1. Flexibility First.
You know that stretching is good for you... so why aren't you doing it? I'm shocked at the number of people, even those in the medical profession, that are so inflexible.
They all say the same thing... "I know better, but..."
You might be saying this too.
So let me tell you about the implications. When you don't stretch, you don't get any more flexible. The exact opposite happens. You become stiff as a stick.
Now let's compare a stick to a rubber band--which is flexible.
Take a rubber band and bend it. What happens? It bends. Nothing special, no major news here.
Now take a stick in both hands and bend it. It breaks, right?!
Apply this to your body.
When you don't bend, you break. Muscle tears, broken bones, torn ligaments and tendons, sprains, etc. All these are caused by inflexibility. Contortionists almost never get hurt. Why? They can bend and flex whenever and however they want.
Do I expect anyone to try to be a contortionist? Absolutely not!
I'm saying that the more flexible you are, the better your chances of staying injury free! How does that sound?
What stretches should you do specifically for your knee?
- Hamstring Stretches
- Quadricep Stretches
- Piriformis Stretches
- Lower Back Stretches
- Calf Stretches
Why so many muscle groups? Because they all are connected to your core or center. When your hips and your legs and lower back are flexible then your motions are smoother. The impact on your knees lessens and you will feel great!
We all want to bend... not break!
2. Strengthen Your Stabilizing Muscles
What are those? Stabilizing muscles are the muscles that support your knees and keep you from having spaghetti legs.
Try balancing on one leg after you're done reading this email... you might have spaghetti legs already! You'll know if you're wobbling around like a wet noodle!
I would say that 80% of all the clients I see have very poor balance and weak stabilizing muscles.
Why is this dangerous for your knees?
Because when you are performing your daily activities you run the higher risk of injury. Every time you step, you are balancing on one leg! So when your balance isn't good, neither is the way you fall out of balance! So you are constantly trying to keep balance by not using the muscles that are meant to be strong enough to keep you upright.
Simply put: Weak legs = greater chance of injury!
To increase strength in your stabilizing muscles incorporate balance exercises into you routine. Any sort of leg kick or standing reach will do.
You can find a bunch of them in our home workout program if you click here!
3. Keep 'Em Moving
You have to keep your knees moving! You might have heard to rest, rest, rest... but that just stiffens, stiffens, stiffens.
You want to keep the blood moving and you also want to keep the fluid IN your joints.
Each one of your joints has little sacks (call bursa sacs) that hold fluid (synovial fluid). This fluid is the body's motor oil. It keeps all the parts moving smoothly.
When you are not moving, there is little synovial fluid in your joints. When you do move, the fluid build up and makes it easier for the joints to glide easily. Have you ever heard anyone say that the pain disappears once they've gotten going?
So if you're sitting for any extended period of time during the day, remember to get up every 20 minutes or so and bend your knees. Do a few squats or chair stands and your knees will feel better soon after!
4. Eat More Veggies, Fruits and Nuts
Yep, you heard it right! Eat more veggies... particularly your greens!
Many times the reason your joints are aching and your tendons are weak is because your body has an acidic pH.
When your body is acidic, then your tissues break down slightly... they aren't as strong and they tend to tear, dissolve and injure more readily.
When you eat foods, such as meats and carbohydrates, your body becomes more and more acidic.
This does not mean that you should stop eating these things, it means that you should consider eating more veggies that have an alkaline pH value to offset the acid.
Greens, bananas and almonds are three great alkaline foods that will help regulate your body's pH levels and help your knees heal.
5. Natural Pain Relief Creams
Forget the Advil and the Ben-Gay!
Wobenzym is a natural anti-inflammatory and it comes in a topical cream that can reduce swelling and relive the pain you are feeling right away!
Wobenzym doesn't do all those nasty things to your body that those other pain relievers do!
6. Visit a Good Chiropractor
A good chiropractor can assess any structural imbalances in your skeleton and help you correct them, through manual manipulation. What do those big words mean?
Basically, it means a good DC can put you back in line after the many years your body has been getting good at getting OUT of line!
Chiropractors can change your structural alignment so your flexibility can increase more than you thought ever to be possible.
Don't underestimate the power of the DC!
7. Hydrotherapy!
Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy has been around for a long time. Why haven't you heard of it?
Because no one wants to believe that it could work quicker that the usual ice for 20 minutes and then ice again!
Hot and cold therapy pushes old blood out of the knee and new blood in quickly to aid the healing process.
How does it work?
Plan to take a 20 minute shower. For the first few minutes, wash your hair, body, etc. to get that all out of the way.
Next, position the shower stream on one or both knees. Turn up the temperature of the water until you can barely stand it. Do this for one minute.
When the minute is up, turn down the heat to as cold as it goes. Take some deep breaths! Do this for one minute, then turn it back to hot.
Do this for 10-15 minutes. Do it everyday if you experience constant pain and a few times a week if your pain is sporadic.
Using these 7 techniques frequently can dramatically reduce, if not completely relieve, your knee pain. What I'd also like to mention is that even if you don't have knee pain now, you can use these steps to PREVENT the aches and pains that are assumed to come with old age.
It doesn't have to happen. Your knees can be indestructible, and you can (and will) dance circles around Fred and Ginger!
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