Knee Pain at Night? Know When to see a Doctor
Knee pain might be the reason why you stay up at night, and it is a much more common occurrence than you think it is. The causes of knee pain at night might be a result of any form of an underlying problem such as arthritis and tendinitis, which, when left untreated, can cause a lot of problems in the long run.
Most of your knee pain can stem from the built-up stress the joint suffers throughout the day. Often any form of injury can also add to the causes of your bedtime pain and suffering. In case you are suffering from knee pain at night, make sure to go through the article to learn about ways to reduce the chances of knee pain.
Knee pain relief
If knee pains are the reason why you are unable to sleep at night, then implementing the following relief will be valuable to you.
Exercise regularly
Exercises are very important to keep your joints active. Physical activities and yoga not only help reduce weight but in turn, helps manage the day-to-day knee stress, which can be the cause of nighttime pains. To keep things light, one can also take up yoga which helps build flexibility and relaxes stiff muscles around the knee area.
Apply heat or ice
To ease your knee pains, you must apply an ice pack or hot pads for at least 20 minutes before hitting the bed. Taking a warm shower also helps relax your muscles which are otherwise stiff at the end of the day. Applying cold will help you ditch some of the inflammation and pain, while applying heat will improve the blood flow in the pain area.
Knee massage
A lot of the time, pain can result from a lack of blood flow in your precious knee joint. One way to deal with it is to massage your knees before going to sleep which not only helps reduce the pain, but it maximizes the blood flow in the area, which is extremely important to keep things under control.
When should you see a doctor?
In case you are suffering from any form of consistent knee pain, your first instinct should be to visit a doctor. A proper evaluation of the causes of knee pain is needed to identify the cause of the pain to administer the necessary treatment. Under any of the circumstances mentioned you should see a doctor.
- Severe pain
- Swelling of the area
- Deformed joint
- Walking difficulty
- Fever
Treatments
The best judgment for the type of treatment you might need for your pain can be offered by your doctor after carefully analyzing the underlying cause of the pain. However, you need to be aware of the fact that the treatment can be either medication or surgical.
Medication
The most commonly prescribed medicine by doctors for knee pains are acetaminophen and capsaicin. These medicines provide relief against the pain and inflammation which can otherwise take away your sleep. Make sure to consume the medicine in the right dosage as prescribed by your doctor and inform them about your condition from time to time.
Surgery
Surgical procedures are needed in case of severe knee pain at night resulting from Osteoarthritis, which can also cause difficulty to your regular mobility. A knee replacement surgery is your only way out in such a dire situation.
The following are the conditions where surgeries are recommended.
- Gout
- Extreme tendinitis
- Runner’s knee
- Severe knee injury
Knee pain is a common problem in today’s world, and in case you are experiencing such pain, the best place to get yourself treated is Orthoplanet Clinic. We specialize in knee pain management and knee replacement surgery. Dr. Abhijit, our expert surgeon, works extra hard to ensure a surgical success story for all our patients.