Nebraska_5 Simple Ways To Beat Knee Pain While Running

Nebraska_5 Simple Ways To Beat Knee Pain While Running

Nebraska Orthopaedic Newsletter

“There’s No Age Limit To Consistent Activity!” RUN INJURY FREE

Nebraska Orthopaedic Newsletter

“There’s No Age Limit To Consistent Activity!” RUN INJURY FREE

We all know that running is great exercise for our bodies, but often people stop due to knee or lower leg pain. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Over 50 million Americans deal with some sort of knee trouble, as the knees are the second most commonly injured joint, the first being the joints in the spine.Therefore, it is essential to know what you can do to prevent knee troubles from even starting. Almost all knee and leg pain can be attributed to the following issues: • Poor muscular strength • An imbalance of flexibility and muscle strength • Lack of flexibility in hip, knee, or ankle • Poor biomechanics of walking/running Common injurieswithrunningorexercising: • Patellofemoral pain • Meniscus tears and pain • Ligament injuries (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL) • Osteoarthritis • Shin splints • Hamstring pulls • Achilles tendonitis Don’t push through pain While feeling a muscle burn is a normal part of exercising, feeling pain is not. It is not normal to have sharp pain during regular exercise and one should not push through this. Make sure you are doing an adequate active warm up prior to exercise as muscles and tissues require internal lubrication to work properly. Warming up brings natural fluids to the area to help increase range of motion and to improve elasticity. Lastly, be sure to stretch after exercise to help maintain and gain flexibility.

Amy Hoffman, PT, DPT

402-620-4605 CALL TODAY! www.NEOrthoPT.com “Before I came to PT I was experiencing much pain in my feet and ankles. It was very difficult to get housework and yard work done. I found it was so difficult going down stairs. I would go one foot at a time. Since I have been at PT, my ankles seemmuch stronger and my balance has improved. I can now go up and down stairs and daily activities are much easier to complete. My experience has been excellent!” -Joyce Patient Success Story

The Runner’s Guide: 5 Ways To Improve Knee Pain 1. Improve your stride rate. Most runners over-stride placing increased strain on the knee as they reach forward. Shorter steps keep your legs underneath you and let ankles and hips help the knee absorb some shock. Grab a free metronome app from the app store and gradually work your way towards 180 steps per minute.

2. Get yourself mobile! Knees most often get painful when hips, ankles, or muscles aren’t doing their job and knees have to take on the extra workload. Foam Roll, stretch, and perform some dynamic warm-up and cool down activity before and after each run. 3. Build strength! Squats and deadlifts are a runner’s best friend to improve performance and help avoid breakdowns in form that lead to injury late in a run or race. Don’t neglect hip strengthening too, as this will keep your entire leg lined up properly so your knee can function as needed. 4. Make sure you can stay balanced. When running we spend the entire run on one leg, or in the air. If you can’t balance yourself standing still, doing so while running will be very difficult. Try balancing both with eyes closed, and on even and uneven surfaces, to make sure your body is ready for anything. 5. Make sure you have proper footwear. We are lucky enough to have excellent specialty stores that can assess your individual needs and get you in something supportive to protect your knees.

Seeing a Specialist If you have recurring knee pain or discomfort for more than 3 days, it is time to see a specialist. The ideal specialist to see is a physical therapist as they are medical experts in joint movement and function (kinesiology). A thorough evaluation needs to be done on your movement, running patterns, strength, joint mobility, patella tracking and proprioception. Only then, can the true source of the pain be found, treated and help you understand what you can do to prevent it from returning. If you are an avid athlete, our team of experts can look at your movement patterns and discover ways to make you both more efficient and more powerful to help improve your game. Get on the path to healthy knees and call us today for an injury screen. Discover how liberating it can be to run or exercise pain free.

Many people are so busy that they barely have time to eat, let alone pause for a water break. You may find that you often go hours and hours without quenching your thirst. But staying hydrated has real advantages, including helping you maintain your energy and focus. It’s important to give your drinking habits the attention they deserve. Here are some simple ways to stay hydrated this summer. 1.Alwayscarryawaterbottle. Ifyouhaveabottlewithinarmsreach, it’svery likely thatyou’llmindlessly sip from it throughout the day, without having to make a conscious effort. 2. When you’re feeling frazzled, grab a glass of cold water. Studies show that people instantly feel more alert after drinking H2O. 3. Sip on a mug of herbal tea every evening. If you make this a habit, you’ll add an extra cup of fluid to your body every single day. 4. Eat a diet rich in whole foods. Byeating foods likevegetables, fruits,andyogurt,you’llautomatically up your fluid intake. 4 Simple Ways To Make Hydration A Habit

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