Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BOUNTIFUL — Bending, twisting and turning are just a few of the movements our joints allow us to make. Without our joints like fingers, toes and elbows; it would be impossible to walk down the street. But among those joints it's our knees that take the most abuse.
Our knees are a weight-bearing joint, which supports our body weight, the forces of gravity and the impact from the ground. The biggest challenges that pose a threat to our knees are overuse, high-impact activities and genetics.
Now we're not saying it's possible to completely reverse a torn ACL or the effects of arthritis, but it is possible to minimize the impact and slow the progression down.
Sports medicine physician Spencer Richards, M.D., of Bountiful Sports Medicine, says everything's better off when you're more mechanically sound. "You have to be wise; you have to listen to your body."
Activities like soccer, football or basketball that combines explosive cutting and pivoting are more likely to produce knee injuries. Professions which require frequent squatting or heavy lifting are also more susceptible to developing knee problems.
We've identified three key pieces of advice to keep your joints healthy and happy. First, avoid the extremes. "Too little and too much are both bad," Richards says. Do your best to keep active but be careful not to overexert yourself.
Richards recommends at least 30 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise every day, mixing in weight training throughout the week.
Next, watch your form. Richards says "when we're teaching someone how to strengthen their knee, we're focusing on them strengthening their glutes, their core, back, front; so that when they hit the ground, their hip stays on top of their knee, which stays on top of their foot and that alignment helps preserve and minimize the negative forces in the knee."
Lastly, one of the most important practices for good knee health, strengthen your core. "That's why we call these muscles the core. They form that same kind of ring around your spine and is a protective measure," Richards says.
This strong support system will help keep joints strong and ready to move.
"We want to keep you at your job, we want to keep you in your exercise, (and) we want to keep you at your sport. If you can maintain your function you're happier, you're healthier, you know, life is good," Richards says. Jenniffer is a Special Projects Producer who heads up the Your Life Your Health, Zero Fatalities and High 5 initiatives. For questions, feedback or possible story ideas, please email jmichaelson@ksl.com.
