managing various musculoskeletal issues.