DO YOU HAVE KNEE PAIN?

There are many types of knee pain and many suffer with it without seeking treatment. If you’ve been experiencing knee pain more than 3 weeks you need to seek out advice from a physician. Here are 4 questions you should ask your physician:

1.What’s causing my knee pain: injury, overuse, arthritis, or something else?

2.What are my treatment options and which pain relievers are best for me?

3.What kind of exercise should I do and how often?

4.What can I do to prevent my pain from getting worse?

TO MANAGE KNEE PAIN, YOU SHOULD:

1. Start a new activity?    YES     NO

 2. Take pain relievers?     YES     NO

3. Compress the knee.     YES     NO

4. Elevate the knee.          YES     NO

5. Apply ice packs or heating pads?     YES      NO

1.YES.  Hurting knees need time off. Stop doing what the worsens the pain and instead, try another activity that doesn’t hurt.

2.YES.  Over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen case ease pain. Ibuprofen and naproxen reduce swelling in addition to pain. Pain relieving gels and creams may also help to relieve discomfort.

3.YES. Apply ice packs for 15-20 minutes at a time, four times a day, to keep swelling and pain down. Use heating pads only for chronic knee pain, such as that caused by arthritis.

4.YES. To reduce swelling and provide extra support, compress your knee gently by wrapping it with an elastic bandage.

5.YES. Limit swelling by elevating your knee above your heart level several times a day.

Until you get in to see your physician, test your knowledge of what to do about knee pain.