5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Knees

5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Knees
By Michael O'Shea, PARADE

If you are among the 19 million Americans who saw a doctor for knee pain last year, you had some high-profile company. Both golfer Tiger Woods and two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady underwent knee surgery in 2008. The knee is the largest joint in the body and very complex.

Here are some tips to help keep your knees healthy so you don't become one of the 20% of Americans over 60 with significant knee pain.


Watch Your Weight
Research shows that carrying even a little extra weight triples your chances of developing arthritis. Every pound you carry puts an average of five pounds of added stress on your knees when you move, so being just 10 pounds overweight is like having 50 extra pounds of pressure on your joints. Research also has shown, however, that for a woman of average height, losing as little as 11 pounds may cut the risk of osteo-arthritis of the knee by up to 50%.

Exercise
Motion is lotion for your knees. Strengthening the front and back muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings, respectively) of the thighs can help prevent knee trouble-especially in women, who are five to seven times more likely to suffer a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which is among the most serious knee problems. One way to reduce your risk of such an injury is to practice jumping and landing on a slightly bent knee. Walking is good to help keep your weight down, but it won't build the thigh muscle you need to stabilize your knees. Aim to strength-train your legs two to three times a week to build and keep from losing muscle mass.

Pace Yourself
Always warm up before you exercise, and choose your workouts wisely. Know your limits. Give yourself time to get in shape, and don't try to do too much too soon. Follow the 10% rule: Never increase the duration or intensity of your exercise or activity by more than 10% in a week. Train for at least two months before beginning stressful activities such as skiing or running in a race. Strength, flexibility, aerobic, and core exercises will help prevent knee and other injuries.

Don't Wait too Long to See a Doctor
With new technologies like MRI scans and arthroscopy, we can diagnose and treat knee problems quicker, easier, and better," says Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an orthopedic surgeon and a consultant to the Pennsylvania Ballet and to several pro athletes. "Fortunately, many knee patients often need just physical therapy and home exercises to treat their conditions." You won't know until you get checked out, though, so err on the side of caution.

Find the Right Treatment
New and improved physical-therapy treatments are making patients pain-free sooner.
Low-level laser therapy. This treatment uses certain wavelengths of light at prescribed frequencies and intensities to help relieve pain and inflammation.
InterX. Many pro sports teams, including the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bulls, use this new handheld device, which electrically stimulates the affected area, encouraging faster healing.
Pool therapy. Water's buoyancy reduces the load of your body weight on your knees, so if you're worried about putting too much stress on your joints when you work out, try exercising in water first.