There are 18 steps up to the Capitol Building in Cheyenne, and if you suffer from knee pain, you could feel every single one.
The knee joint is the second most complicated joint in the body and has to move in many directions. The knee and hip work in tandem allowing you to walk, run, squat, and kneel. When either your hip, knee, or ankle has a problem moving, the other joints can be strained causing pain. Therefore, even if you have pain in your knees, it could be a problem stemming from your hip or ankle.
Most problems in the knee or hip come from either too little activity or too much activity. In either case, the tissues and muscles around the joints become tight causing limited movement, strain, and inflammation. This can result from a sedentary lifestyle, injuries, arthritis, too much activity or disease.
When you lose the normal movements of the hip, knee, or ankle joints, your muscles have to take on the abnormal strain. This can lead to common aches and pains experienced by millions of people. In addition, it can also lead to inflammatory conditions such as bursitis or tendonitis. According to Jane Vilar, a Cheyenne Physical Therapist at Teton Therapy: “Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa, [the fluid filled sacs which are located throughout your body and are designed to reduce friction between tissues]. And tendonitis is an inflammation in a tendon, which connect muscles to bones.”
Many people feel that medication will solve their hip, knee, or leg pain. While medication can help to decrease inflammation and pain, it cannot address the root cause of the problem. This is because most pain in the hip, thigh, knee, or leg comes from loss of flexibility, strength, and coordination.
But there are things you can do to lessen knee pain:
- Stretch daily for at least 10 minutes
- Strengthen your leg muscles – calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus muscles
- Try to exercise, at least 15-30 minutes a day
- Call Teton Therapy for a free 30 minute consultation. A Cheyenne Physical Therapy professional can examine your joint movement and walking gait, and pinpoint the root cause of your pain
So, if a climb up the Capitol stairs – or any stairs – has you seeking Physical Therapy in Cheyenne, it’s time to call Teton Therapy for a free consultation, 307-514-9999.