Don’t Let Knee Pain Keep Your Mom From Staying Active

Several things can cause knee pain in older adults. Your mom’s knees are stiff, and she has a harder time with mobility when she stands up after sitting for a while or getting out of a car. Osteoarthritis may be the problem.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs when the tissue at the end of the leg bones wears away. Symptoms include pain and stiffness. It can also lead to back pain as your mom changes her posture and gait to ease the pain by changing her knee movements.

Because her knees ache, your mom changes her activities to try to avoid the pain. Unfortunately, that can actually make things worse. She needs to learn other ways to ease the pain.

Change Her Diet

Sometimes, foods that help with inflammation can help ease arthritis pain. For example, spinach and dark leafy greens are beneficial. So are fatty fish, nuts like almonds and walnuts, and berries. She may also find that antioxidant-rich green tea helps fight inflammation.

Over-the-Counter Pain Remedies

Her doctor probably recommends that your mom take a pain medication like ibuprofen to help ease the pain and inflammation. Your mom needs to watch how many pills she takes per day. If she has a hard time keeping track of how many doses she’s had, consider medication reminder services.

Instead of remembering when she last took a dose, she could have a caregiver tracking her doses for her. It keeps her from taking too many pills.

Stay Active

As hard as it is, your mom needs to exercise. It’s the best way to keep the muscles and ligaments strong. She should ask her doctor about physical therapy. It’s helpful to work with a physical therapist to learn strength-training exercises that help with arthritis.

She may find that some forms of exercise are better for her than others. If your mom has a swimming pool or has access to one, she’ll discover that her buoyancy in the water lessens the weight she’s putting on her knees. That helps her strengthen her knees in a low-impact way.

Senior care services can help your mom with daily activities. Her caregivers can also join her for daily walks so that she never feels alone. While her arthritis pain may keep her from wanting to walk around, it’s important that she does. Call a senior care agency to schedule the services that will help her stay active.