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Seniors, Stop Knee Pain Instantly When Using Stairs!
- chelsie462
- Aug 14
- 7 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD8w8Oif1tk
Brad: Ah, this knee pain is going upstairs.
Mike: If your knee hurts every time you use the steps, there's a good chance that you can actually stop this pain.
Brad: Whoa, it even hurts more going down the stairs. Wow. Anyways, what's the problem, Mike? Why, why the knee pain?
Mike: Oftentimes, as people age, they start to develop arthritis in the knees, and it can lead to misalignment within their joints, causing that pain every time they go up and down the stairs.
Brad: That's right, and we're going to cover a few other reasons that may be the problem as well. And then more importantly, show how you can do this properly so you eliminate the pain or at least bring it down so you can tolerate going up and down stairs safely.
Mike: We're going to go through five tricks in a minute.
Brad: Tricks, huh?
Mike: Yeah, tricks are for kids.
Brad: So I do want to throw in one quick note about knee pain. I've seen this personally in the clinic with a lot of patients, where they're going up and down stairs, and they complain of not this gross pain, but actually where the knee actually locks, and they say they can't move it, and at that point, it's painful. But then if they sit down and work it around a bit, it seems to free up, and then it's pain-free. That's a situation where I, as a therapist, say you need to go see an orthopedic doctor. I think you have a meniscus problem. Probably a meniscus tear. We don't know that until it's investigated a little more thoroughly. Therapists can do tests. Usually, they do an MRI to actually see the meniscus tear and go from that point on. Now we'll go on with how to get up and down steps without pain and do it well. Okay, so Mike is going to actually demonstrate how to get up and down steps if you just have one painful knee. It'll be very helpful. It'll make your life much more pain-free. Go ahead, Mike.
Mike: So we're going to say my left knee is my painful side. So what I'm going to do when I ascend or go up the stairs is actually use the good leg. The good leg goes up, the bad leg follows, and we're going to do one step at a time. Good leg up, and then bad. Now, when we're going down the stairs, most people will commonly think, "Oh, I want my good leg to go down first 'cause it's my good leg." What they don't realize is that my bad left leg here is actually taking the brunt of the weight as I'm trying to go down, and this leads to a lot of pain, especially when I start getting to this range of motion. So what you're actually going to do is go down with your bad leg first because my good leg is keeping me holding up here as I'm descending. So to make this shorter, you go up with the good leg, and we go down with the bad leg.
Brad: And we realize you're going to go slower because you're taking one step at a time. But you're going to find out it's not nearly as painful, if any pain, as long as you take your time. If you have a handrail, use it. If there are two handrails, even better yet, use two of them. We're going to talk about how you can compensate if there are not two handrails.
Mike: Now, as Brad mentioned, another good way to take force off of your knees is to actually place it through your hands and arms. If you have two rails you can comfortably reach at home, use both rails. That's perfectly fine. If you only have one railing set up like this, a good option is to use a cane. So again, we're gonna do the same foot sequencing. Up with the good. But I'm going to put the cane up here at the same time, push with both arms, and then bring my bad leg up. My good leg is doing the brunt of the work. My bad leg is just kind of hanging out and following along.
Brad: So your arms, both arms, with the cain and the rail, are taking force off the leg, reducing pain. This is a really good strategy if you have steps into your house, you have one rail. Just leave a cane. I've done this with patients. Just leave the cane outside when you leave, so when you come back, you can use the cane. You don't have to carry it with you if you don't want to. And then when you come down, you leave the cane, or when you get up to the top, put the cane inside the house. That way, when you leave, you can use it going down. This is also an excellent strategy if both knees are painful. This is probably the best way to alleviate pain when you have both knees painful. Make sure you have two rails or use a cane and one rail.
Mike: Sequencing, you can choose what feels best for you. Most people typically will move the cane first, then the leg, and go down that way, just because they feel a little more sturdy doing it this way.
Brad: Now, if stairs are your primary irritant to your knees, and you start doing this, taking stress and irritation off the knees, that alone gives the knees time to heal and can actually maybe get your knees in a better condition, so that they feel better overall.
Mike: So we're going to go over one more tip you can certainly try as well.
Brad: Okay, now, in this sample, sometimes the knee joint just does not articulate together properly, or the bones don't line up as a result of age, maybe arthritis. This can be a simple way to fix it without knowing which knee goes up first, like we just talked about. So if my right knee is painful when I go up, and I typically may keep my toes pointed forward, what you can try is actually rotating your lower leg and pointing your toes out, and then see if that makes a difference. This is a trial-and-error technique. If you go up that way, and the pain goes down 50% or more, that may be a good option for you. If it gets worse as a result of that or stays the same, then you're not going to use that technique. Then, on the other hand, you may want to try turning your toes inwards and see what happens as far as the pain when you weight bear and go up. And you do the same thing when you're going down. Go out like this or like this and see how it goes.
Brad: Now me personally, my foot naturally goes out. Probably, if I had that problem, I would feel better with my toe going out. I don't know, I'd have to try it. But even so, going down the steps or up, if you feel awkward, make sure you use the cane if you only have one rail, so that you're stable and safe while you're trying this. So go ahead and try those tips. I have a feeling you're going to find that they will at least decrease your pain, if not get rid of it significantly. But Mike has another option of one of our Bob and Brad videos, and what is it, Mike?
Mike: If you'd like to check it out, watch "Fast Fix for Knee Pain with Stairs or Walking! 55 and Older." A few different tips because we talk about walking in this video as well.
Brad: That's right. And the other thing, if you have a cane, and this is what I like to do with it, you do the Fred Astaire trick.
Mike: And make sure no one's sitting next to you to get hit in the face.
Brad: Yeah, you gotta be careful. But it does put a little enjoyment into the cane.
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