With more people being outside and active at this time of year, we are seeing more people that ever in my physio rooms. So let share some tips to help your avoid a summer of living with painful “knees”:
First, here’s a quick question: are any “irritating” noises coming out of your knees yet?
If not, give it time.
Because, as you no doubt know, “clicking”, “clunking” and “cracking” are common, audible sounds that come as an inevitable consequence of growing older – and they become more noticeable somewhere in the 40-50 age bracket.
Chances are that if you’re 50 or over, clicks and clunks might even be the first sound that you hear when you get out of bed in the morning. It happens to lots of people, and what’s just as common is a grating noise which occurs when the surfaces of your knee joints rub together each time you bend your legs (or move between positions).
I could go on and on describing the different noises that come from ageing knee joints – it’s so common that the question “Why does my knee click and crack?” is one of the most frequent I get asked.
And happens because your knee takes a pounding from the hard surfaces you walk on, regardless of what else you do. Add this to the pounding your knees take as a direct result of playing a game of five-a-side football after work in a sports hall, running along the beach, playing bowls, golf, or just taking a long walk around then the upshot of all this is that, over time, the cartilage in your knee wears thin (or disappears completely), exposing nerves and causing pain but also leaving uneven surfaces that can collide.
And because these bones in your knee joint are very tough and hard (as you might well expect), inevitably they cause a distinct noise when they rub against each other as you move your leg in and out of different positions.
And that’s it, nothing more to it. The phenomenon of knee joint noises explained in a couple of paragraph’s!
What’s interesting is that the presence of the noises doesn’t always mean you’ll get knee pain – not at first anyway. But it’s often the first sign that trouble in the form of pain, stiffness and swelling is on the way and you’re not too many years away from it. If you like, it’s a warning sign to act fast and do something before things turn for the worse.
So what do you do about it?
Some people opt for knee supports, which might help (but only for a short while), but my tip is to “Strengthen” your knees by doing some very gentle exercises (not, exercising) – something like twice per day which will improve control of the muscles around the knee – that and wear cushioned shoes.
Want some more tips? If so, be sure to go to this website now: www.paulgoughphysio.com/knee-pain to collect a free, consumer awareness report entitled: “How To Stop Knee Pain Without Taking Painkillers” where I reveal 7 more secrets for being more active and living with less knee pain.
It’s currently free to Mail readers.
This article was written by Physio Paul Gough and printed in the Hartlepool Mail.
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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