My Knee Feels Tight: What Should I Do?

Does your knee often feel stiff when you bend it or stand up from a sitting position? If so, you might be putting a lot of stress on your knees, whether from heavy lifting or extra body weight. However, an injury, mechanical issue, or any underlying medical condition can sometimes make your knee tight or stiff out of nowhere.  

Regardless of the cause, knee tightness can make daily life challenging and painful. You can’t walk, stand, run, or even lie down in peace. To restore your knee flexibility, your doctor will first diagnose the affected area to narrow down the possible reasons.

In most cases, gentle stretches and proper exercises relieve knee tightness. But this treatment may not work for everyone. In such a situation, regenerative medicine-based orthobiologic treatments are the best alternatives for painful knee surgeries. 

Causes of Knee Tightness and Pain

Our knees can become swollen due to excess fluid buildup from overuse, injuries, or medical conditions. It leads to painful sensations or tightness around the knees. Mostly, the swelling isn’t visible, and you can only feel extreme tightness in the knee. 

Even minor swelling in the knee can limit your movement and make it feel tight. Here are some possible causes of this condition:

1. Ligament Injuries

Our body has many ligaments — the thick connective tissue bands — that hold bones, organs, and joints in their original place. Unfortunately, the knee ligaments are susceptible to injuries, primarily due to sudden trauma or overuse of the knees. It is more common in athletes or people who perform rigorous activities daily. 

If your ligaments get damaged by a tear or sprain, it may lead to internal bleeding around the knees. Over time, it will turn into swelling and stiffness, restricting your movement and tightening your knees. 

2. Meniscus Injuries

Our knees consist of two menisci each, a C-shaped cartilage acting as a protective cushion between the femur (thighbone) and tibia (shinbone). Any trauma or damage to the knees can rupture the meniscus, leading to intense pain and swelling in the affected area.

Meniscus injuries can also occur from excessive pressure or sudden knee rotation, common during sports. Your meniscus can also tear when running too fast, climbing the stairs, or doing extensive workouts. Osteoarthritis can also be a significant factor in meniscus tears. 

The swelling due to meniscus injuries can limit your motion, making your knee feel locked in a specific place. This symptom is identified as knee tightness or stiffness. 

3. Post-Surgery Tightness 

Tightness or stiffness is the most common side effect after knee surgery, requiring special care to get better. Some frequently performed knee procedures are:

• ACL reconstruction
• Knee arthroscopy
• Knee ligament repair
• Meniscus repair or transplant
• Total knee replacement
• Lateral release
• Meniscectomy
• Microfracture
• Tendon repair
• Plica excision

Your doctor will recommend a proper exercise routine to help your knee heal fully and restore its stability and flexibility. It will only take a few weeks to resume your everyday life, but a complete return to physical work may require up to six months.

4. Arthritis

Osteoarthritis and RA are the two most common knee arthritis that damage the joints and make them stiff. While osteoarthritis affects the knee cartilage, RA targets the joint linings and causes inflammation. 

Both conditions result in a limited range of motion, tightness, swelling, and deformity of the knee joints. Physical therapy focused on muscle groups is the most recommended treatment for osteoarthritis and RA. 

5. Inflexible Knee Muscles

If your knee muscles are too tight or weak, it may lead to stiffness and tightness. It’s essential to maintain your muscle flexibility while keeping it strong enough to hold your body weight without bearing too much pressure. 

People with strong muscles around the hips, buttocks, and legs are less likely to suffer knee tightness since they have proper knee support. 

A study was performed on 2,400+ participants at high risk for osteoarthritis. The researchers found that women with weak quadriceps are more susceptible to worsening knee pain than men. This shows that maintaining flexible yet strong muscles can significantly help you reduce knee tightness. 

Treatment Options for Knee Tightness

The first-hand treatment for knee tightness is at-home exercises and care. In most cases, following a proper routine at home can minimize your knee swelling and stiffness, helping you return to your usual life in a few weeks or months. 

Conventional Treatments

Some effective conventional treatments for knee tightness include:

• Lying down while elevating the knee above the heart 
• Taking pain killers (naproxen, ibuprofen) 
• Wearing a splint, brace, or crutches to provide support to your knees
• Practicing physical therapy or rehabilitation activities
• Enhancing flexibility in your legs through gentle leg stretches
• Doing yoga poses multiple times a week to relieve tightness in the hamstrings
• Performing hip abduction exercises to improve movement patterns and knee stability
• Visiting a massage therapist regularly 
• Including low-impact exercises in your routine, like walking, water exercises, or elliptical training, to release muscle tightness. 
• Applying heat packs when warming up for a workout and ice treatments when finished 
• Resting and sleeping enough throughout your recovery period
• Keeping your knee raised when sleeping
• Following a healthy and comprehensive diet that includes high-fiber foods (fresh fruits and vegetables) and drinking plenty of liquids. 
• Using a compression bandage to deal with inflammation
• Avoiding putting weight or lifting heavy objects to protect your injured knee 

Orthobiologic Treatments

If none of the above tips treats your knee tightness, you may have to opt for an orthobiologic method. This option is based on regenerative medicine and is considered a less painful and non-invasive surgery alternative. 

Currently, two orthobiologic treatments are popular for knee tightness: cell-based therapies and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy. At CELLAXYS, we perform both of them, depending on the cause of your knee stiffness. 

Cell-based Therapies

Also known as stem cell therapies, these methods involve extracting healthy cells from your body, processing them, and reinjecting them into the injury site. There are further two types of cell-based therapies based on the location where the cells are harvested. 

• Minimally Manipulated Adipose Tissue Transplant (MMAT). The doctor extracts cells from your adipose (fat) tissues during this process. MMAT can be performed at different locations in the same procedure. 

• Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMAC). BMAC requires the doctor to take highly concentrated cells from your bone marrow and reninjects them into the injured knee. 

Both MMAT and BMAC take about 1.5 to 2 hours to complete and are performed as outpatient procedures, meaning you can go home the same day. The doctor uses live X-rays to detect the exact injury location. 

Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP)

In PRP, the doctor takes your blood sample to isolate the healing components called platelets. Then, they process the platelets in a lab and reinject them into your injury site to promote healing. Platelets release 10 growth factors in your blood, attract healing cells, and produce a web-like scaffolding called fibrin to promote new tissue development. 

PRP has been a popular spine and sports-related treatment for decades, helping people with knee issues return to their normal lives in a painless way. It is also an outpatient procedure and only takes 45 minutes to complete. 

Our patients report early recovery from knee tightness and pain by undergoing cell-based therapies or PRP.