Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnatomy of a Healthy KneeAvoid InjuriesMaintain a Healthy Body WeightStay ActiveWhen to See a Doctor
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Anatomy of a Healthy Knee
Avoid Injuries
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
Stay Active
When to See a Doctor
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There are two tough, rubbery pieces of cartilage between the femur and tibia. Combined, these pieces of cartilage are called themeniscus, and act as shock absorbers between the two bones.
It can be difficult to maintain this joint when each step you take puts about one-and-a-half times of your body weight worth of pressure on it.This is why it’s important to take care of your joint early to prevent knee damage.
Torn Ligaments Symptoms and Treatment
An active person takes about 10,000 steps each day. This means that each knee is shouldering about 5,000 steps every single day. For an adult weighing 150 pounds, each knee joint bears about 225 pounds per step, or more than 1.1 million pounds per day.
While you can’t avoid all injuries, getting appropriate medical care and making sure the injury heals may help prevent permanent damage.
There are also steps you can take to prevent joint injuries, including:
Joint damage isn’t something that happens overnight or from one injury. It’s a progressive process, with damage building over time.
Obesity is a major risk factor for problems in the knee. The knee bears a lot of pressure from the body during activities like walking and running. A heavy weight increases the pressure placed on the knee joint—particularly as your level of activity increases. Even small weight losses can help. Maintaining a healthy weight is a good goal to set to protect your joints.
Regular exercise can also be protective for your joints, but you have to make sure you’re doing the right kind of activity—and doing it the right way. Doing the right exercises with the wrong technique can cause short-term injuries and long-term damage to your knee. The following types of exercise can help you stay active while maintaining healthy knees joints.
Low-Impact Aerobic Activity
Since so much pressure is placed on your knees with even a simple step, high-impact exercises refer to physical activities that put a high impact on your joints. High-impact activities likejoggingand cross training can be particularly hard on the knees.
On the other hand, low-impact exercises put a low level of impact on joints and are easier on your body. Low-impact activities that can keep you healthy without straining your knees include:
The Benefits of Yoga for Bad Knees
Strengthening Exercises
Strong muscles make a good foundation for healthy joints. Strength training builds muscles that support joints and helps absorb some of the pressure placed on the knee joint. Strengthening the quadricep muscle in the thigh used to be the go-to, but experts now suggest that overall muscle development is best for knee health.
To provide the best support for your knee, your strength training efforts should focus on:
A physical therapist can help you find targeted exercises, like squats, that can work these muscles without putting too much strain on the knee.
How to Strengthen Knees
Stretches
Stretching keeps the muscles and ligaments that support the knee joint flexible and loose, preventing tears that can lead to more damage. Proper stretching can also support the core and hip, and help build strength. Joints become more stiff with age, and experts say increasing your range of motion is key to reducing joint pain. Stretching is also useful during recovery from knee injury or surgeries.
Joint laxity decreases with age, and it can become difficult to tell which aches and pains are a normal part of a maturing body and which signal injury or chronic disease. Arthritis, meniscus and ligament tears, fractures, and other serious conditions usually require a proper diagnosis. You should see a doctor if your creaks and aches progress to any of the following symptoms:
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the knee.Harvard Medical School.Age-proof your knees.Cleveland Clinic.Post-traumatic arthritis.Penn Medicine.Low impact exercises for joint pain.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the knee.Harvard Medical School.Age-proof your knees.Cleveland Clinic.Post-traumatic arthritis.Penn Medicine.Low impact exercises for joint pain.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the knee.Harvard Medical School.Age-proof your knees.Cleveland Clinic.Post-traumatic arthritis.Penn Medicine.Low impact exercises for joint pain.
Cleveland Clinic.Osteoarthritis.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis of the knee.
Harvard Medical School.Age-proof your knees.
Cleveland Clinic.Post-traumatic arthritis.
Penn Medicine.Low impact exercises for joint pain.
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