hover background

Jul 01
2019

If you have suffered from knee pain in the past, you may be wondering how to prevent knee pain in the future. Here are several tips to do just that.

1. Maintain a healthy weight 

Weight is an important factor in managing your knee pain. The more we are overweight, the more pressure we put on our knee joints. The pressure is the biggest when we are active (walking, running, etc.) Losing those few extra pounds might just do it, to relieve, or completely end your knee pain. Around 20 % of the pain is gone, for every 10 pounds that we lose. Let’s say you are 30 pounds overweight. If you lose those 30 pounds, you can decrease your knee pain, for more than half. Combined with regular exercise, you might eliminate it altogether. 

[Related article: Common Causes of Knee Pain]

2. Proper shoes 

The shoes you should pick, have to offer support and comfort. Forget about high heels or similar models of shoes. For women, wearing high heels can even be a reason behind their knee pain. Pick flatter shoes with a comfortable sole. Take extra care when doing exercise. Try to find a model of sports shoes, that offer extra support for the knees. You should look for shoes that are more flexible and shouldn’t be too hard. If the shoe is too hard and you need to bend it as you walk, it might make your knee pain worse. The shoe should be a similar length from the heel to the point. 

3. Exercise

It’s very important to exercise and keep your muscles strong, to decrease further injuries and prevent knee pain. There are some good exercises to help you with knee pain, some of them are:

– Swimming

– Water activities such as water aerobics

– Elliptical machines, skiing machines, stationary bikes, rowing machines, etc. 

– Walking on more level grounds (not too many downhills or similar, as that puts more pressure on the knee)

– Different stretching exercises for the knees

[Related article: Three Exercises To Reduce Knee Pain]

It’s important to keep active despite structural problems. Being active will help you to maintain a healthy weight and help to build your muscles. Strong muscles and a healthy weight can help prevent many knee issues in your life.

If you are experiencing knee pain and want to learn more about the underlying cause of it, contact a physical therapist at Above & Beyond Physical Therapy in Queen Creek or Phoenix. A physical therapist is an important member of your healthcare team who can help you learn how to prevent knee pain.

Contact us today.