One of the biggest barriers to keeping fit and exercising regularly is knee pain, particularly as we get older. However, not exercising can compound the problem by making the knee joint stiffer and more painful. It can also contribute to weight gain, which puts extra strain on the joints and makes pain an even more difficult issue to resolve.
Chronic knee pain can interfere with daily activities and lead to a worse quality of life. It's essential to proactively protect and maintain the health of your knees to reduce the risk of discomfort and pain in later life. Here are some steps that you can take.
Strengthen your muscles
Strong muscles around your knees help to support them and reduce strain and impacts on the joint. Good strengthening exercises include squats, lunges, and skipping.
Don’t overdo high-impact exercises
While keeping active is important, do not push yourself too hard with repetitive high impact movements such as running. Balance out this activity with exercise that improves your flexibility, such as yoga or swimming.
Where proper training shoes
Badly designed shoes that do not fit well and provide inadequate support for the foot can throw your whole posture off balance and put extra strain on your knee joints.
If you do a lot of high impact activities such as running, it’s advisable to have your movement assessed by a fitness professional such as a personal trainer to look for issues such as over-pronation, which can be corrected by using insoles. In your everyday life, avoid wearing high heels for long periods of time as this puts extra strain on your joints.
What to do if you already have knee pain
Keep active
People with knee pain may understandably reduce their activity levels, because of the discomfort and also the mistaken belief that exercise will make the problem worse. However, it’s important to keep active otherwise your knees will become stiffer, weaker, and more prone to injury. Do gentle exercises such as walking and swimming.
Treat injuries immediately
Do not ignore any injuries or fresh sources of pain. Treat injuries straight away with cold compresses and rest until any swelling and pain recedes. Protect your knee with an elasticated bandage, and consult a doctor if the pain persists or worsens.
Maintain a healthy weight
Many people accept a certain amount of middle aged spread as the natural consequence of getting older, but there are significant risks associated with being overweight or obese. Even a few pounds can put a lot of extra stress on your joints, so it’s helpful to ensure that your weight is within the ideal range for your height and gender.
Eat a varied diet with a good combination of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and beans, and limit your intake of processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt. This will not only help you to manage your weight, but also promote healthy joints and reduce the risk of inflammation and disease.
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