Looking after your knees in Qatar's summer heat

How heat affects a sore or injured knee

Heat does not wear out a joint, but it changes how a sore knee behaves. In hot conditions, blood vessels in the skin and limbs widen, so fluid more easily collects in the lower legs and around an already irritable knee. Many people notice their knee or ankle swelling more by the evening in summer, especially after standing or walking in the heat.

Heat also brings fatigue sooner. Tired muscles control the knee less well, which is one reason twisting injuries and flare-ups of tendon pain are more common late in a hot training session.

Timing exercise and choosing the right place

From roughly May to September, outdoor exercise in the middle of the day is hard on everyone. For knees, the aim is to keep exercising, because strength protects the joint, but to change when and where.

• Exercise outdoors early in the morning or after sunset, and check the heat and humidity before you go.
• Use indoor options: gyms, indoor tracks, swimming pools, air-conditioned padel courts and mall walking.
• Swimming and pool walking are useful for arthritic or recovering knees, because the water supports body weight.
• Reduce the intensity on the first hot days of the season and build up again over a couple of weeks.
• On artificial turf and running tracks in summer, surfaces can become very hot; shorter sessions help.

Hydration and the knee

Dehydration makes muscles cramp and tire, slows recovery and, in people prone to gout, can trigger a sudden hot, swollen joint. Drink regularly through the day rather than in large amounts at once, and add an electrolyte drink after long or sweaty sessions.

Dark urine, headache, dizziness and unusual tiredness are signs you need more fluids. Confusion, vomiting, a very high body temperature or collapse during exercise are signs of heat illness and need emergency care on 999.

Braces, sleeves and skin

Neoprene sleeves and hinged braces trap heat and sweat. In Qatar's summer this can lead to rashes, chafing and, under a brace after surgery, skin breakdown.

• Wear a thin cotton layer or tubular bandage under the brace if your surgeon allows it.
• Take the brace off to wash and dry the skin when you are permitted to, and check for red or broken areas.
• Choose breathable sleeves for sport, and wash them often.
• If the brace was given after surgery, ask before removing it; some must stay on at all times in the early weeks.

Recovering from knee surgery in the summer

Many people in Qatar plan surgery during the summer, when work or school is quieter. Recovery in summer is perfectly possible with a few precautions.

Keep the wound dressing clean and dry, and avoid sweating heavily into it. Shower according to your surgeon's instructions, and avoid swimming pools and the sea until the wound has fully healed, usually several weeks. Keep up fluids, especially if you are taking painkillers that cause constipation. Elevating the leg and using cold packs in short sessions helps control swelling.

Contact your surgical team if the wound becomes red, hot, increasingly painful or starts to leak, or if you develop a fever.

Air conditioning and stiffness

Many patients say their knee feels stiffer in cold, air-conditioned rooms or after a long drive with the air conditioning on. Cold does not damage the joint, but muscles and soft tissues feel tighter, and sitting still for long periods adds to stiffness.

Get up and move every 30 to 60 minutes, keep a light layer over the knees in cold offices, and do a few gentle knee bends before you stand up after a long sit. Morning stiffness lasting more than an hour, or stiffness with swelling and warmth, is worth discussing with a doctor.