Causes of Knee Pain and Ways to Protect Your Knee

What causes knee pain? There are several reasons. One of the common causes is an injury.　With a knee injury, ligaments and tendons that connect bones, or the fluid-filled sacs that surround the knee joint can be affected.　In addition to injury and functional problems, an existing joint disease, such as arthritis, can also be a reason for knee pain.

Apart from participating in sports that involve intense physical contact and aging, there are other risk factors for developing knee pain. These other risk factors include being overweight and lacking sufficient muscle strength.　Dr. Barnard says after switching to a plant-based diet, on average, slightly less than half a kilogram may be lost each week. The weight reduction can be significant over time if a person continues to follow the diet.

In addition to losing weight, training muscles around the knee area, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, is also crucial to help support the knees because these muscles aid in absorbing impact on the knee joints when doing exercises, such as running or jumping.

Here are some strengthening exercises that we can do to make our knees more resilient.

“First Exercise. Lie on your back. Bend and straighten your leg and repeat 10 times.

Second Exercise. Lie on your back. Bend one leg, and put your foot on the bed, and put a cushion under the other knee. Exercise your straight leg by pulling your foot and toes up. Tightening your thigh muscle and straightening the knee. Keep your knee on the cushion. Hold for five seconds and slowly relax. Repeat ten times.

Third Exercise. Sit on a chair, and pull your toes up. Tighten your thigh muscle and straighten your knee. Hold for five seconds, then slowly relax your leg and repeat 10 times.

Fourth Exercise. Sit with your hands on your shoulders. Stand up and then slowly sit down on the chair. The exercise can be made easier or more difficult by changing the height of the chair. Do not let your knees turn in or out, and repeat 10 times.”