I read a blog post recently by a woman who was experiencing knee pain when she ran. She set about to self diagnose the cause of her pain and the treatment. She use the Runners World Where Does It Hurt guide (which is a pretty cool injury diagnosis tool by the way) to determine her pain was caused by osteoarthritis which is a degeneration of the cartilage, along with IT (Illiotibial) Band pain.
Further research led her to a treatment plan. She also smartly adopted a prevention element into her plan. Her plan involves tretching and strengthening exercises, along with compression and warmth to the area to increase circulation and healing.
She purchased a knee compression sleeve to wear during her runs which she said took some getting used but helped tremendously. She also added a Jillian Michaels workout to her plan to help strengthen the area and prevent further injury.
Her plan sounds solid, especially the proactive elements of stretching and strengthening. She should also consider using ice therapy for 20 minutes after her runs to reduce the inflammation to the area. If she used a knee ice wrap she could apply the ice therapy while she could ice her knee without having sit or lie down for 20 minutes.
You can read her post here.
Showing posts with label knee pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knee pain. Show all posts
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Icing is a "Miracle Worker" for Knee Pain
I read an article recently by Adam Friedman, CSCS, CN, CMT who is a kinesiologist, certified strength & conditioning specialist, certified nutritionist, and certified massage technician. In the article he laid out a four step process to treat the symptoms and cause of knee pain. One of the four steps he discussed was icing. He called icing a "miracle worker" when done religiously. About the only to ice religiously is with a knee ice wrap. not only are they way more convenient than a bag of ice cubes but they are more effective too.
Below is the excerpt about icing from Adam's article.
Ice: Do this as soon as possible after activity for 15-20 minutes daily to reduce the pain and inflammation. An inflamed knee may or may not be noticeable to the eye, but is most likely present if you’ve recently had knee pain. Otherwise the healing will be much slower. Icing promotes a healing environment, and is a “miracle worker” when used religiously for pain.
You can read the compete article at http://www.smmirror.com/?ajax#mode=single&view=31876
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
When and How to Use Ice Therapy
Below is a good article on the benefits of ice therapy, the many issues of ice therapy and why ice therapy is beneficial in treating various injuries. Since knees are one the most injured and most painful joint in the body I thought this was a applicable and shows the usefulness of having a knee ice wrap on hand to be able to apply ice therapy as soon as possible after a knee injury
Ice Therapy: Effective Methods To Treat Ice Sprains, Strains, And Other Injuries
How to use ice therapy (cryotherapy) for injuries such as ligament sprains, muscle strains, overuse injuries, and other muscular pain.
By: Nancy HausauerWhen to Use Cold Therapy
Many people are confused about when to use ice therapy--also called cryotherapy. Here's a memory aid: Use Ice for Injuries and Inflammation.
Heat will just make inflammation worse, and that will increase pain and swelling in a recent injury--i.e. one that happened within the last 72 hours. If it's still hot, red, or swollen--don't put heat on it!
Cryotherapy on the other hand, constricts blood vessels and capillaries and slows metabolic activity, helping to prevent excessive swelling. It reduces pain and helps you heal faster.
Methods of Ice Therapy:
How do you use ice? Read on for the most effective methods.
Ice pack:
This is the good old standby. Use a commercially prepared ice pack, or put crushed ice from your freezer in a sealable bag with a little water.
Conformable Ice-Pack
Another great trick is to buy an old-fashioned hot water bottle and fill it part-way with a mixture of water and alcohol. Put it in your freezer for a few hours, and it's ready to go. It won't ever freeze completely, making it able conform to your body better than a solid block of ice. Return it to your freezer when you're done.
Conformable Ice-Pack 2
Dedicate a bag of frozen peas for t
Ice Massage:
Freeze water in a small paper cup. Peel the top of the paper cup away and use the remaining paper as a kind of handle to help you hold on to the ice. Massage the ice over the injury for five minutes or until the area is numb. Keep the ice moving slowly and steadily. This is great for tendonitis and smaller areas and can provide considerable pain relief.
Icing Safely
A few tips will help you use ice safely and effectively:
1) Don't put ice directly on your skin (except in the case of ice massage, when you're constantly moving it). Keep a barrier of cloth between you and the ice.
2) Apply ice until the area feels numb, but no more than 15 minutes at a time. Remove the ice after numbness sets in. You can actually cause yourself frost-bite by icing too long.
3)Don't use ice if you have rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud's Syndrome, cold-allergic conditions (e.g. ice causes you to break out in hives), paralysis, or areas that don't have full feeling.
More Tips on Icing Effectively
For more tips on using ice effectively and safely, visit my massage website.
Nancy Hausauer is a licensed massage therapist, energy healer, and writer specializing in natural healing and wellness techniques. She has a private practice in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. To learn more natural ways to support health and wellness, visit her websites at http://www.Tacoma-Massage-Therapy.com/ and http://www.The-Energy-Healing-Site.com/
Friday, February 25, 2011
Using Viso Flushing to Relieve Knee Pain
Below is an excerpt from Charlie's Diary -The blog of Charles Stross that talks about a technique called vaso-flushing to relieve muscle pain. This method would work well to relieve pain in the knee and surrounding area as well.
Using and electric blanket is a great idea for the same reason that body part specific ice wraps are superior to a a general purpose ice pack, zip lock full of ice cubes or bag of frozen peas, it is able to contour to the body to ensure continuous, even contact over the entire area. A knee ice wrap is the ideal device to use if you are trying to relieve pain in the knee or surrounding muscles.
You can find the complete post at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/02/lets-be-practical.html
Second, I'll tell you how to relieve muscle pain.
This technique is called vaso-flushing and I learned it from my wife, who makes her living doing sports massage. It works best on injuries that happened more than 48 hours earlier, and it's also good for chronic pain (including my own.)
It's simple: First, you apply ice to the painful area for three minutes. Then, you apply heat for one minute--this is best done by immersing in a hot tub or jacuzzi if you can swing that. After that minute of heat, you go back to three minutes of ice, then another minute of heat, then ice and heat again.
When the three rounds are done, you finish up with a minute or two of ice. That's it. I do this at my gym to take advantage of their giant ice machine and jacuzzi, but I've used an ice pack and electric blanket at home. It works surprisingly well.
Using and electric blanket is a great idea for the same reason that body part specific ice wraps are superior to a a general purpose ice pack, zip lock full of ice cubes or bag of frozen peas, it is able to contour to the body to ensure continuous, even contact over the entire area. A knee ice wrap is the ideal device to use if you are trying to relieve pain in the knee or surrounding muscles.
You can find the complete post at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/02/lets-be-practical.html
Monday, December 13, 2010
Knee Pain - Causes and Treatment
The knee is a complicated joint and a lot can go wrong with it. Pain can be caused by any number or things. To effectively treat knee pain you must first identify the cause of the pain. Sometimes this can be done by the patient but often it requires examination by a physician or qualified sports medicine practitioner.
Identifying the Cause of Knee Pain
The knee has many ligaments and tendons, any of which can cause knee pain. If the source of the pain is not diagnosed properly the prescribed treatment will most likely not be successful. Some knee injuries can be diagnosed by a simple examination. The medical practitioner will generally apply gentle stress to the knee in various directions and with the knee bent at various angles. Based on feedback from the patient they can often pin point the cause of the pain. However, often an MRI or x-ray is needed in order to determine the cause of the pain.
Once the cause of the pain has been diagnosed it must be determined whether surgery is required or not. If surgery is not required the patient may need nothing more than rest and non invasive treatment or they may require more regimented rehabilitation.
The same injury or cause of knee pain may be treated differently in different people. The severity of the condition is also a determining factor in what course of treatment is followed. When a treatment plan is derived things such as a person’s age, weight, general physical condition, other health issues as well as what type of physical activities the person does for work or pleasure. For instance, someone who is a competitive biker would have an entirely different treatment plan than a grandmother who only wants to be able to walk and do normal daily activities without any pain.
Treating Knee Pain
Knee pain is generally categorized as acute (related to a specific event, injury or accident) or chronic (from overuse, degenerative conditions or normal wear and tear). Regardless of the cause or classification of the pain, the first issue is generally to relieve the pain. Often this is all a patient needs or wants. If additional rehabilitation, such as regaining range of motion or strength, is needed it is frequently necessary to relieve the pain before the patient can begin rehabilitation.
The initial step in many knee pain treatment plans is to reduce swelling and inflammation. This generally done following the Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (R.I.C.E) methodology. Taking anti inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen, is also often advised.
Probably the most important parts of R.I.C.E are Ice and Compression. Cold reduces inflammation of the injured are and allows it to heal more quickly and compression helps stabilize the joint and keeps fluids away. Traditionally these treatments are done with a bag of ice and an Ace bandage or knee brace.
Recently more and more people are using a knee ice wrap in place of the bag of ice and Ace bandage. The advantages are many and people often like the results and convenience so much that they are able to continue with cold therapy to treat the injury much longer and also for prevention of further pain especially in the case of overuse. Simply wear the ice wrap for a little while after strenuous activities (much like a baseball pitchers ice their shoulder and elbow after a game or basketball players ice their knees after a game – football players are known to ice their whole bodies in an ice bath after games) at the first hint of pain.
Identifying the Cause of Knee Pain
The knee has many ligaments and tendons, any of which can cause knee pain. If the source of the pain is not diagnosed properly the prescribed treatment will most likely not be successful. Some knee injuries can be diagnosed by a simple examination. The medical practitioner will generally apply gentle stress to the knee in various directions and with the knee bent at various angles. Based on feedback from the patient they can often pin point the cause of the pain. However, often an MRI or x-ray is needed in order to determine the cause of the pain.
Once the cause of the pain has been diagnosed it must be determined whether surgery is required or not. If surgery is not required the patient may need nothing more than rest and non invasive treatment or they may require more regimented rehabilitation.
The same injury or cause of knee pain may be treated differently in different people. The severity of the condition is also a determining factor in what course of treatment is followed. When a treatment plan is derived things such as a person’s age, weight, general physical condition, other health issues as well as what type of physical activities the person does for work or pleasure. For instance, someone who is a competitive biker would have an entirely different treatment plan than a grandmother who only wants to be able to walk and do normal daily activities without any pain.
Treating Knee Pain
Knee pain is generally categorized as acute (related to a specific event, injury or accident) or chronic (from overuse, degenerative conditions or normal wear and tear). Regardless of the cause or classification of the pain, the first issue is generally to relieve the pain. Often this is all a patient needs or wants. If additional rehabilitation, such as regaining range of motion or strength, is needed it is frequently necessary to relieve the pain before the patient can begin rehabilitation.
The initial step in many knee pain treatment plans is to reduce swelling and inflammation. This generally done following the Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (R.I.C.E) methodology. Taking anti inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen, is also often advised.
Probably the most important parts of R.I.C.E are Ice and Compression. Cold reduces inflammation of the injured are and allows it to heal more quickly and compression helps stabilize the joint and keeps fluids away. Traditionally these treatments are done with a bag of ice and an Ace bandage or knee brace.
Recently more and more people are using a knee ice wrap in place of the bag of ice and Ace bandage. The advantages are many and people often like the results and convenience so much that they are able to continue with cold therapy to treat the injury much longer and also for prevention of further pain especially in the case of overuse. Simply wear the ice wrap for a little while after strenuous activities (much like a baseball pitchers ice their shoulder and elbow after a game or basketball players ice their knees after a game – football players are known to ice their whole bodies in an ice bath after games) at the first hint of pain.
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