Mild pain in knee when walking : some types are fixable even  at home

Unfortunately, knee pain is a fairly common occurrence. I suggest considering this type of knee pain, which can be reduced or even eliminated by yourself, at home.

My story.

From time to time, I myself experience knee pain. Fortunately, I am a doctor and I have the experience to determine approximately what type of knee pain is present. I practically did not suffer from knee pain, but, starting from 2022 to 2023, pain in these joints began to appear and change: at one time the right knee joint could hurt, after a while the left. Then the thought involuntarily began to come to mind: “Is old age really coming?” Note: I turned 50 in 2022. By this time, I was already dealing with back pain. And then I began to think: “What if I apply the same methods as when treating back pain?” No sooner said than done. And you know, it gave good results. In short, I tried the principles described in the book: Myofascial Pain And Dysfunction The Trigger Point Manual By Janet G. Travell David Simons. 3rd Edition 2019.

In what cases should you definitely see a doctor?

If you notice the following, then you should see a doctor! 1 point. Knee pain is present even at rest (when a person does not move his legs). 2 point. Pain that occurs during leg movement and the pain is acute or even unbearable in nature.

The causes of such pain can be various pathologies: infections, inflammation in the joint, injuries. If they are not treated, then you can get complications from these diseases.

Moderate knee pain, which is quite remediable even at home.

Low-intensity knee pain can occur in almost any adult (at least at 20, at least at 100 years old). Let’s call these knee pains – everyday, domestic.

The reasons for these, so to speak, “everyday” knee pains can be:

A sedentary lifestyle (a person moves little, and then can suddenly load their legs: this can trigger pain),
Incorrectly selected shoes,
The nature of work (carpenters, turners, joiners, builders, etc.),

The approximate mechanism of these, so to speak, “everyday” pains is as follows: the soft tissues that surround the knee joint begin to “dry up”, “stagnate”. And over time, the “stagnant” areas of soft tissues poorly tolerate the load and begin to experience pain.

Which soft tissues that surround the joint can cause pain and soreness?

This is usually:
Ligaments,
Capsule,
Muscle tendons, especially at the point of attachment to the bone,
Fascia.

How can you work through moderate (we have already agreed to call them “everyday”) knee pain to reduce it as much as possible.

Here are the steps you should take to work through knee pain.

Step 1. First, determine whether there is knee pain at rest.

Step 2. Examine your knee joints and determine whether there are any external changes in them: redness, swelling, deformation, etc.

Step 3. Start palpating the soft tissues of the knee joint where there is pain. Find by touch the places of greatest pain. Usually, pain can be located in the following locations: on the inner side of the kneecap; on the outer side of the kneecap; under the kneecap; on the inner surface of the knee joint; on the outer surface of the knee joint.
As a rule, pain is determined a) in the ligaments of the knee joint, since this joint is abundantly surrounded by ligaments; b) in the tendons of the muscles that serve the knee joint; c) and quite rarely in the fascia covering the joint.

Step 4. When you have determined the place of greatest pain, then begin to massage the place of this pain. At first, massage the painful areas moderately, then more intensely. Do these massages until the pain practically disappears or becomes completely unnoticeable. For illustration. Very often, pain appears below the level of the kneecap, in such ligaments as: ligament of the kneecap (ligamentum patellae); internal supporting ligament of the patella (retinaculum patellae mediale); external supporting ligament of the patella (retinaculum patellae laterale).

Step 5. Finish massaging the painful areas in the knee joint by stroking and shaking the soft tissues surrounding the painful knee joint.

Do these steps for 15 days. This time is enough to determine how the knee pains react. If these pains are really related to, so to speak, “everyday”, then you will certainly get a positive result.

Final words.

You, as a patient who suffers from these pains, may not be able to reduce the pain at first. This is normal. Not everything works the first time. You need to be patient and have experience.

I strongly recommend that you consult a doctor, even if the knee pain is moderate: mild knee pain can be observed even with osteoarthritis of the knee joints, however, in the initial stages of this pathology.

Be healthy!