Knee pain is a common problem nowadays, especially in older adults. The pain makes it harder for you to walk, climb up and down stairs and to go about your daily activities. Bad habits may increase the risk of knee pain. Read more about this on our previous post on “What are the 6 habits that leads to knee pain”.
As our knees are one of the weight-bearing joints, it suffer from wear and tear as we age.
Having a healthy knee makes it possible for us to walk, jump, dance, climp steps, squat and many more. The best treatment is prevention. Practice a healthy lifestyle and good body mechanics can help to reduce the risk of knee pain.
Try these tips for a healthy knee.
1. Maintain a healthy weight
Our knee joints bear most of our body weights when we stand. If you are overweight, every excess weight puts additional stress on your knees that can increase the risk of wear and tear. Research has shown that for people with osteoarthritis, losing even a little of weight can help in reducing pain.
2. Stay Active
Get moving! Regular physical activity helps to strengthen the muscles that provide support to your knee and maintaining a healthy weight. If you are new to exercise, try doing exercises that are low impact and safe as a start. Consult a physiotherapist if you are not sure where to start.
3. Strengthen your leg muscles
Muscles are important in providing support to our joints. Strengthening your muscles may help to alleviate your pain and prevent future recurrence. Strengthening your knee muscles alone are not enough. Your hip and ankle plays an important role in providing a good knee stability.
4. Stretch your muscles.
Making sure your muscles have good flexibility helps improve your joint mobility and hence reduce stress on your knees. Always remember to stretch after your workout or any physical acitivities.
5. Maintain good posture
Having a poor posture can cause alot of stress on your knees leading to wear and tear over time. Practising a good posture can help reduce these stress on your knees. A good posture is critical to the alignment of your shoulder, spine, hip, knee and ankle.
6. Eat a balanced diet
Having a balanced diet help you get the nutrients you need to support a healthy joint. A balanced diet includes 5 food groups which are grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and, meats and alternatives.
7. Wearing a proper footwear
Wearing a proper footwear provides support to your ankle. Having a good support especially for your ankle is important during physical activity. With good ankle stability helps provide a good knee stability as well and hence reduce the risk of knee injury.
8. Pay attention to pain
If you experience new pain or if the pain does not go away, it is important to speak with your doctor or health care providers. Pain can be a sign of injury which may require treatment to prevent from getting worse.
If you are concerned about your knee pain, feel free to get in touch with our physiotherapists in Relive. They are highly qualified and experienced in treating knee pain.