Pain-Free Knees

After all these years spent carrying you around, your knees may be starting to fight back - with creaks, aches, and stiffness. Of course, the ideal situation is to prevent knee problems in the first place. The best way?

Keep your weight down. In fact losing just seven kilograms can cut knee pain in half for overweight arthritis suffers.

"I've seen people with their knees going bad, and the rate of deterioration decreased significantly when they lost weight", says Dr John Reveille, a professor of medicine at the University of Texas.

Here, more strategies that can help ease pain:

Have your feet checked "People with bad feet or those who roll the foot outward while walking or running develop knee pain that doesn't necessarily reflect knee damage," says Dr Reveille. Go to a good athletic-shoe store and ask a staffer to evaluate your gait and your shoes' wear pattern. Orthotics or physical therapy can compensate.

Build muscle Staying active can build knee-protecting muscles. "A joint with a conditioned muscle around it is far more able to absorb stresses, " says Dr Reveille. But avoid exercises that put excessive strain on the knee, such as squats and jogging.

Apply ice or heat "Ice is one of nature's painkillers, " says Dr Wayne M Goldstein, a professor of orthopaedics at the University of Illinois. "It will help reduce inflammation." Use ice for acute, occational pain and apply heat for more chronic aches.

Try medicine Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory drugs may help temporarily. Osteoarthritis sufferers can also try supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin.