Chronic Knee Pain and the RICE formula

At some point in one’s life, knee pain will affect you or someone you love and being informed in ways to avoid injury is the best steps to prevent chronic knee pain. Knee injury doesn’t just occur from a slip or fall, the swelling or pain could be a result of a childhood knee trauma, an injury from playing sports in high school that occasionally flares up, a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage, or a medical condition including arthritis, gout, and infections. 

The knee is the biggest joint in the body, which assists with sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, and jumping. However, it also contains lots of mechanisms such as tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones that can tear, crack, dislocate, and swell. 

A study conducted by the Osteo Arthritis Society International in 2013, found that 79% of the respondents reported chronic knee pain is one of the most significant factors in reduced productivity at work, and 14% reported having to take off 1 or more days of work in 12 months. Another noteworthy result from the study was that the respondents reported to take more days off from work due to being unpresentable for the work environment, where either they were limping or had to use an assisted devise. While knee pain is painful, it may go away with simple treatment. Let’s look at some of the strategies for preventing or alleviating chronic knee pain.