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5 ways to prevent knee injuries when exercising
1. 5 Ways to Prevent Knee Injuries When Exercising
Knee injuries put athletes, joggers, and New Year’s resolutionists way behind on their goals for the year.
Professional athletes often have to sit out for the season.
Joggers have to miss their favorite 5k’s and half marathons. New Year’s resolutionists (i.e. those getting
back into exercising because of a New Year’s resolution) have to stop for an extended period of time,
lose interest, then pick it up again at the start of the next year—or at least that’s the stereotype.
They are painful, annoying, and sometimes life changing. When knee injuries are too severe, or allowed
to perpetuate over a long period of time, they can present serious life altering consequences, like a visit
to the knee replacement surgeon.
Of course you want to avoid those extremes, so what can you do to prepare? In sports they say that the
best offense is a good defense, so defend your body from these injuries with these 5 prevention tips.
Working With a Personal Trainer
Work with a personal trainer. If you can afford it, nothing will get you in the right habits, or keep you
healthy quite like having a trained professional watch how you’re exercising.
They can point out the movements that will hurt you, give you advice on where and when to exercise,
and guide you through the motions by showing you examples. Without this instruction, you’re left to
your own devices.
Who’s going to notice your pronated running style? When you
can afford it, a personal trainer is always a great help to
preventing injuries.
Next, have a good warm-up before you work out. Do it slow, and
gradual.
Walking, jogging slowly, or lightly going through the motions of
normal exercises is all great ways to warm up. Do it for a
minimum of 5 to 10 minutes, and then allow yourself to get into
the more intense workouts.
That begin said, don’t assume that a warm up alone is going to help you avoid injury. Learn to listen to
your body.
Pain is not a sign of weakness leaving the body all the time. It can also indicate that a serious injury is on
its way.
Your muscles can burn from working out, but your ligaments shouldn’t be, nor should you feel like your
shins are about to tear apart. If these types of things are happening, then listen to your body and try to
fix it.
2. Learn to strengthen those parts of the body right or adjust your workout to compensate for the
situation. Always listen to what your body is telling you.
It knows better than you do how you’re doing. It’s the best way to avoid a knee replacement surgeon in
the middle of a season.
Make Sure to Eat
Don’t work out without food. You need energy to sustain your muscles through the most tiring of
workouts.
Without the right amounts of energy, your muscles slacken, and your form falls apart. Bad form strains
your body in new and interesting ways.
That new strain is a very bad thing. Eat properly before
you work out to ensure your body has enough energy for
the work out to come.
Finally, drink enough water. You need to keep your body
hydrated to keep it cool during a workout.
You need to be able to cool down throughout the exercise
(not just at the end). Keep a large bottle of water nearby
and drink from it often.
Preventing injury will keep your from the knee replacement surgeon for a long time to come. Work with
a personal trainer if possible, warm up before exercise, listen to your body, eat before you work out, and
make sure you’re hydrated.