What Makes Knee Pain Worse?

If you have knee osteoarthritis we know you want to avoid anything worsening your pain. So, how can you protect your joints and find lasting relief? Here's what you need to know.

What Makes Knee Pain Worse?

To avoid triggering knee osteoarthritis pain, steer clear of these four triggers.

1. Avoiding movement.

If you have osteoarthritis, you may think that sitting still and resting your joints will help you find knee pain relief. But the opposite is true: moving your knees less actually weakens your joints. So, what's a better way forward? Speak to your healthcare provider about safe exercise choices such as cycling with osteoarthritis of the knee, since these movements can help lubricate your joints and preserve your mobility.

2. Carrying excess weight

Any pound you carry above your ideal weight puts excess pressure on your knee joints. In fact, weight is such a knee pain trigger, this study found that taking the weight-loss drug Semaglutide once a week helps individuals with obesity reduce knee pain. As such, reaching and staying at a healthy weight could reduce your osteoarthritis burden.

3. Wearing unsupportive shoes

If you walk around in shoes that lack support, or you wear high heels, you're upping the pressure on your knee joints. Instead, look for supportive footwear with plenty of shock absorption. That can lighten the load on your knees.

4. Pushing through pain

Early osteoarthritis pain may be managed with over-the-counter medications. However, since arthritis is progressive, this solution won't last forever. For that reason, you should start taking action as soon as you notice knee pain. Start by receiving a diagnosis from your healthcare, making sure to avoid what makes knee pain worse. Then, if you need further knee pain relief, we encourage you to reach out [/tx-appt-link] to the Georgia Knee Institute. Our interventional radiologists perform Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE) for knee pain relief. It's a minimally invasive procedure that relieves pain and inflammation without surgery. You can explore your candidacy and learn more about 'What is GAE' here.