Women with knee pain know how miserable and debilitating it can truly be.
"When women are younger, they tend to get more tendinitis or irritation issues around the knee, and then as they age, especially when they accumulate previous injuries, it may lead to arthritis and further changes," said orthopedist Dr. Ken Mauter.
The American College of Rheumatology says nearly two-thirds of women ages fifty and older have some degree of knee pain that may come and go, or stick around.
Osteoarthritis is often to blame.
Dr. Mauter said, "Women are more at risk for arthritis than men are, and specifically, when women go through menopause, we think that estrogen may have some protective effect on cartilage of the knee."
But sometimes the pain is due to overuse injuries. So how do you know what the best treatment is?
See your primary doctor to start determining the cause. He or she may need to send you to a specialist. Discuss options like acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory medications with your doctor.
Also don't forget to use exercise as medicine, and do exercises that strengthen the muscles around the knee.
You may also need physical therapy so avoid high impact exercises, instead, focus on low impact ones.
Keep in mind that weight is also a leading cause of knee pain.
"When women are younger, they tend to get more tendinitis or irritation issues around the knee, and then as they age, especially when they accumulate previous injuries, it may lead to arthritis and further changes," said orthopedist Dr. Ken Mauter.
The American College of Rheumatology says nearly two-thirds of women ages fifty and older have some degree of knee pain that may come and go, or stick around.
Osteoarthritis is often to blame.
Dr. Mauter said, "Women are more at risk for arthritis than men are, and specifically, when women go through menopause, we think that estrogen may have some protective effect on cartilage of the knee."
But sometimes the pain is due to overuse injuries. So how do you know what the best treatment is?
See your primary doctor to start determining the cause. He or she may need to send you to a specialist. Discuss options like acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory medications with your doctor.
Also don't forget to use exercise as medicine, and do exercises that strengthen the muscles around the knee.
You may also need physical therapy so avoid high impact exercises, instead, focus on low impact ones.
Keep in mind that weight is also a leading cause of knee pain.
