The Top Five Things You Can Do To Hike With Less Knee Pain
Prime hiking season is almost here - and with the governor set to reopen some of Oregon and Washington’s natural areas now is the perfect time to start prepare your body for your favorite summer activities so you can truly enjoy getting out of the house with your friends and family.
The unfortunate truth is that we meet a lot of people who are dealing with knee pain and worry that it may limit their favorite outdoor activities. In this weeks article we’ve put together the top five things you can do to hike with less knee pain this summer.
1) Mobilize Your Ankles/Feet
Tightness in our ankles and feet leads to more impact at the knee. The general rule is more mobile feet can better absorb forces from the ground when we walk and hike, which means less impact at the knee. While stiff feet don’t react well to the ground and transfer more of that force to your knee.
Which is why mobilizing your feet and ankles should be part of your knee pain routine.
2. Strengthen Your Hips
Our glute (hip) muscle groups control the amount of force that goes through our knee. Weak hips can cause our knee to cave in, putting more force on our tendons and ligaments and leading to knee pain while walking, running, or hiking.
Keeping our glute muscles strong and engaged is one of the BEST ways to get rid of knee pain for good.
3) Warm Up
We shouldn’t just think of warming up when we’re at the gym. Getting your muscles and joints prepared for the work they are about to perform is important for ANY activity. Having a simple, dynamic warm up routine that you can perform at the trailhead or in the parking lot will limit the knee pain you experience and lead to a more enjoyable hike.
4) Work Your Way Up
There’s so many great hikes in Oregon and Washington - some easier than others. Since most of us have been cooped up in the house for the last few weeks to months our bodies may not be quite ready for the more difficult hikes right off the bat. Start with flatter hikes and shorter distances to build up your stamina before moving on to the more challenging hikes that give you those great views!
5) Hands on Chiropractic Adjustments and Manual Therapy
There isn’t a better way to END knee pain then by going to see a chiropractor and movement professional. Understanding how your body moves will protect your knees in the long term. Getting to see a hands-on specialist means you’re going to get fast access to care that will loosen and lubricate stuck and painful joints, relax tight muscles, and strengthen your body so that you can go back to doing the things you love.
So, there you have it: Five things that you can incorporate to your routine to avoid knee pain and get back to truly enjoying your favorite outdoor activities. There’s obviously so much you can do too, and I could go much more in-depth on ways to end knee pain than the principles I’ve given you here, but these fundamentals, if you apply them rigorously and are disciplined, will make a huge difference to the quality of your life.
Evolve Performance Healthcare specializes in helping people overcome knee pain so they can continue to do what they love and keep up with their Pacific Northwest Lifestyle - including hiking and backpacking.
If you have questions about your knee pain and would like to speak to a specialist, choose the option that is best for you.