How to Keep Your Knee Pain Under Control While Travelling?

If you have been suffering from knee pain, going on a long-distance road trip can be an actual pain – truly! Being seated motionless for a long stretch of time can worsen the pre-existing pain and stiffness that you have been afflicted with, because of runner’s knee, osteoporosis, arthritis or any other medical ailment. Luckily, your painful knee joints should not keep you from taking such long trips. Listed below are a few essential tips to help you manage and avoid knee pain while travelling:

Pull overand step out of the car to take a brief walk: If you happen to be vacationing by car, occasionally pull over and step out of the car to stretch out your legs. In the same manner, if you are travelling on a train, leave yourcompartment and take a walk to and fro the aisle a couple of times. This will aid in easing out any kind of stiffness or discomfort resulting from being cooped up in a restricted chair for an extended time period.

Keep stretching out:Push back your car's seat to the maximal level feasible and stretch out the legs beneath the seat in front of you. You possibly will not be in a position to stretch the legs totally, however you will most likely get some comfort. Driving a car is preferable as compared to travelling on the train or even an aircraft for that mattersince there are a lot more ways to adjust your seat's placement in a car, making it possible for you to comfortably stretch out your legs.

Take short road trips or split them up:To minimize the chance of knee ache and stiffness, make arrangements of taking short road trips, or split the journey up into parts by opting foran overnight lodging at some good place on the way.

Replace your prescribed pain killers with OTC medications: Your routine prescribed pain killers might not be a good option while you are driving a vehicle. Thus, it is advised to substitute them with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as Tylenol, or perhaps NSAIDs like ibuprofen, Advil etc. Consult with your physician in case you have particular questions regarding your medicines while on the road.

Make use of cold compress and/or heating pillow:If your back or other joints begin to pain, making use of heat on the impacted part can alleviate the discomfort.In case your pain is followed by swelling, you may even place an ice pack for 15 minutes or so.Keep in mind not to apply an ice pack directly; make use of a hand towel or some kind of barrier to guard the skin.

Take advantage of the cruise control:Should you be going on a road trip in your vehicle, take advantage of the cruise control functionality. Nevertheless, setting your foot on the accelerator pedal requires you bending your knee. Traveling in a cruise mode is going to help you to keep your legs stretched out.

Use a knee brace:Using a knee brace on long-distance road trips can help in stabilizing the kneecap, counterbalancing the injured or fragile cartilage and ligaments. This consequently will help in reducing and controlling the knee pain.

Looking for a reliable and cost-effective knee brace for your journey? We have a plenty of options for you to choose from depending on your medical needs and budget. With regards to knee braces, we deal in multiple brands. To check out Donjoy, Bledsoe or Ossur knee brace prices, visit http://www.burnabyorthopaedic.com today!

Knee Braces: Custom Made vs. Off the Shelf

A commonly debated issue is the need for custom made knee braces versus pre-made, or off-the-shelf, versions.  There are two sides to this debate and this post will provide the advantages of each style of knee braces.

Off the Shelf Knee Braces

OTS knee braces are pre-made, typically in sizes small, medium, large, and x-large.  Our experience at Burnaby Orthopaedic is that the most common sizes of knee braces are small, medium and large.  We typically use OTS knee barces as options for less severe injuries, shorter term use, or in cases we are trying to keep costs as economical as possible.  Knee braces are usually fit by taking circumference measurements at the thigh (15cm above mid-patella), mid-patella, and calf (15cm below mid-patella).  Caliper measurements are sometimes taken at mid-patella to capture the width of the knee joint.

Some of the knee braces are available in varying lengths which helps to accommodate clients at heights of 162cm and less (5'4").

Advantages:

1. More economical
2. Immediate or quick fitting
3. Less severe injuries
4. Temporary use

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Custom Made Knee Braces

There are different methods of making custom knee braces including casts, measurement systems, and more recently iPhone/iPad apps.  Each have their pros and cons and when used properly, produce great fitting knee braces.  For harder to fit legs, or legs with unique features, a cast is always the most reliable method to capture the true anatomical contours.

Advantages:

1. True custom fit
   1. Sizing (thigh and calf measurements may be different sizes)
   2. Length of brace (different heights warrant different lengths)
   3. Alignment - varus or valgus alignment ('bow legged' or 'knock kneed')
2. More severe injuries
3. Longer term use - like postponing or avoiding a ligament reconstruction or joint replacement
4. Better warranties (typically 5 years or more)

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Summary

At the end of the day, there isn't one solution that works for everyone.  We pride ourselves on our customer service and each client will get a thorough assessment.  This will help us to achieve the best possible outcome.  To make an informed decision we take into account many different variables including: injury, occupation, activity level, client size, hand dexterity, skin conditions, and previous knee brace history.

Let us help guide you through the purchase of your knee braces.  Our knee braces can be viewed here.