There is a common source of knee pain called Housemaid’s Knee. This is the people’s name for a type of arthritis that appears as a result of kneeling down, standing up frequently. These repeated motions put a large toll on the joints, especially if the surrounding muscles are not as strong as they could be. This is the case for most everyday people. If you know how to prevent, or even treat this type of knee pain, you can save yourself from a considerable amount of knee pain.
This condition raises several questions:
- Is kneeling bad for your knees?
- What to do is you feel a sharp knee pain when kneeling?
- What is the proper kneeling technique to avoid knee pain?
We will answer all of these questions in the article.
What is Housemaid’s knee?
Housemaid’s knee is different type of arthritis than hiker’s knee or runner’s knee. However all of these can be treated by the right knee braces,or unloader knee braces.
Housemaid’s knee is referred to as pre-patella bursitis. The condition also has visible symptoms, such as swelling of the knee cap. If you don’t rest your knees, they can become red and hot as a result of the inflammation.
Repetitive kneeling puts a significant strain to the patella, and causes housemaid’s knee. People who suffer from arthritis in other joints have a bigger chance of developing housemaid’s knee.
How can you treat housemaid’s knee?
Rest, icepacks and physiotherapists are recommended as the holy trinity for treating housemaid’s knee. Wearing knee braces gives you extra protection and a chance for quicker healing. Also take regular breaks from any activity that predisposes you to developing the condition. This includes repetitive kneeling.
Use different positions
If you have to pick up something from the floor, instead of kneeling down, squat or sit down with your legs crossed in a lotus position. You have no idea how much simple changing your position, and therefore putting pressure on your knees from a different angle can help. You might feel a bit of muscle pain and stiffness at the first few times, but after your muscles get used to the different movement your knees will thank you for it. You won’t have to suffer from sudden knee pain when kneeling anymore.
Try Yoga for Sensitive Knees
Yoga is an excellent form of workout that can help increase the flexibility of your joints as well as the strength of the muscles working when you kneel down. You can increase stability, strength and awareness around your knees. This combination increases the knee’s ability to tolerate you kneeling more frequently, or for longer periods. Not to mention that yoga has an overall benefit on your mental wellbeing. This is a win for you in every conceivable way.
Give Some Assistance to the Joint
Constant kneeling leads to further injuries and pain later in life. Even if your knees are completely healthy now, you should take precautions to ensure they remain healthy. If you have to kneel often, you should either lay down a soft surface, or wear knee pads. Either wearing cushioned knee braces or patella straps.
Or you can lay down a mat on the floor or outside the garden where you have to kneel down. Thick, padded mats help distribute your weight better. Many professionals can find specially designed knee pads for their line of work. These pads have special foamed, cushioned areas around the patella to lessen the impact of kneeling down on hard surfaces.
Stand Up More Often
Standing up, moving and stretching the knees regularly helps prevent patella bursitis. This is also why yoga helps so much. Stretching the knees helps alleviate pain. If you can, alternate working with regular stretches of sitting, standing or light exercise. Even just moving around a bit every half an hour can do wonders for your knees in terms of preventing sharp knee pain.
So can stretching prevent sharp knee pain? Of course!
Here is a video showing a few knee stretching exercises for avoiding knee pain:
If you don’t stretch enough, your bursa becomes inflamed and swollen. The pain only increases with movement or pressure, the knee becomes swollen, red and you won’t be able to bend your knees as much as you would normally. Stretches to hip, calf and thigh muscles improves flexibility and strengthens the supporting muscle groups around the knees. It is best to take classes from a physiotherapist so that you can learn how to perform difficult, complex stretches perfectly.
Here is a video Q&A session about knee pain when kneeling.
How do you know when to seek professional help?
When we face knee pain, most of us suffer and take the pain, or if we have the chance we take a few days off. Seek professional help in the following cases:
- if your knee caps are swollen.
- bones look deformed.
- you cannot stand upright on your injured leg.
- you cannot feel your leg under the knee.
Sometimes knee pain sets in slowly, and it goes unnoticed and untreated for a long time. If the pain persists for weeks, call professional help. If you decide to change things around in your life to heal more quicker, seek professional help.
Can diet affect knee pain?
Surprisingly, but diet plays a huge part in knee pain. Certain foods have been shown to increase arthritis, and put your body in an inflammatory state. Cut out alcohol from your life. Slash refined sugars and decrease your salt intake. This is the holy trinity of fighting arthritis with your diet. Jordan Peterson claims that an only vegetable and meat diet cured the arthritis of her daughter.
How do you know if you have Iliotibal Band Syndrome?
This syndrome strikes the outer sides of your knees. It is a very difficult type of condition, resulting in lateral pain of the knees. The best way to treat it is stretching and ice packs. Avoid exercises that put extra burden on your knees.
What is the RICE protocol for treating knee pain?
RICE is an acronym used for the steps needed to reduce swelling of the knees and avoid knee pain from kneeling.
The RICE stands for:
- Resting your knees.
- Put ice on the joints.
- Put compression socks or elastic compression band on the aching knee.
- Elevate the knee using a pillow, and keep it above the heart.
Which home remedies are best for dealing with knee pain while knealing?
First of all, let’s look at what can you do in your everyday life to lessen the chances of developing knee pain? Most importantly, start wearing the right shoes. You wear shoes for a large part of each day, just changing the shoes you wear can go a long way in avoiding knee pain.
Wear low heel shoes, which support your weight. Wear shoes that don’t push your body forward. Special orthotic shoes and inserts can help if you have a tendency to push your feet inward while you walk.
Massage therapy can help a lot. So can acupuncture. These treatment methods improve blood flow to the knee and thus heal the knee pain you experience from kneeling down.
Certain pharmacy drugs can also help. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements are the best for treating knee pain from kneeling. If you supplement these drugs with the right diet and regular yoga exercises, you will find that knee pain subsides.
Conclusion: Knee Pain When Kneeling
Housemaid’s knee is a serious condition. It is also called pre-patella bursitis, and it can not only prevent you from working, it can also lead to long-term complications. Knee replacement surgery is always an option, but there are also less invasive, better ways to deal with the problem. Not to mention that if you continue in your old lifestyle, the knee replacement will wear down quickly.
Use knee braces to avoid knee damage from kneeling down. Following the correct diet, wearing the right type of shoes or following the RICE treatment method can heal you aching knees quickly.
