OH , My Knees !

WHO KNEEDS THEM?

We all have them. You may have knobbly ones, or you may have rather attractives ones. In case you get the wrong idea, what i'm talking about are your knees. And although we tend to take them for granted, try imagining life without them. You couldn't walk,run,jump,or even sit down properly! The knee is one of the most complicated joints in the body, so they really need to be well taken care of. What you have to remember though, is that many injuries take time to make themselves felt, and by then the damage is already doen. Remember, prevention is always better then cure. Here are a few tips to give you trouble free knees.

1.STRETCH!

Flexibility doesn't just mean doing a few deep knee bends before you go out for a jog. Tightness in the calf muscles, hamstrings, quads and lower back all affect the movement or 'tracking' of the knee. and though you may not have pain the first time you play a game of squash, when you start getting that aching feeling under your kneecaps in the fifth set, you're going to wish you were a bit more serious about your pre-match warm-up! So make sure you stretch properly before you exercise. Besides, the greater flexibility will help you play better as well!

2.STRENGTH!

There's no need to look like Mr Olympia, but obviously, the stronger you are, the less likely you are to get injured.Of particular importance to the knee are the quadriceps and the buttock muscles.And some of the exercises you can do to strengthen these muscles include lunges, stepping( as in step aerobics or stair climbers) and lateral leg rasies. For those who are into doing weights take note! Doing full squats puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the knee, so try to avoid this. Half squats is a much safer option.

3.SLOW!

If you're new to an exercise programme, take it easy. When you get tired, you tend to do things wrongly, and result is injury. So build up your exercise programme gradually. For instance, it's generally recommended that you don't increase your weekly running mileage by more then ten percent a week. It's better to progress slowly than to get injured and stop exercising altogether.

4.SHOES!

Lastly, a few words about the most basic sports equipment, and that is you shoes. Make sure that you have the proper shoes for whatever activity you are involved with .And if they get too old and worn out, get a new pair . Shoes are replaceable, but your knees are not.

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