Many people suffer from knee problems sometime or the other. Knee supports our entire body weight. This characteristic of knee makes it one of the most important joints in our body and therefore it is very important to take care of our knees. While it is easy to cure knee pain, you need to know the actual cause behind your knee pain before you go on to cure it. For example, knee pain can occur because of a variety of reasons. If you are suffering from either of the following diseases: gout, arthritis, ligament injuries, cartilage injuries, patellar tendonitis, bursitis, then you will have frequent bouts of knee pain.

Knee Muscles: The knee has two main muscle groups that help in knee movement. These are the quadriceps and the hamstrings. The quadriceps helps in extending legs while standing, walking upstairs and running. The hamstrings on the other hand, help in bending knees when you are pushing against something.

Causes:

• Trauma. Traumatic injuries are caused by a single occurrence.
• Overuse injuries are caused by repeated smaller events, known as micro traumas.

Prevention: Knee injuries can be prevented to a large extent if the muscles that support the knee are strong. Strengthening muscles from exercises can make them tight and flexible. At the beginning of any exercise give your knee joints and muscles few minutes of warm up and stretching. The precautions should be taken not to overstretch the knee muscles.

Remedy: The best home remedy for knee injury is RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Even if something severe exists that would need medical treatment, the RICE procedure helps keep the swelling and discomfort down until professional help arrive.

• Rest means go easy and stop all activities that stress the knee. Often knee pain is caused because either you are living a stressful life or are under too much work pressure. When you rest your knee and joints, the acute inflammation of the joint subsides, and you are relieved from pain.
• Ice should be applied as soon after the injury as possible. Wrap it in a bath towel so it doesn't freeze the skin. Leave it on for 20 minutes. A few hours later, put ice on it again. Repeat this procedure for up to two days. You can also use heat pads. Just apply either the ice pack or the heat pad on your knee cap. If you are not sure on when you will apply ice and when heat, consult with your local physician.
• Compression means wrapping the ice package in an elastic bandage or anything that'll keep it snugly pressed against the injury.
• Elevation means keeping your knee higher than your heart or "toes over nose."
• Many times stretching helps people to cure knee pain. Stretch your joints and tendons in an appropriate manner and see if it alleviates knee pain. Of course, you should do stretching daily
• Physical therapy is another way to cure knee pain. Therapist use different techniques on the patients in order to give strength and vitality to their knees. Once your knees become strong due to physical therapy, you will be able to cure knee pain fast.

Exercise for Pain-Free Knees:

• Stand about 2 feet from a wall with your feet together, then lean forward and brace yourself against the wall. Don't lean so far that you feel pain. This stretches the Achilles tendon.
• With your back erect, sit in a chair. Extend one leg. Hold it out for 5 seconds. Lower it slowly. Do this with your other leg. This strengthens the knee and helps improve knee flexibility.
• Lie on your back and push your knees toward the floor. Hold for 5 seconds. Then relax your leg muscles. It might not feel strenuous, but this exercise strengthens the quadriceps, important muscles that support the knee.
• This exercise is great if you have kneecap pain. Lie on your back with a pillow under your knees. Straighten a leg and hold it raised (about 5inches above) for 5 seconds, then lower it slowly. Repeat ten times on each leg.
• Lie on your right side with your right leg bent and your left arm supporting you. Lift the left leg, keeping it straight. Hold it raised for 5 seconds before slowly lowering it. Repeat ten times, then switch legs.

When to consult your doctor: If swelling or pain persists for more than 3 days consult your doctor.