How To Protect Your Knees

techniques Physiotherapist-Protect Your Knees

While you can, of course, injure any part of your body, your knees are particularly vulnerable and all sorts of issues can arise if you’re not careful, with common injuries including ligament, cartilage and tendon tears.

Falls, collisions, awkward movements, overuse and sudden twist of the joint can really cause damage to the knee relatively easily and it can take a long time in rehab to recover, depending on the severity of the injury. 

That’s why it’s important to seek out medical advice as soon as you can if you have hurt your knee so you can get on top of it quickly, even if you think the injury is a mild one.

Our knees are absolutely essential for movement, so protecting them as we get older is paramount. The good news, however, is that there’s a lot you can do to look after your joints so they can continue supporting you over the years.

Regular physical activity is particularly beneficial, strengthening the muscles around the knees and helping you to keep your weight in check, which could put added pressure on them.

However, the type of exercise you do can have an impact on knee health. If you do lots of jogging or high-impact sports, or anything that involves pivoting on the spot (such as basketball or football), you could injure your knees relatively easily. Just listen to your body and if you feel any pain or twinges, rest up until your knees feel strong again.

Good posture is another way you can help protect your knees. If you don’t hold yourself properly, you can put additional stress and strain on all your joints, not just your knees. This can result in excessive cartilage wear and tear. 

As such, make sure you stand up straight with shoulders back and your head level, in line with your body. Your abdomen should be tucked in and your feet should be shoulder width apart. When sitting, keep both feet flat on the floor and your back against the back of the chair

Of course, these are just a couple of ways in which you can look after your knees. If you’d like any further help or advice, get in touch with us today to make a physiotherapy appointment.