To keep your knees in top shape you can follow a series of tips and exercises that can make a difference on the health of this part of our legs that is often neglected , but which is the one that takes the worst part when having to bear our weight, bad postures, overloads and inappropriate movements. Protecting and keeping your knees in shape will help you avoid great pain in the future.
How to keep your knees in tip-top shape
What can you do to help keep your knees in tip-top shape? Whether you’re a TV addict or an avid sportsperson, these tips for keeping your knees in shape could help.
Maintain a healthy weight. Every pound you weigh puts 5 pounds of pressure on your knees. For example, if 200 pounds is the healthy weight for you, you are already putting about 500 pounds of pressure on each knee. Also, the extra weight increases the risk of osteoarthritis .
If you are starting an exercise or sports program, or if you are already in one, it is important not to overexert yourself with a workout that is too heavy and hard. Activities that involve spinning (such as racquet sports, skiing, soccer, or basketball) can seriously damage the knees. If so, try a new activity to see how much your knees can really do. And before any activity, be sure to stretch your knees and the muscles that support them like your hamstrings and quadriceps well.
Never ignore knee pain . If you experience pain that lasts for more than a few days, see your doctor. Early detection and treatment can save long-term recovery time.
If you have a knee injury, you will need to be patient. Doing the appropriate rehabilitation exercises and following the advice of your doctor can help speed up recovery. As much as you want to go back out there, straining your knees can alter the healing and can cause more damage than you had before.
Stretches to keep your knees in shape
These stretches to keep the knees in top shape are recommended to avoid complications in the knee due to lack of stretching or physical inactivity, but they should not be done if you have any problems already present or if you suffer from problems such as arthritis, in those cases it is recommended Consult with a specialist to avoid complications or that the exercises are harmful.
Quadriceps: To stretch this area of the leg you must keep the leg back, with the knees close together. Hold this position for 30 seconds, the spine should be straight and the navel should force forward.
Stretch the leg and hip: Place a foam roller under your leg, as the image above shows, and lie on the side, then you should move up, rolling on the foam from the hip bone until you reach the height knee. Do this about 20 times on each side. This exercise will help you keep your knees in tip-top shape .
Hip flexor : this form of squat is used to stretch the hip flexor muscle, you must push your navel forward, and then switch legs. Hold the position for about 30 seconds on each side.