You might take them for granted, but as humans, we rely heavily on our knees to carry us through the day. Whether it’s running a 5k or getting through a long day of work, the function of our knee joints is integral to our daily lives.
Unfortunately, knee health is something that many people take for granted. We assume they’ll do their job and not slow us down. Unfortunately, with age, knees can become increasingly vulnerable to injury and strain that can affect physical function, or at least make it uncomfortable. There are also certain mistakes people make when they exercise and in daily life that harm knee health and accelerate knee degeneration. Let’s look at some of those.
Excessive sitting
If you’re like most people, your day involves a lot of sitting. Whether it’s at a desk or in the car, long periods of sitting can have negative effects on your health as a whole and your knees. When you sit for a prolonged period, your thigh muscles shorten, placing more stress on your knee joints. Lack of exercise also weakens your quad muscles. Strong quads help support your knee joint and lower the risk of a knee injury.
The risk is even higher when combined with other factors such as obesity or previous injury (which may result from overuse). In some cases, simple lifestyle changes such as regularly stretching while sitting can help alleviate symptoms associated with excessive sitting and strengthening your quad muscles through strength training offers benefits too.
Excessive running or jogging
Running and jogging are excellent cardiovascular exercises but they’re also high-impact exercise, meaning it places added stress on your knee joints. You probably already know that running and jogging can cause overuse injuries but the repeated impact on your joints, if you already have some joint degeneration, can create more discomfort.
Jogging on certain surfaces can also cause knee problems. If you run on uneven surfaces like dirt trails or gravel roads without proper shoes (shoes with good traction), it places added stress on your knees and ankles.
Jogging with bad shoes can also contribute to knee problems. Shoes made specifically for running are designed to give extra support by keeping impact forces under control. However, many people simply wear their everyday sneakers when they go jogging instead of purchasing new ones specifically designed for this purpose.
If you have knee problems, it’s best to limit high-impact exercise, like running and boost your heart rate by doing low-impact cardio or low-impact HIIT training that elevates your heart rate but with less impact. Yet exercise is important for preventing joint problems. Several randomized controlled trials show that increased levels of physical activity in patients with knee osteoarthritis can lead to meaningful improvements in disability-related symptoms, such as pain and health-related quality of life. As most doctors will tell you, physical activity is important for managing knee osteoarthritis.
Carrying excessive weight
Carrying excessive weight is one of the most common contributors to knee pain and knee osteoarthritis. The heavier you are, the more stress your knees bear when they bend. Carrying excess weight can worsen knee arthritis symptoms by increasing wear on the cartilage and promoting joint inflammation. Here’s a statistic that might surprise you. Each extra pound of weight you carry on your frame has an impact of 4,800 pounds for each mile you walk. Body fat also produces inflammatory cytokines that boost inflammation.
Wearing high heels
High heels can cause knee pain as well as back, foot, and ankle pain. Although they make your legs look longer, high heels place excess stress on the knees because they force you to walk unnaturally. The highest heels put your body weight on the balls of your feet and place added stress on your knees.
One study found high heels boost the load across the patellofemoral joint and place greater compressive force on the medial section of the knee. These changes, over time, could accelerate the degeneration of the knee joints.
Repeated kneeling, squatting, and bending
Activities that involve frequent kneeling, squatting, and bending put a strain on the knee joint. For example, a study found that people who lay flooring for a living were more at risk for knee osteoarthritis from the kneeling they do daily. Another study found that frequent knee bending contributes to cartilage breakdown and the risk of knee osteoarthritis.
Using poor form when strength training
Strength training is an important part of a healthy lifestyle but make sure you’re using correct form. Using incorrect form can put excessive stress on the knees and surrounding muscles and joints, resulting in pain and longer-term damage. Taking the time to learn proper form will ensure you aren’t placing added stress on your knees. One of the most common causes of knee damage when strength training is poor knee alignment. When you do squats and lunges, don’t let your knees fall inward. Keep your knee behind your toes.
Other ways to protect your knees when you strength train:
Pace yourself. It’s important to avoid over-training, which can lead to knee issues, including bursitis and tendinitis.
Warm up with a brisk walk or light jog before any activity that involves high-impact activity, such as running or jumping.Cool down after your workouts by walking slowly for 5 to 10 minutes and gradually bring your heart rate back down.
Rest at least one day between exercise sessions when you do intense workouts. This gives the muscles time to repair themselves and rebuild. It gives your joints a rest too.
Cross train: mixing up different types of exercise helps prevent repetitive strain injuries like shin splints or tendonitis.
Focus on form over the amount of resistance you use when strength training
Listen to your body. If an exercise hurts your knees, modify it or find a more comfortable substitute.
Conclusion
If you suffer from knee pain and you want to avoid further damage, be aware of these factors that can harm your knees and take steps to modify them.
References:
- Lee R, Kean WF. Obesity and knee osteoarthritis. Inflammopharmacology. 2012 Apr;20(2):53-8. doi: 10.1007/s10787-011-0118-0. Epub 2012 Jan 12. PMID: 22237485.
- “Managing obesity in patients who have knee osteoarthritis.” 05 Nov. 2009, https://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/view/managing-obesity-patients-who-have-knee-osteoarthritis.
- “How Much Impact can 1 Pound of Fat have on your Knee Pain?.” 19 Jan. 2015, https://www.medicalfitnesspros.com/how-much-impact-can-1-pound-of-fat-have-on-your-knee-pain.
- Kerrigan DC, Todd MK, Riley PO. Knee osteoarthritis and high-heeled shoes. Lancet. 1998 May 9;351(9113):1399-401. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)11281-8. PMID: 9593411.
- Relationship between Kneeling and Knee Arthritis an Underrated Concern. Ergoweb.com. Published December 2, 2009. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://ergoweb.com/relationship-between-kneeling-and-knee-arthritis-an-underrated-concern/
- Virayavanich W, Alizai H, Baum T, Nardo L, Nevitt MC, Lynch JA, McCulloch CE, Link TM. Association of frequent knee bending activity with focal knee lesions detected with 3T magnetic resonance imaging: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2013 Sep;65(9):1441-8. doi: 10.1002/acr.22017. PMID: 23554229; PMCID: PMC4118638.
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