I can’t bend my knee without pain — what do I do?

nerve pain in knee

Dealing with knee pain is becoming more and more common. One group of researchers report that knee pain increased more than 65% between 1974 and 1994. It’s also clear that this trend has continued, since almost 20% of people suffer from knee pain every year. 

If you can’t bend your knee without pain, you might be dealing with a range of knee issues. Fortunately, there are some tips that can help reduce your knee pain, and this means they might help improve your ability to bend your knee as well. 

Three tips for helping you bend your knee without pain

There are various reasons why you might have reached the point where you can’t bend your knee without pain. Arthritis is one of the most likely culprits for this combination of symptoms. In fact, it’s estimated that more than 54 million Americans have some form of arthritis. However, knee injuries like patellofemoral syndrome could also be responsible for your symptoms. 

Here are three tips that can help you fight back against knee pain: 

  1. Get leaner — It’s reported that 39 million adults with arthritis are also overweight or obese. Carrying extra weight could be making it harder and more painful to bend your knees. One pound of extra weight actually translates to four pounds more force on your knees, but taking away one pound can reduce this force by four pounds. 
  1. Change your diet — Making changes to your diet can be very helpful when you have knee pain. Changing to a plant-based diet has been shown to help you lose weight. One study reports that using such a diet for about 18 weeks led to a weight loss of about 4.5 pounds. Additionally, plant-based diets help you get more inflammation-fighting antioxidants. 
  1. Attend physical therapy — Going to physical therapy can make a huge difference to your fight against knee pain. Therapists offer beneficial techniques that can help your pain. One study reveals that a combination of manual therapy and therapeutic exercise is particularly helpful. In fact, this study reports that using these therapies led to a 52% improvement in knee osteoarthritis symptoms in four weeks. 

Can’t bend your knee without pain? Excel Sports & Physical Therapy can help

Are you struggling with the fact that you can’t bend your knee without pain? Our experienced physical therapists at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy are here to assist you. We offer free screenings designed to reveal the source of your pain. Our team can then build you an individualized therapy plan that’s intended to reduce your pain and improve knee range of motion.

Don’t wait to start getting our help with your knee pain. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.