5 everyday habits that are damaging your knees

It is not uncommon for someone to wake up with an ache or stiffness in their knees that has developed over time from daily habits. What starts out as a little pain in the knee may slowly progress to a point where your knees do not allow you to move freely. According to Dr. Rahul Modi, Orthopedic Surgeon at Kapadia Hospital, the reason for this progression is our daily habits of sitting, standing, walking, exercising, etc., which will put more stress on our knees than most individuals can imagine at first. One can keep problems away by paying attention to early warning signs. While it can seem common to be sitting for long periods throughout the day, to your body, it is anything but normal. Your hips and legs start to lose strength because they are held in place for too long without movement and therefore have no load (weight) placed on them. Your knees are then absorbing the excess load placed on them from your body as a result of the reduction in strength caused by too much sitting/holding still. Once your knees start to hurt, it is natural to continue to sit-in help relieve the pain you feel from the increased pressure on your knees, thus increasing the pressure on your knee and creating a cycle of worsening your knee pain.Over time, wearing inappropriate shoes can have a negative impact on your knees. If your shoes do not provide adequate support for your arches, the body weight is not evenly distributed over the knee joints which means there is an excessive amount of force applied to them. This could eventually lead to problems such as discomfort or even osteoarthritis. Additionally, shoes that are stiff or poorly fitted may hinder your feet from moving naturally and thereby cause added stress to your knees. Lastly, you should keep in mind that as a shoe becomes worn out, it loses its cushioning support and so you should replace them on a regular basis.Weakness in the core and leg muscles can add more stress to the knees, which makes any type of motion difficult over time. When the muscles surrounding the hips, thighs, and core do not provide sufficient support, the knees will compensate for that lack of support. Therefore, the knees become misaligned due to compensation from the other muscles around them and also undergo excessive load, resulting in discomfort. The best way to relieve the load on the knees is to use simple strengthening exercises such as squats, lunges, and "core" workouts a few times a week for 15-20 minutes will increase stability and greatly decrease the amount of load placed on the knee.Another way individuals can inadvertently injure their knees is to engage in a sudden increase in physical demand. Engaging in extreme exercises, engaging in long-distance running without adequate time to prepare the knees, engaging in excessive gym workouts after extended periods of inactivity, or participating in any type of activity that places excessive stress on the knee will often result in injury to the knee. This is due to the fact that it takes time for the knee to adapt to new levels of physical stress and new types of motion. Although dehydration appears to be innocuous, it has detrimental effects on the knees without many people realising. Proper hydration is important in order for the joint surfaces to be adequately lubricated. When the body does not contain enough fluid to lubricate the joint surfaces, the cushioning between the bones of the joint surfaces will begin to deteriorate. Our knees are essential to how we go about living life, but they can be taken advantage of without us realizing it; often times the repetitive habits that are habitually performed may not be enough to cause immediate damage to the knees, however there is also sufficient time in general to develop the wear from these activities. By being proactive in your self-care, including modifying bad habits and treating your body well, you will help ensure the health of your knees, eliminating any present pain and providing you with long lasting service to your knees.