Knee injuries have been in the media a lot lately due to both the alarming frequency with which they occur in the NFL and the startling recovery that some athletes are able to achieve on the heels of such injuries. ACL tears are not the career enders that they used to be, especially with knee arthroscopy recovery time shorter now than in past decades, but they still require an extensive rehabilitation regimen and a willingness to adapt one’s entire lifestyle to the new situation.
However, we’re not all professional athletes, and for many people, a knee injury isn’t so easy to bounce back from. Depending on your age, recovery may take months and even years to be fully achieved if you blow your knee out, which makes getting pain taken care of early essential. A new report provides some tips that aim to reduce the threat of injury and keep knees healthy for some time to come, and it’s essential to read for those worried about knee pain.
First, try to limit the amount of pressure you’re actually putting on your knees. For some, this may mean a concerted effort to lose weight. It makes sense that arthritis and stress-related tears are far more common in those persons whose frame puts a lot of weight on their knees. The author notes that every pound a person is overweight by contributes to a fivefold increase in the amount of stress put on the knees. Therefore, your first step toward better knees may just be eating healthier and exercising on a regular basis.
When you engage in said exercise, make sure you’re stretching and strengthening the muscles in the thigh area. There are lifts that you can take part in that will focus strength building in this area, allowing some of the stress to be taken off of your knees directly.
During both exercise and your everyday life, make sure that you’re wearing the right pair of shoes. Footwear that is both comfortable and absorbs shock in the heel region is the right way to go. This helps protect against the threat posed by the repeated impacts that we tend to underestimate as we go about our day.
This attempt to reduce impacts is particularly important when you’re engaged in jumping exercises. Many times, an ACL injury can be at least partially attributed to the faulty manner in which people land. Instead of keeping your legs completely straight or twisting them as you make an impact, get in the habit of letting your knees exhibit a slight bend. Work with a personal trainer if establishing proper form proves difficult.
About the author
