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<\/p>\nWhy is a bike so good for your knees?<\/p>\n
When it comes to knee pain, it is hard to know what activities will help them feel better<\/p>\n
While\u2026<\/p>\n
It is pretty easy to know what makes your knees feel worse:\u00a0 jumping, running, quick changes in direction, even going up or down stairs.<\/p>\n
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Let\u2019s explore the WHY of knee pain before we get in to how to make your knees feel better.<\/p>\n
WEIGHT BEARING<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have knee pain,<\/strong>\u00a0it could be caused by an injury (typically torn ligaments, cartilage, bursitis, dislocation) or maybe you are suffering from something like osteoarthritis where there is inflammation and bony changes inside the joint.<\/p>\n When you are on your feet, your knees are weight-bearing joints<\/strong>.\u00a0 That means your body weight is going through them.\u00a0 If you have knee pain and you are overweight, those extra pounds will likely make your knees hurt worse.<\/p>\n Your knee is especially vulnerable because of its wide range of motion.\u00a0 There are many positions in which your knee can be damaged.\u00a0\u00a0Note: For cardio activity, where you are doing a many-times repeated motion, you may want to exclude weight-bearing exercises.\u00a0 This, of course, is not the rule for strength training since weight-bearing is actually GOOD to strengthen your bones.<\/em><\/p>\n IMPACT FORCES<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cImpact\u201d refers to the force that goes through the knee joint caused by your foot striking the ground.<\/strong>\u00a0 As you walk, run, or jump, the forces transmitted are multiplied by your body weight:<\/p>\n There are also sheer forces through the knee caused by gravity and resistance, like when you slow down, walk down a hill, or come to a sudden stop.<\/p>\n If you have knee pain, you can see why walking, running, or jumping may exacerbate the pain.\u00a0 Again, if you are carrying extra body weight this creates more force on every step through your knee and is a good reason that doctors want you to be a healthy weight before a knee surgery.<\/p>\n LATERAL MOVEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n For some people, moving side to side causes pain.\u00a0 Think basketball shuffle or doing a carioca side line step in your athletic training class (not to be confused with Karaoke which usually involves drunken singing). \u00a0\u00a0Pain here may be caused by collateral ligament issues, meniscus cartilage issues, or joint changes.<\/p>\n I know in my case because of my arthritic changes to the lateral (outsides) of my knees, side to side movement was excruciating.<\/p>\n Your knee is the largest joint in the body and it is\u00a0made to move. \u00a0When you stop bending it so much, it may start to feel like a rusty hinge.\u00a0 That may be due to the joint\u2019s\u00a0synovial fluid (think lubricant)<\/strong>\u00a0has gotten thin.\u00a0 Thin synovial fluid can be caused by many factors, including dehydration, poor diet, or lack of movement, to name a few.<\/p>\n The right kind of movement will stimulate your joint to produce thick and healthy synovial fluid that can do its job of reducing friction and nourishing cartilage. \u00a0Healthy synovial fluid may reduce your pain \u2013 and that is good.<\/p>\n If impact movement, like running, causes you pain, it’s time to find a way to reduce impact. Try these options:<\/p>\n If weight-bearing movement, (when you are standing up) like using an elliptical machine bothers your knees, try one of these:<\/p>\n If Lateral movement also bothers you, you may have to eliminate swimming because if your knee joint is \u201cloose\u201d (like mine was), kicking during swimming may not feel so good.<\/p>\n So that leaves us with<\/p>\n While I row on an indoor ergometer, my tool of choice is a BIKE.\u00a0 You can do it indoors on your own or in a class. You can ride a bike outside for exercise, commuting, for adventure touring.\u00a0 Riding a bike is simply fun.<\/p>\n Article originally printed on HealthyKneesCoach.com<\/a>. Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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<\/p>\nIs moving your knee actually good for it?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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