For the longest time, you have not paid attention to your knee until it started aching. That’s right, I’m talking to you about severe knee joint pain. Often times you forget the importance of this part of your body, that only now do you realize it’s so hard to walk because your knee pain hurts so badly.
You might be reading this article because your knee joint pain is giving you problems; problems with mobility or flexibility but most especially problems with knee pain! The worst part of having problems with the knee is not really being less mobile but the pain that comes with it.
Whether you got your knee problems from a sports injury, an accident, arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or just the fact that your knees are getting old; whatever the case is, you will experience pain. And most certainly pain demands to be felt.
A Day in The Life of Severe Knee Joint Pain – Imagine this:
Championship game. Series tied at 3 a piece. Last game of the season. Last ten seconds! The other team leads by a point. A basket means a win. Basketball in your hands. You perform a crossover to free yourself from the player in front of you. Success! Now, the only thing that’s between you and the championship ring is a layup. You dribble the ball towards the basket. You get ready to jump. But the last step before the layup made you off balance because you felt a sharp pain in your right knee. You lose the ball and it goes out of bounds. The buzzer sounds. Game over. You lose.
This could have been prevented if you took care of your knee. Too late the hero!
It is never too late to improve your knee joint health!
Even when doctors have diagnosed that you will never walk again, there is still hope. Remember the story of Arthur Boorman? He is the war veteran who had too many parachute jumps which made his knee weak, to the point that he was almost paralyzed by it. When he gained weight, he could not move without crutches anymore. He was even in a wheelchair for a couple of months.
BUT he was able to prove the doctors wrong. He did not just walk but was able to RUN again. He lost weight, exercised, and did yoga among other things to make this happen. His YouTube video now has over 12 million views and still counting. He is a true inspiration for people who have experienced knee pain and have no hope of walking again.
When he was asked in an interview about the best thing in his new life, his answer was: “I can do things now that I couldn’t do. Everybody told me it wouldn’t happen. My regular doctors said, “Don’t get your hopes up.”… The weight loss is fantastic. But if I didn’t lose a single ounce and my body still felt the way it does now, I’d still consider this a raging success.”
(Source: http://www.prevention.com/fitness/yoga/yoga-transforms-disabled-veteran)
Before things get too late, learn to read the signs that your knee pain is telling you. Here are 8 things you don’t know about your knee that might save you from having a lifetime of pain.
1. Movement is of prime importance. You should move a lot. If you think that you should not move because of the pain you feel, you are wrong. Unless it’s a sharp pain, then you can move your knees. If it is a sharp pain, you should consult a doctor immediately. But if the pain is tolerable, you should keep it moving. Contrary to popular belief that you should keep it rested for a long time, you should test your limits and move your knee a lot.
Why? Because blood does not flow to the knee. Instead, the knee joint needs fluid produced by motion. Without movement, the cartilage is starved of its needed nutrition. Without movement, the joint fluid will not circulate. Keep your knees moving. Go to the park and walk, jog or bike. Keep your knee healthy by keeping it moving. Exercise!
2. Your knee can bear up to 15 times your body weight. You should know how much load your knee can take.
3. Lighter load is better on your knee. Unless you are a weightlifter by profession, you should lighten the load you give your knees. You’ve guessed it right, the best way to lighten up the load is to lose weight and stay slim. Losing 10lbs has an enormous effect on the load your knees carry.
4. Your knee age is irreversible. Understand that you are not young forever. Our aging process cannot be reversed. This should be a no-brainer but most of us treat our knees thinking that it will be healthy forever. It will naturally become more stiff and less pliable which gives you more reason to move your knees more as you age. You become more susceptible to injuries. Although your mind tells you that you still feel young and healthy, your body might not say the same thing. Listen to your body. Give it the right supplements to catch up with the aging process.
5. Knees are the most complex joint of your body. If you experienced an injury, your knee can be repaired. And since it is the most complex part of the body it cannot be easily repaired AND it does not recover as fast as your other joints. So, take good care of them to avoid an injury.
6. Food intake affects knee joint health. If your doctor has already told you to minimize food intake, you should listen to your doctor. Follow doctor’s orders. Eating peanuts if you have gout can further damage your knee. Eating unhealthy food can give you more weight, which in turn can add to the load that your knee bears. Food supplements are good for overall knee health.
7. Compression sleeves work! If you already have knee pain, a compression sleeve will help relieve pain and promote better movement. If your injury does not require immobilization of the knee joints, the best garment support that you can get is from a compression sleeve and not a neoprene sleeve.
8. Detoxifying with herbs can help. Overall health of your knee starts with the overall health of your body. If you have been eating a lot of junk food, soda and the like, it is time to detoxify your body with herbs.
It is never too late to rectify knee joint pain and make your knee healthy again. Take things one step at a time. Before you know it, you are already on the right track of giving yourself a pain free lifestyle!
