How to Protect Your Knees While Exercising

If you are someone who works out often, you need to pay special attention to your knees during exercise. Athletes often assume that knee pain just comes along with the exercise as a side effect. However, you shouldn’t be experiencing knee pain regularly. Here is what knee pain can mean, how to avoid it, and what our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center can do to help. 

Understanding Knee Pain

Knee pain is unfortunately common. With knee pain alone, there are a number of different causes or injuries that could be causing it. As the center joint of the leg, your knee takes a lot of force every time you take a step or just by standing on it for long periods of time. Knee pain itself is a common symptom, however, there are other effects that come along with it. Other common symptoms of suffering from a knee injury include:

• Tenderness on the surface of the skin or when the knee is touched
• Pain that increases with activity and exercise
• Tingling and numbness around the knee or extending down towards the knee 
• Instability or buckling when weight is placed on the joint
• Swelling 
• Popping or clicking noises when you move your leg 

What Causes Knee Pain?

Did you know that there are over two dozen knee-specific conditions that could be the source of your pain? This doesn’t even include systemic health issues like diabetes or arthritis. Common reasons a person could experience knee pain includes:

• Bursitis of the knee
• Dislocation and injury
• Tendinitis
• Cysts on the cartilage or muscles
• Sprains and strains of the tendons around the bone
• Gout 
• Hyperextension during exercise 
• Wear and tear from aging
• Infections of the knee
• Tears in the meniscus
• Iliotibial band syndrome 

Sports Injuries 

The knee is the most commonly injured joint by adolescent athletes with an estimated 2.5 million sports-related injuries each year. If you are active, or even if you are just aging, you need to protect your knees from injury. Protect these sensitive joints with these tips from U.S. News and World Report: 

Watch Your Weight

Any excess weight puts additional strain on your joints. In fact, walking around puts pressure equal to 3-5 times your body weight onto your knees. Excess weight can accelerate the degeneration of the joint. 

Work Your Muscles

Strengthening your muscles through exercise can stabilize your knees, but don’t focus on just one area of the body. Prioritize the quads, hamstrings, and hips to keep your knees healthy too. 

Don’t Ignore Pain

If you have pain during exercise, don’t ignore it. Take the time to ice it and heal your injury before you continue exercising. 

Avoid Rotation

Jumping and slowing down from a run can be bad for the knee’s ACL. If you jump, land with joints aligned so that hips are over the knees, knees over the ankles, and the ankles over the toes, but keep some give in the joints. 

Cross Train

One of the quickest ways to suffer from knee pain is to overuse it through the same exercises. Rather, opt for a range of varied activities by alternating workouts. They explain if you run, alternate it with cycling to use a different set of muscles. 

Use a Brace

While braces don’t prevent injury, if you have an old injury and are trying to prevent repeated tears or strains, talk with your doctor about using a brace. 

Knee Pain Treatment Options 

So you have knee pain, but what are the treatment options? Should you compress the knee with a supportive bandage? Should you ice it to reduce inflammation? If you have knee pain, come see our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy to get the answers you need. Treatments commonly provided for knee pain include:

• A schedule for rest to ensure your knee can heal
• Soft massage to reduce tenderness and promote blood flow
• Guided movements and calibrated stretching that relieves muscle stiffness
• Joint injections to eliminate inflammation for months at a time
• Recommendations for supplements that can improve overall joint health 

Make an Appointment with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

If you are suffering from knee pain, our team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center is here to help. We provide individualized treatment plans for your knee pain in Austin. We will help you understand where your symptoms are coming from and what will be needed to improve and get you back to your active lifestyle. Call us today for an appointment at (512)-806-0015.