If you have an unstable patella, you do have treatment options. You can consider surgery, rest and pain medications, or get a knee brace to help stabilize your knee.
Take a look at the positive and negative aspects of both of these choices.
Surgery to Repair an Unstable Knee Cap (Patella)
Depending on what exactly is going on with your knee, surgery can be an option. Many physicians however will not rush you into the surgery room if you are having patella instability though. If you have severe symptoms, then yes, surgery may be the primary recourse, but there are other conservative treatment methods that can help you hold off on even considering surgery.
Other Treatment for an Unstable Knee Cap
Most doctors will look to treat an unstable patella in a more conservative manner first. This involves using a brace as well as over the counter pain medication for any pain (speak with your physician prior to taking any medications). Most of the time, the unstable patella will not cause a severe amount of pain. When the knee cap slips out of the joint, it may cause a flash of pain, but this will soon fade and the pain will move to a dull ache. Over the counter pain medication can help solve your discomfort problems temporarily, but what happens when you get too used to the medication? Moreover, will this help solve your kneecap stability problems? Rest and pain medications have their place, and you should speak with your physician about any meds you are talking, but you can do other things to help promote knee cap stability.
A brace is one ideal way that you can deal with most knee problems including an unstable patella. A knee brace will help keep the kneecap in alignment. Many people who have this condition will rely on the knee brace as a way to treat the condition permanently, wearing the brace whenever they are planning on walking or standing for a long period of time.
How to Prevent an Unstable Knee Cap
While there are a few options you can consider to prevent an unstable patella from migrating, one of the best things you can do to take care of your knees is to keep your weight down. People who are overweight tend to have more problems with their knees than others who maintain a healthy weight.
Athletes are typically more susceptible to suffering from problems because of the continuous impact on the knees. Wearing protective braces whilst participating in any kinds of sports and doing the full range of warm up exercises will help keep the joint warm and will afford the knees with maximum protection.
No comments:
Post a Comment