Foam Forum

Can you envision any of these scenarios?

1.) Your friends want you to join them for a game of basketball, or maybe put together a friendly game of flag football but you can not join them because of your knee pain.

2.) Your coworker challenges you to an invigorating game of tennis or racquetball, but your knee discomfort stops you.

3.) Maybe your significant other wants to go for a romantic walk on the beach but the knee ache is almost always there and prohibits you from moving very well.

It can be there at almost any time, when you run, walk, or even get up from a sitting postion. Still, you’d rather live with it than face the unpleasant options you’ve heard so much about: long sessions of therapy, invasive surgery, and annoying injections. But ignoring the sharp knee pain on the outside of your knee will not make it go away. It could actually make your knee pain problems worse.

So, what can you do?

The answer may lie in something as simple, affordable as a knee brace.

Sharp knee pain on the outside of the knee can stem from several different causes. The outside part of the knee is also known as the lateral side, and is the side of the knee where the palm of your hand would touch if allowed to hang straight down. The pain can be located above the knee joint, at the knee joint, or slightly below the knee joint—sometimes, all three.

If the sharp pain is mainly above the knee joint, it may be caused by problems with your knee cap (otherwise known as the patella).

Pain at or slightly below the knee joint may indicate a problem with the cartilage within the knee joint (known as the meniscus). Sharp pain both above and at the joint line may indicate a problem with the lateral collateral ligament (LCL). It could even be arthritis.

There are other causes of sharp knee pain on the outside of the knee that are less common. This article is meant only to give you a basic idea of some of the possible causes, and is not meant in any way as a substitute for medical care. You should always have your symptoms evaluated by a qualified medical specialist, typically an Orthopaedist.

Still, no matter what the diagnosis you may have, chances are that a well designed knee support can help reduce the sharp knee pain on the outside of your knee. A knee brace fits snugly around the knee, allowing for mobility of the knee joint while helping to provide support. In this manner, a knee support can help ease the stresses that are placed on the knee joint. It may help to decrease the amount of wear and tear that is placed upon the cartilage within your knee. The knee support can also help align your knee, often times helping to keep the patella from deviating. In these ways, the knee brace may help reduce the sharp pain on the outside of the knee.

While there are circumstances when a knee brace may have to be custom made, this is generally not the case. Knee braces, both soft and rigid, are available in many types and styles designed to fit the average knee. Because they do not always have to be custom made, these knee braces are much more affordable, often costing hundreds less than a knee brace that is custom made.

Andrew Sims
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/outside-my-knee-i-have-sharp-knee-pain-can-a-brace-can-reduce-discomfort-748330.html