The knees are among the most important joints in the human body. Their functions include providing the body with stability, supporting it in an upright position, and allowing movements essential to day-to-day activities—such as walking, sitting, standing, and running—possible.
Given how much you rely on your knees for most of your movements, an injury to any of them can greatly affect your overall function and even your quality of life. It stands to reason that you should be proactive in safeguarding them.
There’s definitely no way you can totally prevent knee injuries, but there are things you can do to lower your risk for them. Below, we’ve provided a few tips from our very own highly qualified orthopedic doctors here at Center for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine in San Antonio, Texas to help keep knee injuries at bay.
Tip #1 Incorporate stretching and strengthening exercises into your fitness routine.
Employing gentle stretching and strengthening exercises, such as squats, lunges, calf raises, and step-ups is an excellent way to protect your knee from injury. They help not only strengthen but also improve the flexibility of the major muscles in your legs (quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings) and other structures that support your knee, thus reducing the impact and strain placed on the joint and ultimately helping prevent injury.
Tip #2 Use Proper Body Mechanics.
Using proper body mechanics is essentially a combination of maintaining proper posture and a broad base of support, engaging the correct muscle groups, and observing proper lifting and other movement techniques. If you don’t apply these and move correctly, you subject your knees to undue stress which, over time, can lead to the degeneration of its structures (e.g., joints), and put them at greater risk for both injury and arthritis.
When bending down to pick something up, bend at your knees (similar to a squatting position) rather than doing it with the top half of your body. When lifting heavy objects, slowly bend both your knees and hips to squat down to pick up your load, then move the object close to your body, and straighten your legs to lift.
Tip #3 Wear Well-Fitting Shoes.
Wearing ill-fitting shoes can hurt not just your feet, but also your knees. They can cause your feet to roll inward or outward unnaturally, consequently forcing you to change or adjust your gait. Such alteration in your gait can eventually tire out your knees and make them prone to injury.
Knee Injury Treatment in San Antonio, TX
At the Center for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, we are staffed with highly credentialed orthopedic physicians whose commitment goes beyond providing high-quality medical care. We delight in equipping patients with useful information and empowering them to make the best decisions about their musculoskeletal health and care.
To experience the top-notch care of one of our orthopedic doctors, schedule your consultation today by calling us at 201-692-7400 or using this appointment request form. We will get back to you with an available appointment time as soon as possible. We look forward to serving you!
