Derek L. Hill, D.O.

Fellowship-Trained Orthopedic Surgeon and Specialist

4 Suggestions for Healthy Knees

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Knee InjuredMany times we think of knee problems as something that only happens when people get “old.” But more and more we’re finding that to not be true. According to the article “Best Ways to Keep Your Knees Healthy” on the website myhealthlists.com, knee problems don’t age discriminate. In fact, the author states that an increasing number of 20 and 30 somethings are experiencing knee problems. In addition, he points out a rather scary fact: most people don’t realize they have knee problems until it’s too late. Kind of an ‘if it’s not bothering me I’m not going to worry about it’ kind of thing, it seems.

But healthy knees are something we certainly should be worried about, while they’re still healthy. So what can we do to keep them healthy?

He has 4 suggestions:

Maintain a healthy weight

The knees support the entire weight of the body. The more weight we’re carrying, the harder they have to work and the more stress we put on them.

Eat foods that help keep the knees healthy

Foods that are rich in calcium and potassium, and contain good fats, are essential to knee health. If on a strict diet, be sure to take the appropriate supplements.

Exercise, but don’t overdo it

Cycling and walking are good for the knees, but as with pretty much everything, too much of a good thing isn’t good. It’s important to not exercise to the point of damaging the joint cushions.

Pay attention to your footwear

Be aware of the potential damage done to the knees by wearing the wrong footwear, in particular high heels. The author claims that wearing high heels too often is a main cause of knee problems in women, and that “wearing the right shoes for the right purpose” is important to keeping our knees healthy.

Once the damage has been done, knee pain is a daily thing. So while I’m not willing to completely forgo my stilettos, I’m certainly going to pay more attention to my knees while they’re still healthy, instead of waiting until I’m in pain.

Written by: Tricia Doane, FizzNiche Staff Writer

Healthy Body Weight for Healthy Knees

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Workout With Fitness BallMaintaining a healthy body weight is important for not only preventing diabetes and high blood pressure, but also for maintaining healthy knees.

Harvard Medical School reports that being overweight increases a person’s risk for developing osteoarthritis. This is due to the fact that walking on level ground puts a force on the knees that is around 1 ½ times the weight of the person. This force is increased to two or three times the body weight when one is going up or down stairs. Bending down to pick up an item increases the pressure to four or five times the body weight. This means that a 200 pound person puts 300 pounds of pressure on their knees when they are walking on level ground, 600 pounds when they are climbing stairs and 1000 pounds when they bend down.

It therefore goes without saying that loosing excess body weight can reduce the pressure that the knees are subjected to in normal daily activities. Harvard Medical School confirms this by reporting that the risk of developing osteoarthritis was reduced by 50% in obese women who lost just 11 pounds.

This fact is further underscored by a study which was published in the Arthritis and Rheumatism journal that showed that overweight and obese adults with knee osteoarthritis who lost one pound of body weight had a four pound reduction of the pressure placed on their knee joints.

Researchers from Wake Forest University found that this four pound pressure reduction was for each step taken walking. This finding was a great milestone for the healthy body weight for healthy knees proponents since it translated to a reduction of 4,800 pounds of pressure on the knees for each mile walked.

Another study which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that obese and overweight people with osteoarthritis were able to reduce the pain in their knees by loosing 10% of their body weight.

These overweight adults, who were all above 55 years, also reported improved joint mobility, knee joint function, walking speed and quality of life by the end of this 18 month study.

Arthritis Foundation vice president of public policy and advocacy Dr Patience White states that the findings of this study are encouraging because most overweight people can reduce their knee pain by simply loosing 10% of their body weight. This weight loss goal is quite attainable since it translates to a 300 pound man or woman losing just 30 pounds.

Persons who want to maintain healthy knees and prevent conditions like osteoarthritis should therefore ensure that they maintain a healthy body weight. Those who have had knee replacement surgery should also avoid becoming overweight since exerting excessive pressures on the artificial knee increases its risk of deteriorating. In addition, the excess weight also puts the other knee at risk for developing osteoarthritis.

Written by: Marian Kim, FizzNiche Staff Writer