Chronic knee pain affects a majority of athletes and even casual recreational sports and gym enthusiasts. Most of the time, knee pain is caused by an underlying injury, either through a sudden impact or an overuse of the knee joint.
Other genetic and environmental factors that can affect chronic knee pain includes arthritis of the knee.
While the origination of pain from the knee can often be hard to diagnose and treat with a universal method, working out with acute or chronic knee pain is still possible with the correct approach.
While the number one thing you should do once you experience chronic knee pain while exercising is listen to your body. There are certain things that you could do to work around the pain when working out, but don’t ignore the pain. The best way is to always seek a diagnosis for your knee before going forward with any workout.
Always Stretch and Warm Up Before Working Out
Regardless of the condition that you are faced with, stretching and warming up is imperative if you want to reduce the pain in your knees and subject yourself to being less injury prone. Think about this: If your muscles are all tight and your joints cold and inflexible, would you be feeling more of the pain during your movement? Definitely! Always get your blood flowing to your muscles and perform some form of dynamic stretching of the movement you’re about to do before working out with your knees.
Working Your Way Around the Injury
After getting a diagnosis of your acute or chronic knee pain, it’s time to work on the injury site. Regardless of the issue be it tendonitis or patellar tendinopathy, it is important to work with the injury. If you’re encountering pain in the patellar tendon (otherwise known as having the jumper’s knee) then you absolutely do not want to be putting excess pressure and tension on your knees. Opt for exercises that do not cause a direct overshoot of the knee over your toes such as box squats and lunges.
An interesting piece of equipment you could consider trying would be the use of knee sleeves. Knee sleeves offer additional compression of the area around your knees, increasing blood flow to the area and keeping the joints stabilized. This could really help to reduce the pain in your knees when you’re working out.
Working out with acute or chronic knee pain is possible as long as you understand the origin of the pain. Stretch, warm up and finally perform exercises that do not directly put stress on your injury until the symptoms have abated.
In need of Knee Pain Rehabilitation? Schedule an Appointment Today!
If you have any questions, or want a consultation with a professional, feel free to call, or schedule an appointment online at any of our Bergen County or Passaic County offices in New Jersey. Choose from Glen Rock, Franklin Lakes, Fair Lawn, Ridgewood/Ho-Ho-Kus, and/or Clifton – we make it possible for you to visit any of our offices at your convenience.
Do you, or someone you know suffer from knee pain? We can help with a simple consultation.
