There is no contraindication for walking with knee pain. But existing knee pain may alter changes in walking pattern leading to compensations during the activity. This will in turn have an effect on the knee thereby increasing the pain and discomfort while walking. So walking as an exercise in case of knee pain is not recommendable.

Night pain is typically indicative of fatigue. The presence of spasms, trigger points and tightness in the muscles cause fatigue which is typically experienced more at night. This increases the stresses and loading on the joints thereby leading to pain during night. Follow these simple steps to relieve your pain at night

• Warm water bag on the thighs for 10-15 mins before sleep
• Ice around the joint 10 mins to reduce swelling
• Static hip exercises throughout the day

If the knee hurts, while you are bending, there is a possibility of any soft tissue injury in the knee. In acute conditions, it could typically hurt after any trauma. Chronically it would majorly indicate muscle imbalance and instability in the knee. It is best to get ruled out by consulting your physiotherapist or doctor to identify the underlying problem.

Muscles around the knee include Quadriceps, Hamstrings and Gastrocnemius. It is important for all these muscles to have good control to stabilise the knee and make it function better. Along with these, Gluteal muscles play a very important role in stabilising the hip and thereby reducing excessive stresses on the knees. Exercises focussing on strengthening the Glutes(hips), Quadriceps(front thigh), Hamstrings(back thigh) and Gastrocnemius(calf) are helpful in developing stability around the knee.

Yes. Definitely. Knee pain can completely go away. Conservative form of treatment includes physical therapy. With a holistic approach of pain management techniques and exercise therapy focussing the entire kinetic chain, knee pain can be cured completely. Maintenance therapy in the form of exercises gives a long term pain relief.

Knee pain is an unpleasant sensation and creates discomfort in all functional activities like squatting, walking, staircase climbing and cross leg sitting. Pain at rest, excessive swelling and inability to perform daily activities of living are signs when knee pain should not be ignored.

Exercise is the best medicine for knee pain. Various worldwide associations like WHO, World Arthritis Association emphasize on ‘Exercise’ to be the best cure for knee pain. Exercises too, should have a holistic approach. A good exercise program should comprise of mobility, flexibility, strength, balance and proprioception exercises. Apart from only the knee, exercises targeting lower back, hip and ankle work well to correct the mechanics of the body and relieve pain. Such a comprehensive product proves to be the best for Knee pain.

Osteoarthritis knees is a degenerative disorder characterized by degenerative cartilage, presence of osteophytes and reduced knee joint space. Patient with osteoarthritis knees presents with pain in knees on rest or activity, swelling in the knees, bow shaped deformity in the knees. Functional activities affected are squatting, walking, staircase climbing and cross leg sitting.

Knee injuries can be any among ligament, meniscus, cartilage or tendon injuries. These can be traumatic or non-traumatic. Hence, there is no particular age for knee problems to start. When we talk about Osteoarthritis, it has a high prevalence among people aged above 65 years. But with inactivity, sedentary lifestyle and altered mechanics, early degenerative changes contribute to OA in population below 65 years of age.

• Pain at rest
• Pain on activity
• Swelling in the knees
• Instability at the knee
• Loss of function

Prevention is always better than cure. Knee is a load bearing joint. Hence it has high risk of injury. But, it can definitely be prevented. Knee injury prevention not only includes working on the knee joint, but also equally working on the hip and ankle joint. A comprehensive exercise program including mobility, flexibility, strength and stability exercises for the structures around the hips, knees and ankles is extremely helpful in preventing knee pain. Along with this, correcting the altered biomechanics of the knee especially walking is equally important in preventing knee pain.

Osteoarthritis is a progressive disorder. There are 4 stages of Osteoarthritis.

• Stage 1- minimal affection. Minor cartilage affection with minor bone spurs.
• Stage 2- mild affection with increased bone spurs. Minimal cartilage affection with normal joint space. Mild symptoms like pain and stiffness seen
• Stage 3- moderate affection. Obvious bony changes, joint space reduction and cartilage wear off. Functional activities like walking, standing, bending and kneeling. Joint effusion seen.
• Stage 4- severe affection. Complete cartilage wear off. Minimal joint space. Loss of synovial fluid. Excessive pain and discomfort in all daily functional activities. Stiffness and immobility in the knee joint. At the end stage; i.e stage 4 OA, surgery is recommended. Conservative management is less likely to give complete pain relief.