Due to the inevitable need to sit down while working or studying, knee pain or knee-related complications are a daily occurrence. In some cases, there are sufferers who witnessed more chronic pain and thus have difficulty walking and exercising. Luckily, there are preventive measures that you can take to address the issue early on before it becomes worse.
This article looks into the key questions that you need to ask you to better understand and treat knee pain and what you can do to avoid recurrences. The goal is to not only prevent it from happening again, but it’s also to better understand the importance of active movement and perceived health risks of prolonged inactivity.
Do you have any related medical conditions?
First and foremost, it is important to note here that having chronic and intense pain in the knees, legs, and feet can be indications not just of poor posture. It can also be due to a related medical condition such as arthritis or patellofemoral pain.
Once validated by a doctor, patients then need physiotherapy sessions and recurring consultation to ease the pain effectively. If you are experiencing the same case, it is important to consult your doctor immediately as the pain may signify either a developing disorder or complication.
What is your sitting position like at school or work?
Apart from a preexisting condition, proper posture is also highly important in preventing pain. You may have an awkward sitting position such as crossing your legs while seated or resting all your weight on your knee. But by far the most common culprit is simply prolonged sitting without standing.
In most cases at work and school, sitting for a long time is inevitable and can force you to be a creature of habit. So the only viable way here is to look into the correct posture and condition yourself to practice this daily.
For starters, you can look into investing in a proper chair that supports your spinal curves and corrects your posture. Make sure to pick one wherein your feet can rest flat on the floor and your thighs are parallel to it.
Next, adjust the armrests to allow your arms to rest comfortably so that your shoulders don’t tense up. And finally, make sure your laptop screen is on eye level or a bit below. These habits make up a healthy sitting posture.
What goes well with the proper posture are standing breaks or times to stretch throughout the day to allow proper blood flow and ease up tense muscles. So for an average of 6 to 8 hours of work as you are sitting done, set a reminder to stand and stretch every 30 to 60 minutes.
Also related to proper posture, your body weight can also be a stumbling block for you to effectively sit correctly on your chair as the unequal distribution of weight can overwhelm your knees. Prolonged instances often lead to pain.
So practice a healthy lifestyle and diet to maintain a healthy weight and also ease in sitting for long periods of time.
Does your home furniture affect your knee?
As previously mentioned, the key to proper sitting posture is also in selecting the right chair. Although in cases like school in the office, your chair may not be personalised to your body type. In cases however that you can request for an ergonomic chair, get one.
Aside from the chair, if your furniture such as your desk or workspace is not ergonomically fit to support your proper posture, you will have to change it. Consider replacing these other key furniture as well or look into other solutions too. For instance, you can get a laptop stand to adjust to the appropriate eye level.
Conclusion
Remember to stay active and practice good work posture habits and healthy movement daily to prevent knee pain and other related issues.
Are you experiencing light to severe knee pain in Brisbane? Consult with us at Anytime Physio. We offer cost-effective and professional physiotherapy and other rehabilitation services. Ease the pain today!
