Though knee pain can occur at any age from a variety of sources such as a result of injury, obesity, infections, genetic factors, gout or arthritis, it often can be more problematic as we age. In fact, knee osteoarthritis due to wearing down the cartilage in the area over time, causing the bones friction from rubbing together instead of being cushioned by knee cartilage is one of the most common forms. Unfortunately, knee osteoarthritis is irreversible. However, there are treatments for knee pain relief that can limit its progression and deal with the aching that may do more than you thought possible.
When in pain, turning to exercise to relieve suffering is the last thing many of us think about. Yet, there
has been research that shows the advantage of walking to help ease the pain of knee osteoarthritis. Actually, one study suggests that close to half of people with this condition can benefit with less pain and flare ups. The reason that walking or another form of physical activity is so important is because it helps strengthen supporting muscles.
Anyone that ever had knee replacement surgery usually has to spend time in a rehabilitation facility
before being allowed to return home. One of the first things is learning how to walk again with the guidance from physical and occupational therapy. After all, we take for granted how we walk and utilize our muscles. This is why learning the proper muscle groups to target and strengthen is so effective for recovery.
For knee osteoarthritis, a muscle group that has been studied for this purpose of exercising for knee pain relief is the quadriceps femoris. These four muscles form the bulk of the thigh, mainly the back section, and are the strongest muscles in the body. More studies are needed due to how often the exercise was performed, the intensity of the actions and the type of exercise worked the best for knee pain relief, but it does have value.
Of course, other factors need to be taken into account such as issues with the tissues in the knee’s cartilage that you may blame for causing all the pain. Nonetheless, the cartilage does not produce inflammation that causes the pain. It is the structure of what makes up the joint itself such as the synovium, subchondral bone, ligaments, and peri-articular muscles that are responsible for that suffering.
The type of strengthening exercise utilizing the hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, and hip muscles can serve as the first line of defense against knee osteoarthritis. This is far from being medical advice only a suggestion as a simple treatment that may help deal with pain.
