5 Bad Habits That May Make Your Knee Pain Worse

People call something aggravating “a pain in the neck,” but “a pain in the knee” might be more apt. When your knee hurts, even doing something simple like going to the bathroom or getting a glass of water becomes challenging. 

We don’t think you should have to hobble through life in discomfort. So we want to help in two ways. 

First, Angel J. Garcia, MD, and our team offer dedicated care for knee pain. Whether your discomfort comes from a chronic condition like osteoarthritis or an acute injury like a sports injury, we can help. Visit us at the El Paso Center for Family & Sports Medicine so Dr. Garcia can evaluate your knee and develop a personalized plan to ease your pain.

Next, we want to help you avoid daily activities that could be worsening your pain. Here are five habits that can take a toll on your knee. 

#1: Choosing the wrong shoes

The right shoes help to absorb shock and support proper alignment of your foot, knee, and ankle. The wrong ones can strain your arches, lessen your stability, and introduce other issues as you walk. These problems might seem confined to your feet, but they actually travel up to your knees. 

Stable, supportive shoes with thick soles offer what your body needs. High heels, ones with flexible soles, and pairs with no arch support don’t belong in your closet if you’re trying to minimize your knee pain. 

#2: Not resting when you can

Spending too long on your feet strains your knees. 

Look for ways to get off your feet periodically. If you’re a server, for example, you might ask your employer if you can put a stool by the point of sale system so you can rest while you’re entering orders. Even if your job demands you stand at all times, make sure you use your breaks to take a load off. 

#3: Skipping daily activity

When you have knee pain, movement might be the last thing you want to tackle. Try to find ways to get active that don’t aggravate your knee, though. When you do, you invite in a whole host of pain-moderating benefits. 

Regular exercise encourages your body to work the way it should, circulating blood to give your knee fresh nutrients and oxygen and managing inflammation. On top of that, exercise releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. 

To protect your knee, choose low-impact activities like walking, yoga, swimming, and cycling. 

#4: Ignoring the scale

The more you weigh, the more it strains your knees. Fortunately, the reverse is true — and then some. For every pound you lose, you relieve 4 pounds of pressure on your knees. 

Regular exercise and a healthy diet are the cornerstones of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. As an added benefit, eating lots of nutritious foods can help to minimize inflammation, improving your pain. And we already hit on the knee pain-improving benefits of regular exercise above. 

#5: Smoking

Smoking triggers inflammation, which makes joint pain worse. If you’ve been looking for a reason to quit, think of your knee. Let the pain you have with each step be a motivator to kick the habit. 

For extra support there, we recommend checking out the wide range of resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Avoiding these habits should help to ease your knee pain. They’re just one piece of the puzzle, though. For a personalized plan to address your discomfort, come see Dr. Garcia. Contact our office or schedule an appointment online.