During pregnancy, numerous changes happens in the body on both internal and external levels. Due to which a pregnant woman can experience increased muscle and joint pain. Another reason that contributes to this pain is increase in body weight in pregnancy. This excess weight exerts pressure on knees and gives rise to knee pain.
Both these factors can collectively result in excruciating knee pain. Although it is quite normal to experience this discomfort at this time but there are some ways that you can learn to manage this pain easily. Here, we are going to tell you natural and effective methods to treat your knee pain in pregnancy.
Why do you experience knee pain in pregnancy?
There are several causes behind knee pain in pregnancy. To treat this pain, you need to learn about the factors that causes it. In pregnancy, the joints of the mother tend to become softer, and body weight starts to increase. This happens to prepare the mother for the delivery. The excess weight starts to exert pressure on the muscles of your pelvis, joints, ligaments, and uterus. This collective pain contributes to experiencing knee pain in pregnancy.
The good news is that the pain is temporary and you need not to deal with it throughout your life. Once you deliver baby, your body weight reaches to normal level, and your muscles regain strength. Eventually, the knee pain will start to subside on its own.
Some of the other causes are as follows:
Hormonal changes: The production of relaxing chemical loosens up your pelvic ligaments, and the tendons to help you prepare for childbirth. This, in turn, affects the tendons, and ligaments of your knees.
Exercises: Over strain on knees due to exercise like squats, incline walking, prolonged standing or walking etc. can lead to knee pain.
Injuries: Sudden falls, or knee injuries can also result in knee pain.
Calcium deficiency: If you are calcium deficient, then also it raises the possibilities of knee pains.
Complications linked to Knee Pain in pregnancy
If you fail to treat knee pain on time, then it might become severe and result in complications too. One of them is development of osteoarthritis in the later stages of pregnancy. An expecting woman can experience stiffness, and pain in knee joints.
Another complication is impairment in the protective ligament, and cartilage that surrounds the knee joints that can make it difficult to walk, bend, and run in the future.
Ways to manage knee pain
Now let us see how you can treat knee pain at home:
Exercise: Where over exercise can cause stress to your knees, low-impact exercise will strengthen your quadriceps muscles. As these muscles get stronger, they will support your knees. It will recompense for the looseness of tendons, and ligaments in the knees. Some of the best and safe low impact exercises to try at home are moderate walking, and straight-leg raises. Massaging the impacted area a few times a day can also help.
Raise your leg: Next thing that you can do to relieve from knee pain is to sit or lie down with your leg lifted from the floor. This elevated position of your leg will take the weight from your knees and will ease knee pain.
Wear comfortable shoes: Go for footwear that have adequate cushioning and padding to provide necessary arch support to your knees. These shoes are designed to absorb excess strain to the knees.
Maintain healthy gain: Weight gain is obvious in pregnancy as you have a little one growing inside you. According to doctors, a woman should only put on between 25 and 35 pounds of excess weight during pregnancy. Following this guideline, will not just make it easier to protect yourself from knee pain but will also help you return back to your normal pre-pregnancy weight easily.
Take pain relieving medicines: If the pain is excruciating, and unbearable, then you can consult your doctor to suggest you some pregnancy safe pain relievers. Do not take random over-the-counter medicines without checking it with doctor.
Wear a knee brace: Knee brace is an elastic band that supports your knees. It has a doughnut-hole in it that supports loose tendons, and ligaments around the knee, and relieve you from knee pain.
Cold and hot compress: Application of a heating pad or ice pack to the knees will help in preventing any swelling in that region. It will promote proper blood circulation in the area and help in relieving the pain.
Diet: Eat well-balanced and nutritious diet that has good amounts of calcium and proteins.
Also read: How to get relief from back pain during pregnancy
Conclusion
Knee pain in pregnancy is the result of the several normal and unavoidable changes that happens in your body. With simple strategies, you can easily minimize the intensity of the pain and ease your pregnancy to a considerable extent.