Coping with Achy Knees

Your knees are one of the most important joints in your body and subject to some of the worst wear-and-tear. Because they’re so important to your ability to function every day, it can be debilitating when you have a knee injury or aching joints. 

Luckily, Dr. Jamie Ricks and our team at Advantage Spinal Dynamics & Innovative Medicine in Meridian, Idaho, offer a range of treatments that can help reduce your knee pain and improve your mobility. Read on to find out how to cope with your achy knees. 

What causes achy knees?

Knee pain can refer to a wide array of symptoms, from mild aches and occasional pains to severe, constant, and debilitating pain that makes walking difficult and impacts your quality of life. About 32% of men and 58% of women experience knee pain at some point in their lives. 

While sports injuries, accidents, and repetitive strain can cause knee pain, achy knees are often the result of osteoarthritis, known as wear-and-tear arthritis because it refers to the natural deterioration of the cartilage around your joints. 

Coping with achy knees through lifestyle changes

Knee pain often can improve with simple lifestyle changes that reduce stress on your knees. For example, cushioned insoles in your shoes can lessen the impact when you walk or perform other activities. 

Achy knees can also result from overuse and overstretching. Replacing high-impact activities with gentler forms of exercise can help. 

If you’re overweight, losing weight is an effective way to reduce stress on your sensitive knee joints. Losing even a few pounds can make a big difference.

What treatments are available for achy knees?

If lifestyle changes aren’t enough to help you cope with your achy knees, it’s time to seek medical help. Here at Advantage Spinal Dynamics & Innovative Medicine, we offer the following treatments to help reduce your knee pain and get you back on your feet. 

Decompression

Knee pain is sometimes caused by gravity — your weight compresses the sensitive spaces in your joints. In this case, gentle decompression therapy can help by mechanically stretching your knee joint to relieve pain and tension.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Nerve endings send electrical signals to the brain, but sometimes these nerves can send unnecessary pain signals. TENS is a noninvasive procedure that works by interrupting these pain signals to treat your achy knees. 

Red light laser therapy

Red light laser therapy uses a special infrared wavelength light that can pass harmlessly through your skin to stimulate your body’s natural ability to heal within your knee joint. 

Hyaluronic injections 

Sometimes, achy knees are caused by a decrease in the synovial fluid that normally lubricates your knee joint. Hyaluronic acid is a natural lubricating substance produced by your body that’s injected directly into your knee joint to increase lubrication and decrease aches and pain. 

Trigger point injections 

Knee pain can be caused by trigger points, nerve endings that send redundant pain messages. Injecting a local anesthetic or corticosteroids into the trigger points can inhibit the nerve endings and reduce pain.

Regenerative medicine

Friction, overuse, and injury can reduce your natural cartilage and cause serious knee pain. Mesenchymal stem cell injections can promote the growth of new tissues, including cartilage. 

If you’re suffering from painful, achy knees, it’s time to see how Dr. Ricks and our team at Advantage Spinal Dynamics & Innovative Medicine can help. Call us today at 208-225-4358 or make an appointment online so we can uncover the source of your knee pain and treat it.