Your knees are incredibly vital to your health and well-being. You heavily rely on them to function admirably every day. Unfortunately, though, knees are very much prone to injury and breakdown. The knee joint is a complex structure and is subjected to immense punishment throughout life. What’s more, it’s not just athletes or people who do sports who can experience knee injuries, anyone can suffer from it
In this article, we will take a look at some of the things you can do to avoid permanent knee damage.
Don’t Ignore Knee Pain
If you are suffering from knee pain, don’t ignore it. This is because it means something is wrong and can lead to permanent damage if not taken care of.
Generally, if your knee pain is restricting your movement and also aching, you must visit any physio nearby. A slight ache that doesn’t interfere with running, jumping, or changing direction might ward it off by itself. But anything else requires the help of a specialist and should be dealt with in the right manner. Knee pain tends to get worse with time so always treat it earlier rather than later.
Don’t Put On Too Much Weight
Being overweight acts as a contributing factor to worsening knee pain. Heavier people tend to put more stress on their knee joints which can eventually wear out the knee cartilage over time. Interestingly, only being slightly overweight than normal on the BMI scale is enough to cause problems. Putting on a mere 10 pounds could cause significant damage and can aggravate knee pain.Moreover, if you have arthritis, gaining some pounds could make symptoms worse. Therefore, diet and exercise are both important tools as they can stop you from gaining unnecessary weight.
Just make sure that you do gentle exercises and don’t push your limits. Avoid the temptation to push yourself beyond the limit or do anything particularly acrobatic in the spit of achieving something exceptional.
Build Muscle Around The Knees
The knees don’t like to exist in isolation. Instead, they rely on the muscles around them to provide them with support and give them strength. Muscles in the upper legs, hips, and pelvis are all involved in stabilizing the knee joint and also aid in absorbing some of the pressure and stress put on it.
Some people may also gain desired benefits from strengthening other areas of the body, such as the obliques and hamstrings. These muscles enhance flexibility and also give the knee joint extra tensile strength so that it doesn’t fail under load.
Take It Slow
If you decide to opt for a new exercise routine, try not to overdo it. Instead, take it a bit slow. Avoid the temptation to be indulged in. Your body simply isn’t able to cope with it. So it will exert pressure on your body and the most vulnerable region will be your lower region. Also, don’t suddenly intensify the exercises. Instead, try to build things slowly and gradually. If you go too quickly, you might develop painful conditions, such as tendonitis.