Stop Knee Pain When Sitting For Long Periods

What Causes Knee Pain When Sitting For Long Periods?

Having knee pain when sitting for long periods is a common problem, especially if you're sitting with your knees bent.

Knee pain when sitting for long periods is common in people with knee arthritis, as well as with other conditions like patellofemoral pain syndrome or chondromalacia patella.

Sometimes people with these conditions will complain of outright knee pain, but more commonly they'll complain of  knee stiffness when sitting.

Some examples of when you might get knee pain when sitting for long periods are: sitting in a long car ride, sitting at a desk, or going to lunch or dinner with friends, or sitting in a movie theater with your knee bent.

In fact, having knee pain when sitting for long periods is so common that there is actually a medical coin termed "movie-goer's knee".  This isn't so much a diagnosis as it is a symptom, meaning you have knee pain when sitting for long periods.

So at this point you probably want to know...

How Can I Stop My Knees From Getting Stiff When I Sit? 

Use These Tip To Prevent Knee Pain and Stiffness When Sitting For Long Periods

1. Get Up To Move More Often
   The best solution to have less knee pain when sitting is to get up and move around more often. When you move, your joints you release a lubricating fluid (synovial fluid) so that your joints don't get so stiff.Additionally, when you sit for long periods, the same part of the kneecap (patella) is pressing on the same part of the thigh bone (femur). This can cause your knee to hurt if you've been sitting for awhile.Contrarily, getting up to move more often varies the position of your kneecap
2. Don't Sit Lady Like
   If you have to sit for long periods, it's best to sit with your feet flat on the floor with your knees hips width apart. Avoid crossing knee over knee (cross-legged).Women are often trained to sit "lady-like" for modesty reasons, but if you're not sitting in public while wearing a skirt, there's really no reason to do this.Crossing your knees when sitting can make your inner thigh muscles stiff and over stretches the muscle on the outside of your knee and thigh. Over time, these muscle imbalances can cause:
   1. Pain on the front of the knee
   2. Pain on the inside of the knee
   3. Pain on the outside of the knee
3. Cross At The Ankles Instead
   If you have to cross your legs when sitting, cross one ankle over the other knee, or cross your ankles and keep your knees apart.
4. Motion Is Lotion
   Another tip to prevent knee pain when sitting for a long time is to move your knee back and forth.Again, when you move your knee, your joint releases a lubricating fluid that helps prevent friction and grinding inside the joint.Moving also increases blood flow to your knee and keeps your muscles from getting too stiff when sitting for a long time. That way, your knee doesn't feel so stiff and sore when you're ready to stand up from sitting.

I hope you find the tips to be useful!  If you try these things and still have knee pain when sitting for long periods, call us or text us, at 314-941-3970 and we can further discuss your specific problem.