If you're suffering from pain in your knee when you go up or down stairs, you're not alone. This is a really common problem, especially in people after they reach middle age as cartilage wears down around the joints.
The pain you feel in your knee will differ from person to person and could start immediately when you go up or down the first step, or could happen later on, particularly if you've overexerted yourself.
Read on to find out why you could be feeling knee pain on the stairs and how to treat it.
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There are several possible causes for knee pain when going up or down the stairs. Common causes can include:
Using the stairs puts added force on the knee joint and knee cap. When you go upstairs it's 2.5x your bodyweight being placed on this area and when you go downstairs, it's a whopping 3.5x your bodyweight. This added pressure shows why it can be so much more difficult climbing stairs and even going down them.
Going up and down stairs requires a mix of:
If the knee joint has any kind of swelling, bruising, inflammation or damage, using stairs will make it feel much worse and will impede your ability to go up or down stairs like you would usually be able to.
People will usually try to limit or even avoid using stairs altogether if they can, just so they don't have to feel pain in their knees. There are some solutions you can try that could help.
Sit To Stand Strengthening - This exercise helps to strengthen the muscles in your thighs and also the center of your body that provide you with stability.
To perform this exercise:
This exercise can be made more difficult using a lower chair, performing each rep with a shorter break. You can even try not sitting all the way down, standing right back up as you feel your buttocks touch the seat for a bigger challenge.
You can try progressive overloading by increasing the number of reps you do each week and by reducing the amount of rest between each rep.
You can make this exercise easier using a handrail or a walking stick. It can be made more challenging by alternating which leg you step up with first and by increasing your speed.
You could try wearing an angle weight or shoe to increase the stretch.
By regularly stretching and performing the above exercises, you should be able to build up strength in your knee which should help reduce pain you feel when walking up or down stairs.
If you feel like the pain is significantly impacting your day-to-day life or are unable to walk up or down stairs you should consider contacting your doctor or local healthcare professional for advice and potential treatments they can offer.
If you are needing some advice on knee pain you may be feeling when you use stairs, you can contact our friendly team today who will be happy to help you.
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