Knee pain can be managed with effective home measures; expert
kanwar inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
“Amidst Covid-19 pandemic, the patients suffering from knee pain can manage their pain with effective home measures. They can consult only in unavoidable circumstances.”
Dr Gagandeep Gupta, consultant of orthopaedics & joint replacement at Ojas Hospital, Panchkula said on Sunday that people of various age groups, who are at home due to this pandemic, have suffered from joint pain, back pain, knee pain etc due to three main reasons.
The main reason for knee pain is overexertion at home, as people have started doing such activities at home which they were not used to at home, he informed. People have started prolonged gardening, household cleaning due to unavailability of domestic help at home, he pointed out.
The second reason is injuries at home due to falls and twisting injuries of knee and ankle due to performing unaccustomed activities, said Dr Gupta
The third reason for knee pain is the elderly population suffering from osteoarthritis. As their main activities of routine walking, physiotherapy gets stopped during the lockdown, he remarked.
The basic home treatment for pains related to overexertion and injury is intermittent or immediate rest, he opined.
“The patient shouldn’t keep on performing their activities for prolonged hours. If the pain doesn’t settle with this, then they should do some hot fomentation, some painkiller gel application, crepe bandage application. Some may settle with easily home available painkiller tablets like crocin etc.”
In rare cases, patients may consult with their family physician, physiotherapist, or an Orthopaedic surgeon asserted Dr Gupta.
However, the patients suffering from the pain of osteoarthritis may need to take some extra precautions along with these general measures, he advised.
Those having knee pain should not sit cross-legged, especially on the floor, squatting position, and climbing stairs unnecessarily. The patients must sit on a relatively higher surface for prayer or any other work, and avoid Indian toilet if possible, he maintained.
June,29,2020
