Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : March 18, 2014 1:12 PM IST
Knee and joint pain is a common problem among runners, be it experienced professionals or beginners. If you're avoiding your early morning jog just to avoid joint pain, then this article is for you.
Managing joint pain can be difficult for any runner but with necessary fitness precautions you can enjoy your jog without bothering about knee pain. Fitness expert Kristoph Thompson shares some tips that can help you managing joint pain and prevent sporting injuries, as reported by femalefirst.co.uk.
1. Maintain healthy weight: Being overweight can increase the pressure on your joints while running. This can be even harmful for your joints. So, losing weight is the first thing you should focus on. One study reported that losing about a pound of weight delivers almost a four pound reduction in knee joint load for each step.
2. Warm up/cool down: It is extremely important to invest some time before and after your jog to warm up and cool down. Warm up ensures that your body is prepared for exercise whereas the cool-down phase will help you to gradually reduce the intensity of activity and soreness in the joints and muscles. Here are some expert tips to get rid of post-workout muscle soreness.
3. Strengthen muscles and increase flexibility: When a joint is subjected to increased intensity, outside its comfortable range of motion, it is prone to suffer a flexibility injury. A good test of strength and flexibility is the wall squat. Stand facing a wall, with your feet just wider than hip-width and your hands on your temples. Try to squat down so your thighs are parallel to the floor, without your knees or any other part of your body touching the wall on the way up or down. Aim to complete five squats standing just an inch away from the wall. Here are some stretching exercises to improve flexibility
4. Allow time for recovery: In case you suffer from knee injury, rest well and give sufficient time to recover from the injury. Running with an injury can increase your chances of developing and aggravating osteoarthritis. If pain persists, seek professional advice.
Apart from the above expert tips, you should also:
5. Eat healthy: Eating a balanced diet is highly essential for maintaining good health and quality workouts. Include calcium and Vitamin D rich foods in your diet. If you're suffering from knee pain, then increasing the intake of fish/fish oil can help you to reduce inflammation and maintain healthy joints.
6. Wear the right shoes: Running is a physical activity having minimal requirements. And, the kind of footwear you choose for running is the most important thing that will impact your speed, comfort and your chances of suffering from an injury. In fact, in most runners the knee pain disappears after they change their shoe.
7. Run on flat, even surfaces: Running on uneven surfaces can be risky for your joints. You can easy sprain your ankle or knee joint. Choose a place which is meant for running rather than running on an open ground where you find your comfort. Also, running of softer surfaces can be beneficial for your joints than running on hard surfaces that puts extra stress on your knee joint. Here's expert advice on treating sprains.
With inputs from IANS
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