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Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

Although it's not always possible to prevent knee pain, the following suggestions may help forestall injuries and joint deterioration:

  • Keep extra pounds off. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your knees — every extra pound puts additional strain on your joints, increasing the risk of ligament and tendon injuries and even osteoarthritis.
  • Get strong, stay limber. Because weak muscles are a leading cause of knee injuries, you'll benefit from building up your quadriceps and hamstrings, which support your knees. Balance and stability training helps the muscles around your knees work together more effectively. And because tight muscles also can lead to injury, stretching is important. Try to include flexibility exercises in your workouts.
  • Be smart about exercise. If you have osteoarthritis, chronic knee pain or recurring injuries, you may need to change the way you exercise. Consider switching to swimming, water aerobics or other low-impact activities — at least for a few days a week. Sometimes simply limiting high-impact activities will provide relief.
Alternative medicine
References
  1. Questions and answers about knee problems. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Knee_Problems/default.asp. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  2. Huddleston JI, et al. Hip and knee pain. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Co.; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/211216621-3/1029261530/1807/290.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10042-7--s0010_1200. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  3. Anderson RJ, et al. Evaluation of the adult patient with knee pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  4. Common knee injuries. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://www.orthoinfo.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00325. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  5. Zeller JL, et al. JAMA patient page: Knee pain. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007;297:1740.
  6. Pallin DJ, et al. Knee injuries. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2--s0150&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2--s0460&uniq=211216621&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=1029279549. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  7. Pseudogout. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/pseudogout. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  8. Pallin DJ, et al. Diagnostic strategies. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2--s0150&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2--s0470&uniq=211216621&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=1029395050#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00054-2--s0100%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05472-0. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  9. Care of the aging or post-traumatic knee. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00344. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  10. Knee bracing: What works? American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/physical/injuries/490.html. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  11. Roberts WN. Intraarticular and soft tissue injections: What agents to inject and how frequently? http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  12. LeBlanc KE, et al. Musculoskeletal disorders. Primary Care Clinical Office Practice. 2010;37:389.
  13. Knee implants. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00221. Accessed July 23, 2010.
  14. Anderson BC. Patient information: Knee pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 26, 2010.
  15. Acupuncture for pain. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/acupuncture-for-pain.htm. Accessed July 26, 2010.
  16. Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 26, 2010.
DS00555 Sept. 9, 2010

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