So what can be done to help prevent knee pain and also to manage it once it is present?

The first thing to do is consult a health-care professional to help rule out any pathology. Things like serious ligament damage, infections and neoplasms obviously need to be managed immediately. Once those nasties are ruled out, though, there are some steps you can take to get your knees in shape.

Firstly, you will want to make sure your feet, knees, hips and pelvis are aligned properly. This may include getting some orthotics for foot support and some chiropractic to help your alignment. You will also want to make sure that the surrounding muscles are in balance, in particular those surrounding your patella.

Many people with knee pain will tend to avoid exercise altogether due to the discomfort. What they don’t realise is that mild to moderate low-impact exercise will actually help alleviate knee pain and stiffness. Exercise such as cycling and swimming is excellent, as these are low-impact and provide plenty of movement as well as resistance exercise for the knee.

Omega 3 fats are natural anti-inflammatories and have been shown to be helpful for knee pain. Our modern diets tend to be low in Omega 3 fats (in relation to Omega 6s). So eat plenty of fish, grass-fed meats and flaxseed oil to help restore the balance and reduce the inflammation in your knees.

Research has also suggested that our modern, highly processed carbohydrate diets have the opposite effect, increasing the inflammation. Refined carbohydrates like breads, cereals, pastas and baked goods should be minimised if you want to successfully manage your knee pain.

So remember that while your knee pain can be quite debilitating, the worst thing you can do is do nothing. Take these active steps and you will not only minimise your knee pain but you will start to regain some of your lost mobility.