tthis is a joke that goes viral around TikTok about people finding out that they’re “wrong”. This sounds silly, but it’s true: We often grow up without proper posture, and then we’re shocked to end up in pain.
Sure, that’s what most of us do every day—yet we’re doing it in a way that backfires. It’s all too common for our daily habits to have negative consequences when we let them go.
A common victim of subconscious habits is our knees. Good news? “Not available much [day-to-day] Kristin Torres, DPT, a physiotherapist in California. So standing in itself may not be a problem. However, “There are some mechanical problems—preventable!—that are bad for your knees, and [can] causes early osteoarthritis,” Dr. Torres said.
Here’s how to align the odds in your favor and avoid knee pain by dropping these three bad habits for your knees.
Bad Habit 1: Wearing inappropriate shoes your feet
The main culprit of premature knee damage? “Shoes are not good for your feet,” says Dr. Torres. “Now, everyone’s feet are different. But for the most part, you want to allow your feet to have good flexibility and movement in the shoe, and not make them too tight.”
That said, no matter what your arch, she always We recommend shoes with a wide toe box, whether you’re wearing minimalist shoes or a maxi-support style.
She knows that this sounds like an odd tip for knee health. But “the knee is between two strong joints: the ankle and the hip joint. These things need to be strong for the knees to be strong,” she said. The right footwear helps your joints work in harmony and stay in healthy alignment, thus preventing injury and pain.
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Bad Habit 2: Not doing glutes
“In order not to wreak havoc on your knees, you need for strong glutes — mainly glutes,” says Dr. Torres. When your “glute mede” is weak, your femur will rotate too far inward. “This causes a valgus (or knee knock) force on the knee joint,” she says. “This can also cause early osteoarthritis (or inner knee).”
Solution? She suggests incorporating glute exercises into as many of your exercise routines as possible — every day. Think: lift your legs to the side and squat on one leg.
Bad Habit 3: Not Stretching
We know, another annoying reminder you hear all the time: Stretching is really important. “One of the best pieces of advice I can give your knee is always tense before exercise,” says Dr. Torres. “It doesn’t matter if it’s running, weightlifting, HIIT, cardio, Pilates or any other exercise, when you start working out with muscles that aren’t hot, you’re setting yourself up for an unsuccessful run, which This will negatively affect you. affects your range of motion.”
Her advice to her clients is to use a stretch to warm up, then perform any static stretch as a post-workout cooldown.
Dynamic stretching, she says, is a series of flexible, flexible, repetitive stretches (as opposed to static movements, where you’re holding a specific position for several breaths). . “Warm-ups get blood flowing into your muscles, allowing you to gain deeper access to range of motion each time you perform a movement,” says Dr. Think swinging legs or walking around. “This is Great your body, and can prevent both injury and early-onset osteoarthritis.”
Static stretches, on the other hand, open up the muscles to help them relax after a workout, Jorden Gold, founder of stretch studio Stretch Zone, previously told Well+Good. This can help increase flexibility and reduce pain.
“The spirit of the story: Stretch every day!” Dr. Torres said. “Take those 10 minutes and do it. Your knees will thank you later.
