It’s no secret that exercise is good for the body, but avoiding injury is essential. Knee health can often be compromised due to sudden movements, heavy impacts or overuse. Understanding how to prevent sports injuries such as knee issues is the key to maintaining optimal performance.
For guidance on how you can ensure that your knees stay in top condition, you have come to the right place. Here are our top tips to follow.
Understanding Your Knees: The Basics of Joint Health
As the biggest joint in the body, having an understanding of knee health is essential. The knee joint is responsible for connecting your thigh to your lower leg and contains an array of cartilage, muscles, ligaments and nerves.
These work together to support and stabilise you when you are standing and moving. In fact, almost every movement in your leg relies on your knee joint. So ensuring that your knee remains as healthy as possible is crucial for maintaining an active and pain free lifestyle.
The Power of Preparation: Warm-Ups & Dynamic Stretching
Preparation is key when it comes to maintaining good knee health. Warming up before exercise prepares your body for physical activity because it increases the heart rate and blood flow, warming up the muscles. It should include low impact stretches and exercises that allow your muscles to begin working in a safe environment.
When you incorporate an effective warm up with dynamic stretching, you take your knee through its full range of motion, improving mobility, flexibility, balance and control. All of which will improve your performance during activity as well as reduce your chance of injury.
Strength is Your Shield: Key Muscle Groups to Protect Your Knees
When it comes to protecting your knees, there are some key muscle groups that you should target during exercise. Even if you are feeling some pain and discomfort in the joint, in most cases exercise can provide relief. The muscle groups are:
- Quadriceps.
- Hamstrings.
- Glutes.
- Abdominals.
- Hip Flexors.
- Calves.
These muscles work together to ensure proper movement of your knee and your leg. By strengthening them, you provide the knee with additional support, alleviating the pressure and strain on the joint, and ultimately reducing the risk of issues arising.
Remember, before performing any activity, you should ensure that you have warmed up properly.
Form & Technique: Moving Safely in Sport and Life
When you are performing strengthening exercises, form and technique is essential. You should start with low weight and low intensity exercises, performing each repetition slowly and cautiously. Rushing through exercises can be counterproductive and, in some cases, could cause more issues.
Starting slowly and with fewer repetitions will ensure that you build strength safely. This will ensure that proper joint alignment and stability, work the target muscle effectively and reduce pressure and strain on the joint.
Regardless of whether you are doing sports activities or simply going about your day-to-day life, form and technique during movement should be a priority.
The Right Gear: Choosing Supportive Footwear
Unbeknown to some, the footwear that you wear has a huge impact on the health of your knees. No matter whether you are running, walking or doing another activity, your footwear could be the difference between healthy joints and painful knees.
Your shoes are your providers of support and cushioning for your feet and legs. When you choose the right footwear, you will distribute weight evenly across your feet which will ensure proper movement and reduce the pressure and strain on your knee joint.
You also help to ensure that your foot remains neutral during activity, preventing both overpronation and under pronation which can lead to ongoing knee pain.
Gradual Progress: Avoiding Overuse & Listening to Your Body
Exercising to improve knee health is about finding the balance between pushing yourself and resting. It’s important to progress your exercises gradually to avoid overuse. This will ensure that your muscles strengthen without overloading and irritating your knee joint.
If you are new to activity or recovering from prior injury or surgery, you could start with walking short distances and incorporating some gentle bodyweight exercises. If you live a relatively active lifestyle, you may be able to start with some gentle jogging and higher intensity training.
If you are unsure, air on the side of caution and build gradually over time. The key is to listen to your body and give it the rest that it needs. Rest assured that in time, strength, mobility and flexibility will come.
Rest & Recovery: The Cornerstone of Injury Prevention
It’s easy to assume that the majority of progress is made during exercise. In reality, the most progress is made during periods of rest and recovery. This is when your body repairs the muscle fibres that have been torn during exercise, building them stronger each time.
So ensuring adequate rest alongside your training plan becomes essential. You should look to have at least one day each week of little intensity to give your knee joint and the surrounding muscles chance to rest and recover.
Depending on your level of ability, this could involve a gentle walk, or it could involve little movement at all. It’s important to listen to your body and give it the rest that it needs to avoid injury and overuse.
When to Seek Professional Help: The Role of a Physiotherapist
If you are struggling with knee discomfort that is concerning, persistent or not improving over time then it’s time to seek the help of a professional. Physiotherapists are expertly trained and will provide you with a personal treatment plan that will alleviate your knee pain and prevent it from returning.
For some guidance on the best knee treatment option for your needs, get in touch with Dr David Slattery. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, the team will effectively diagnose your condition and provide you with a treatment plan that restores and maintains your knee health. Get started today by calling 03 5752 5020 or completing an online enquiry form.
