When you are suffering from knee pains, there are several ways to treat it, and it can be heat or ice therapy. Each of these methods has its benefits and appropriate situations. This post will help you to understand the usage of these methods.
What are the Causes of Knee Pain?
A lot of things can lead to knee pain, but we will be discussing the most common ones:
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Strains or Sprains
When a tissue in your knee joint gets torn or overstretched due to physical trauma, the result is a strain or sprain. A strain affects your tendon, and a sprain affects a ligament in your knee. When a strain worsens, your tendon gets inflamed, and tendonitis occurs, and this is common if you overuse your muscles, especially for biking, running, or jumping.
The pain that comes with tendonitis often starts slowly, but it gets worse, more sore, and more frequent with time.
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Tears
Tears occur when your meniscus (the cartilage in your knee) gets torn because of a traumatic injury that occurs especially while playing sports or carrying out physical tasks.
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Arthritis
Arthritis happens when you have suffered an autoimmune condition or your knee has experienced wear and tear at the joint. The most common arthritis type is osteoarthritis, which occurs over time as the cartilage thins and wears out.
Although popular among older people, arthritis can also happen to younger people following a traumatic knee injury or because of weight loss. The symptoms are knee pain, swelling at the joint, or stiffness.
Heat Therapy for Knee Pain
Using heat on your knee can increase the flow of blood to your joint by widening the surrounding blood vessels. Heat therapy isn’t used for acute injuries but can help manage chronic pain and soreness.
People suffering from arthritis and other joint problems that have lasted for over six weeks can benefit from heat therapy such as a knee brace with heat and massage. It reduces soreness and pain and also relaxes the muscles around the knee while improving flexibility.
Ice Therapy for Knee Pain
Ice can be used to treat your pain and narrow your blood vessels which reduces the flow of blood to the area to reduce inflammation, swelling, swelling, bruising, and soreness.
Icing is the best option after an acute knee injury that is below six weeks old. It provides relief for injuries such as strain, sprain, meniscal tear, and Tendonitis.
How to Use Heat Therapy?
When using a knee brace with heat and massage, you must ensure that the heat pad is not hot but warm. When you apply it, don’t leave it for more than 20 minutes to avoid discomfort or burns.
Use a knee brace with heat and massage on your shoulders, elbows, or knees, as it is made to work with all joint problems. The knee brace is light and flexible enough for you to carry on while engaging in other activities.
However, if you have sensory issues, be very careful because it can burn or damage your skin.
