Knee pain prevention

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Knee pain prevention

Patellar tendinopathy, also known as jumper's knee, affects the tendons that attach the kneecap to the shinbone and the quadriceps tendon to the kneecap. Prolonged kneeling can cause prepatellar bursitis , which can develop into an egg-shaped bump on the front of the kneecap. To prevent and ease knee pain during work, play, and daily activities:

Maintain a healthy weight.
Wear kneepads when kneeling on hard surfaces. Avoid prolonged kneeling.
Strengthen and stretch your leg muscles. Pay special attention to your front and back thigh muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings).
Avoid deep knee bends.
Avoid running downhill unless you are fully conditioned.
Wear shoes with good arch supports.
During specific sports activities:
- Replace running shoes about every 500 miles or 800 kilometers.
- Whenever possible, avoid wearing shoes with cleats when playing contact sports. Cleats help your performance in some sports by keeping your feet from slipping during acceleration, turns, or contact, but this also increases the risk of injury.

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Author	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor	Denele Ivins
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Nicola Maffulli, MD, PhD - Orthopedics
Last Updated	December 19, 2006

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Last updated:	December 19, 2006
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, Nicola Maffulli, MD, PhD - Orthopedics
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC

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