Knee Pain Associated with Gardening
Tending to your garden can be a fun and relaxing hobby. It’s been shown to improve strength, memory retention, mood, and more. The benefits are nearly endless, but the repetitive stress on your knees can also lead to knee pain.
In this article, we’ll explain what gardner’s knee is and how to help prevent it.
What is Gardener’s Knee?
Prepatellar bursitis, commonly called gardener’s knee or housemaid’s knee is a condition caused by the inflammation of the prepatellar bursa–a small fluid-filled area that sits on the front of your knee cap. This condition is common in people who spend a lot of time kneeling. The most common symptoms of gardener’s knee include swelling at the front of the knee, redness, and tenderness. It may also be difficult to bend your knee or walk.
Tips to Avoid Knee Pain While Gardening
When you garden, you’re engaging in low-impact exercise so you’ll want to approach it like you would any other exercise: warm up and know your limits. Here are some more tips to help you garden with less pain.
- Use knee pads or a kneeling pad to help protect your knees
- Wear comfortable and supportive shoes
- Take frequent breaks so you don’t strain your knees
- Change your positions frequently to relieve stress on the knees
- Apply ice on your knees after gardening
- Use gardening tools with long handles
- Consider a raised garden bed
- Exercise to strengthen your legs
- Purchase gardening supplies in light-weight quantities
- Ask for help when gardening tasks are too difficult for you or cause you strain
Physical Therapy for Knee Pain
Many people brush off knee pain when it first occurs, thinking it will eventually go away. If you’re suffering with pain and swelling around the knee, don’t ignore it. There are several causes of front knee pain other than gardener’s knee which physical therapy may be helpful with.
We at New Heights Physical Therapy Plus in Portland OR can diagnose your condition and offer you the proper treatment so you can continue to do the things you love pain-free!