Knee pain is often caused by either a one-time acute injury or repetitive motions that stress the knee over time, particularly as we age. But while many people will experience knee injuries at some point in their lives, there are ways to prevent them. Here are some tips on how to prevent knee injuries:
Proper Foot Alignment
It is important to ensure that your knees are lined up with your feet when you do any activity that involves bending. Proper foot alignment is crucial during certain activities, such as lunges and squats. By being too far forward or too far back, you are placing excessive stress on the joints of your knees, and it is important to correct this in order to prevent knee injuries.
The Right Shoes
Wearing proper footwear that provides adequate support is one of the best ways to prevent knee injuries. While athletic shoes often carry a hefty price tag, the additional cushion it provides for your joints is well worth the money.
Warm Up
Another way to prevent knee injuries is to warm up properly before your activities. It may take you a few extra minutes, but stretching and warming up your legs before you begin an activity that will put stress on the knees is very important. A proper warm up will reduce the risk of knee injury considerably, but also make the entire activity easier and smoother.
Developing the Pelvic & Thigh Muscles
Our knees have a difficult job; supporting our legs. Therefore, it is important to focus on building up the muscle of your pelvis and thighs in order to keep the balance as it should be. This will ensure that the workload placed on your knees stays within healthy limits, and help prevent knee injuries.
Do Not Overdo It
It would be great if we continuously could push ourselves way beyond our limits, but our bodies will not hold up to overexertion. In addition, it is not a good idea to alter the intensity of your activity suddenly. Instead, build up to higher activity levels gradually to avoid knee injury. If an activity is not attainable, do not risk the unwanted stress it will put on your knees. If you already have bad knees, keep your activities at the lowest impact level possible.
Proper exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking the necessary precautions are the best ways to prevent knee injuries. If you are suffering from knee injuries and would like to schedule a consultation with Beverly Hills orthopedic expert Dr. Millstein, please call (310) 595-1030 today!