A creak when you get up, a pinch when you walk … what if your knees are sending you a message? Decrypt it and find out how they want you to take care of them.
Dr. Manuel Villanueva, traumatologist, medical director of the Avanfi Institute and president of the Spanish Association of Ecoguided Surgery, reveals what the main causes of knee pain are and how to avoid or solve them.
1. A punctual click
Why do you hear it? We have a small amount of fluid in the knee joints to lubricate them and prevent wear. The crackling is due to the difference in pressures in the gases dissolved in this liquid. When we force a joint to move it, the bubbles of these gases "explode" and this causes the click. It's like when you open a soda: the pressure in the bottle drops and the gases come out making a noise.
Worry if… The clicking is frequent and is accompanied by pain or blockage of the joint. Then you should consult with the traumatologist.
2. It bothers you when climbing stairs
What feeling do you have? It is like a friction that you notice when bending the knee, either when climbing stairs, when getting up when you have been sitting for a while; Or when you bend over and sit back up.
It could mean … That the cartilage in your knees is somewhat worn. It is what is known as chondromalacia patella.
What can you do? This disorder is more common in women and may be related to an abnormal position of the knee when forced by the use of high heels: when the heels measure more than 8 centimeters they can increase the pressure on the joint by 23%. For this reason, it is best to try to wear shoes with 2 or 3 centimeters of heels because, according to the traumatologist Manuel Villanueva, "it helps to distribute the pressure between the heel and the metatarsal area".
3. You notice swelling and stiffness
What you feel. Pain that can be excruciating, accompanied by swelling and stiffness in the area.
Why? Because your joints are starting to wear out.
What you have to do? Exercise them. If the surrounding muscles are not strong, the pressure falls on the joint and the chances of wear and tear are greatly increased. It is what is known as knee osteoarthritis, and it begins to manifest itself after the age of 45.
Don't let it pass. According to Dr. Villanueva, if you feel that your knee is blocked or begins to deform it is time to consult so that it does not go to more.
4. You have trouble stretching your leg
What you notice. In addition to the difficulties in fully unfolding the knee, you may feel popping and pain.
It happens because … There is a meniscus problem. Being overweight is the main enemy of those little pads that we have between the cartilage of the tibia and that of the femur. An excess of kilos can multiply by 10 the possibilities of suffering some ailment in your knees.
A few pounds of less alleviate. The closer you get to your ideal weight, the healthier your knees will be. Some studies suggest that just saying goodbye to 4 kilos, you reduce up to 50% the risk of suffering arthritis in the knees. In addition, experts agree that to avoid wear and tear on the joints, specific exercises must also be done to strengthen the leg muscles.
5. You feel pain when you run
You may notice … A pain in the side of your knee. You feel almost running and prevents you from continuing.
What can it mean? It is an overload of the joints. It is known as "runner's knee" or iliotibial band tendinopathy syndrome.
How to act. It is not enough to rest, ask your doctor what is the best treatment in your case (exercises, massages, electrotherapy) because if not, when you run again, it will hurt again.
Attentive to your sports. Not all of them are suitable for running, “it is as if a person who was going to practice skiing tried it without the boots or the fastening bindings, it would not make sense”, says Dr. Villanueva.
And check your posture. According to Dr. Villanueva, "this syndrome may be favored by abnormalities in the alignment of the legs, alterations in the shape of the hips or knees, an incorrect tread or atrophy of the gluteal muscles."
6. It hurts and you feel unstable when walking
What happened? If you have noticed a clicking noise and then your knee has started to swell, it hurts and it feels unstable, you may have sprained yourself.
Avoid further damage. Do not walk. Get help getting around and see your doctor as soon as possible.
What will you have to do? Typically, your doctor will give you a rest time and may even indicate the use of a splint to prevent you from moving your knee, as well as prescribe some type of anti-inflammatory medication. The first days it is also advisable to put ice on the knee to reduce inflammation, but you should not do it for more than 20 minutes. When the doctor deems it appropriate, you will have to recover your knee with physical therapy exercises. In some cases, however, surgery may be indicated.
And how to prevent gestures and habits that harm them
In addition to the recommendations that we have made you about wearing suitable footwear, exercising regularly, etc., there are habits that we repeat daily that also influence the health of the knees:
- You stand a lot. If you are in this position for too long, try to move and alternately shift your weight, shifting it from one leg to the other.
- You spend a lot of time sitting. Try to get up and walk a little every so often and stretch your knee, even if it's under the table, every now and then.
- You carry weight. Doing it improperly also affects them. To lift weights, slightly bend your knees and bring the object closer to your body, resting it on it to lift it without forcing your knees.
