My knees hurt... help?
 

For a while now.. like 6 months or more, my knees have hurt. If I'm crouched on the ground I can stand up but its very painful.

Should I look into physical therapy? Should I exercise them in a certain way? Most of my life I've been overweight and I guess it caught up with me? I'm only 21!

try just strengthening your legs, especially your quads. might help. also, if it's a constant pain, not just when squatting, it might be your shoes. if you've got flat feet (like me), then you need good arch support. if you don't have it, the alignment between your feet, ankles, knees can get a bit out of wack and cause pain.

My knees are a mess also. Ive hada heap of tests done and they have no idea what is the problem. It could be heaps of thins from too much synovial fluid to bad posture (thankyou Mael) to wearing thin of the cartlage or a whole heap of problems I have never heard of. Get it checked out man. Hopefully you can get it fixed before it gets worse. Our bodies have a remarkable ability to tell us something is wrong (aka pain). If you in pain something is wrong. If it is a recent thing then more than likely then something may have happened or accumilated to warrent the pain. Dont make my mistake and wait untill it is so bad it almost5 cripples you before you get some professional help.

i suggest seeeing a doctor, but also use tigerbalm- a deep muscle relaxant

my knees used to hurt after hiking downhill... or from a squat... but after i started running cross country they stopped bothering me...

glucosamine pills have helped me a huge deal, I play basketball 3 hours a day, and it reduced inflamation in joints. highly recomended

Wow thanks a lot everyone.

I think the problem is that I cross my legs... all the time... one foot over the other or bent behind me. I just dont like to sit up strait.

Yeah, I wouldn't take the time to type this is it wasn't miraculous.

Glucosamine/Chondroitin tablets in combination.
They are sold that way.

They are better than Vioxx, etc. and other prescription stuff that cost like 10x as much as Glucosamine/Chondroitin...

Loosing weight is probably a great idea. You might want to go see a podiatrist as well (foot doctor). If your arches are screwed up or your stride is not just right, it can cause terrible pain - sometimes in the knees, sometimes in the hips back and feet as well. I got orthotic inserts made for my shoes that alter my stride so that my joints are not stressed unnaturally when I walk and run. The best $300 I have ever spent in my life. I am not kidding when I tell you that this has made a serious impact on my quality of life. And best of all, your doctor can probably assess your feet and stride in one short painless appointment.

How much do you think an appointment would be? I'm strapped.

Wow everything thank you so much.

^^^ no clue. would your insurance cover it?

Back when I was on my dad's insurance it was covered, no problem. Last time I went (for an adjustment) I had to get a referral from my regular doctor, but school insurance sucks. It is worth checking into - you could just call some people in your area. They'll be in the phone book.

I've been taking Joint Bost with Glucosamine Sulfate, Chondroitin Sulfate, Shark Cartilage, and MSM. Does this stuff take a while to notice any benefit? Because it's been like a week and I don't notice anything different.

Make sure you know what you are dealing with. A visit to the doc to diagnose an orthopedic problem vs rheumatologic vs even infectious(Lyme Disease) is recommended. Once you have a firm diagnosis, its easier to research the therapy and decide whats affordable to you