5 Common Causes of Work-Related Knee Pain

Do your knees hurt at the end of a typical workday? Knee pain is common among workers. While some workers suffer from back pain, others suffer from knee pain. By understanding what causes knee pain, however, you can take measures to prevent it. Below are five of the most common causes of work-related knee pain.

#1) Standing for Long Periods

Standing for long periods can take a toll on your knees. Many workers are required to stand for eight or more hours a day. Standing, of course, places pressure on the knees. Your knees will have to bear the weight of your body. Over the course of an eight-hour workday, your knees may begin to hurt from this constant pressure to which they are exposed.

#2) Chronic Dehydration

Workers who are chronically dehydrated are more likely to suffer from knee pain than their counterparts. The knees are joints. And like the other 359 joints in the human body, they require lubrication. Water will lubricate your knees so that they can bend more easily. If you are chronically dehydrated, your knees may lack the necessary lubrication for smooth, pain-free bending.

#3) Poor Posture

Poor posture is a common cause of work-related knee pain. Posture refers to the way in which you carry and "hold" your body. There's sitting posture, and there's standing posture. If you use the wrong posture when sitting or standing, you may develop musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), some of which can manifest in the form of knee pain.

#4) Repetitive Stress

Repetitive stress is a common cause of work-related pain. Repetitive stress, as you may know, is any repeated motion that exposes your body to stress. If you perform a physical task over and over, you may experience repetitive stress. Office workers experience repetitive stress from typing, whereas construction workers experience repetitive stress from hammering nails or lifting materials. Some of these repeated motions can specifically expose your knees to stress, thus leading to work-related knee pain. 

#5) Contact Stress

Not to be confused with repetitive stress, contact stress is another common cause of work-related knee pain. What is contact stress exactly? It's any type of physical stress that involves direct contact with the body. If your knee is struck while working, for example, you may experience contact stress. Contact stress will result in trauma that, depending on the severity, may manifest in the form of knee pain.