How to Keep Your Knees Pain Free

Your knees are the largest joints in your body and undergo a lot of wear and tear. Knee pain can keep you from doing the things you love and can impact your quality of life. According to Nathan Lim MD, a rheumatologist at PIH Health, "Knee pain can affect anyone at any age. Some common reasons for knee pain are bad shoes, high-impact activities, or structural problems like arthritis. Many types of minor knee pain respond well to at-home care, but, in some cases, medical intervention may be necessary." 

Here are 9 tips to help you reduce the risk of experiencing pain or stiffness in your knees:

1. Lose weight. When you walk, the force on your knees is about three or four times your body weight. Losing weight lowers the stress placed on the knee, making it less likely you’ll feel pain in this joint.
2. Strengthen the muscles around the knee. When the muscles surrounding the knee are strong, they offer more support for the joint. You’re less likely to experience knee pain by strengthening your quadriceps and hamstrings. Proper stretching will keep the muscles and joints flexible.
3. Move more. You may think doing more physical activity would cause more pain in your knee, but the opposite is true. Engaging in low-impact activities like walking, swimming, cycling, or yoga is more likely to keep your knee free from pain than sitting all day.
4. Don’t overtrain. Some exercise is good, but too much is not so good. You can put excessive stress on your joints and surrounding muscles when you overtrain, making you more prone to injury, strain and pain.
5. Wear the right shoes. When your feet are properly aligned, it puts less stress on your knees. You can promote proper foot alignment by wearing comfortable shoes that support your feet. Walking on well-supported feet can help ease knee pain.
6. Practice good posture. Just as the alignment of your feet can affect your knees, so too can the alignment of your spine. Keep your head directly above your shoulders and your shoulders directly above your core. Slouching or bending at the waist puts added pressure on your knees.
7. Protect your knees. If you play contact sports or do other activities with a higher chance of falling, such as skateboarding or rollerblading, wear knee pads to protect your knees. And consider wearing knee pads or placing your knees on a cushioned pad when kneeling.
8. Eat healthy foods. Studies show that eating some types of food helps lower inflammation. According to the Arthritis Foundation, many foods recommended as part of the Mediterranean Diet, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats may reduce inflammation and ease arthritis pain.
9. Treat knee pain. If you have occasional knee pain, you may experience relief by resting your knee, applying ice or taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs). But if the pain persists or is accompanied by weakness or other symptoms, see a doctor to get to the root cause of the problem.

If you experience difficulty moving your joints or pain in your joints, talk to your doctor about seeing a rheumatologist or schedule an appointment online at PIHHealth.org/BookRheumatology.