It’s no surprise that the knees are the largest joint in your body. After all, they withstand several times the weight of your body when you’re walking and even more when you’re lifting or running.
When knee pain starts, the impact on your life could be substantial. Osteoarthritis is a common problem that can emerge as you get older, but it’s possible you have some bad habits in your lifestyle when it comes to developing knee pain, even to the point of bringing on arthritis sooner than necessary.
The team at Doctors United includes knee pain specialists who can diagnose and treat the causes behind your ailments, and we know how important your own lifestyle decisions can be. Consider the following list of bad habits that may be contributing to your knee pain.
Not only are they the largest joints in your body, your knees are also one of the most complex. Given this intricacy combined with the powerful forces that these joints bear, there’s plenty that could go wrong.
Yet, barring an injury that causes structural damage, your knees’ biggest enemy could be day-to-day living. Although your knees function without complaint for years, the wear and tear adds up, and one day you could receive an arthritis diagnosis.
It’s a potentially crippling disease that’s progressive and without a cure. When knee pain starts, and even before it begins, you can change some small habits to make life easier on your knees.
Let’s take a look at these bad habits and how you can turn them around.
Sure, your ideal weight may be further away than you’d prefer, but you can ease up on your knees with even small weight losses. A single pound of body weight can place a force 10 times greater on your knees.
Simply put, losing five pounds takes the equivalent of 50 pounds off your knees. Imagine carrying a 50-lb. bag of potatoes for a few minutes before setting it down. That gives you some idea of the difference that even modest weight loss can accomplish.
Your body’s natural maintenance systems all depend on blood flow. Sitting or standing for long periods of time robs your circulatory system of stimulation. In fact, your legs depend on walking to pump blood back to the heart through the veins.
Adding low-impact activities like biking, swimming, or walking for 30 minutes, five times a week, improves circulation and tones muscles that help to support the knees, so the joints themselves aren’t doing all the work.
There are plenty of great-looking shoes out there, but not all of them are knee-friendly. Heels change your center of gravity, placing additional strain on your knees. Shoes without arch support can force a knock-kneed posture, reducing the efficiency of your gait. Unstable footwear can lead to knee injuries as well as foot and ankle problems.
One final bad habit is ignoring knee pain in hopes that it just goes away. Instead, contact Doctors United at the nearest of our five locations in the Bronx, White Plains, Ardsley and Yonkers New York. Call or click to connect with our knee specialists today.
