Don’t Let Knee Pain Stand in the Way of a Great Vacation – Just Follow These Tips
By Space Coast Daily // February 12, 2020
In case you don’t know, the knee is the largest joint in the human body. The knee has three major compartments, any of which can hurt with wear and tear.
Inevitably, as you grow older, your joints begin to experience wear and tear. But this wear and tear doesn’t necessarily affect the way your knee functions.
Do you have this exciting vacation all planned out, and you don’t want your knee to stand in the way of having maximum fun on that vacation, to minimize your risk of experiencing stiffness, inflammation, and pain, in your knees, take these steps to protect these important joints.
Healthy Weight
Carrying around excess weight will place tremendous pressure on your poor knees. For every weight you lose, you’ll spare your knees from having to carry four additional forces. Save that poor knee of yours today, maintain a healthy weight, and see how strong and healthy your knee will be.
Keep moving
The joint of your body, including the knee, functions properly when you engage in regular physical activity. When you perform regular exercise less force gets applied to your knee.
Although in time past, it was believed that regular activities like running are not good for the knees, the latest research indicates that it is not necessarily true.
Recent research indicates that recreational runners had a lower risk of developing osteoarthritis (a form of arthritis) of the knee than those who run competitively.
It’s also good to mix up your workout schedules; so if you run thrice weekly, perform a low-impact activity, like riding a bicycle, and swimming on the in-between days.
Another thing you need to do is to strengthen your muscles. According to the team at cpoe.org, it helps you improve the range of motion and protect your knee cartilage when you develop your strong thigh muscles. It also reduces the stress you place on your knee.
It is, however, important to cultivate the habit of squatting twice weekly, ensuring that your knees remain above your feet and go beyond your toes. If you are over 50, avoid squatting, because it could exert excess pressure on the knees.
Good posture
Maintaining a good posture could help keep your knee healthier than you imagine. People often stoop over as they increase in age.
Poor posture is quite problematic as it changes your body’s center of gravity. Poor posture places added pressure and stress on your hips and knees, so make it a point of duty to always stand properly.
Standing properly means standing tall, with your head well placed in line with your shoulders, your shoulders positioned directly over your hips, and your hips aligned properly with your knees, and your knees in line with your feet.
Yoga exercises like back extensions can improve your body posture and prevent irritation around your kneecaps.
Wear the right shoes
Putting on comfortable and supportive shoes promotes proper alignment of every joint in your lower end as you move. When you want to engage in any workout, wear kicks that perfectly suit your workout activity. Wear shoes that are built for running whenever you want to run.
It is believed that postural abnormalities of your feet can contribute to knee arthritis, which is why it’s very essential to put on shoes that help prevent rolling of the feet when you are working out.
If you’re shopping for new workout footwear, it’s better to buy professionally fitted footwear. Avoid wearing high heels when you’re not exercising, which increases the load on the knees.
Obey your knee pain
The moment you notice any swelling or pain around your knee, stop whatever high-impact activity that you are doing – walking, running.
Ensure you give your knee the right treatment. Sometimes, all you need to do is to rest, apply ice or compression. At times, you might need to take an anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen.
Once the pain is relieved, you can get back to what you were doing. If you don’t feel relieved in a week or two, visit a medical doctor for further assessment.
Gentle activities like swimming, cycling, and aqua aerobics are advisable, even when you are treating a keep problem. This is important so that you don’t lose your fitness.
You can do a lot of things to save you from knee problems, whether it’s as a result of arthritis or an injury you have been nursing for years.
The aforementioned steps will help your knees feel better and healthier and keep you away from doctors. However, if However, you just started feeling pain in your knee; visit a doctor to examine your knee. It’s best to know exactly what you’re dealing with so you can avoid further damage
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