A productive and enjoyable experience to our everyday lives is what most of us strive to achieve after we wake up in the morning. A critically important factor to a fulfilling day is our physical well-being. We can have a to-do list with the power to supercharge our world. However, we cannot make these life-enhancing waves through a meticulously designed to-do list if we cannot move efficiently. Our legs get us from point A to B in many more instance than we think. We do not just use our automobiles to get us to important locations in life. Let’s not forget about how important the structural integrity of our knees is to have a successful day.
Knees are complex hinge joints held together by an intricate matrix of connective tissues, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Ligaments attach bone to bone. They aren’t as vascular as their neighbors, the muscles and tendons. These important structures consist of cruciate ligaments that protect the knee joints from shifting foo far forward, backwards, or side to side as we walk, step up, or change directions. A ligament’s lower blood supply makes healing from injuries take longer. Therefore, excessive stress to theses knee ligaments is harmful to knee health.
Tendons connect muscles to bones. They act as an attachment point to the bones as muscles contract to move the bones in a specific direction. The hamstring, quadriceps, gluteal, abductors, and adductor muscles originate from the hip region. These muscles move the leg in multiple directions including forward, backward, toward, and away from the midline of the body. Insufficient strength in the hip joints leads to the brunt of the force placed on our knee from our activities throughout the day. The knee joint isn’t designed to uphold as much force as the hip joint. Focusing on the muscles that bracket the knee joint will prevent knee ligaments from getting damaged and prolong the functionality of the knee joint longer.
Wear and tear on the knee joint in debilitating on a physical, emotional, and psychological level. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to walk at snail speed because of nagging knee pain. Therefore, it’s valuable to understand that strengthening the muscles in the hip region will assist in even force distribution when walking, stepping up stairs, getting in and out of cars, or getting up and down from the ground. Focusing on lower extremity specific exercises that target the glutes, hamstring, and quadriceps lay a sturdy foundation to support the knee. Sufficient muscular density and strength in these three main muscle groups will not only aid in efficient every life activity, but also decrease the detrimental effects of arthritis and other degenerative bone afflictions.
Exercises such as squats, supine hip extensions, and inclined walking are simple and effective exercises to strengthen hip muscles. An exercise prescription that can be easily followed is to perform the “ten, ten, ten” method. Execute ten repetitions of squats, ten repetitions of hip extensions, and walk up a hill or inclined surface for ten minutes. This can be done as little as once per week to efficiently strengthen hip muscles. Weekly adherence to simple exercises such as these will strengthen hips to reinforce our knee joints.
Point A to point B is not just a commute to work or the grocery store. It’s also getting out of bed, getting up and down from sitting, and doing activity around the house. Strong and pain free knees are necessary to get us to those various points throughout our days. Keep your knees healthy by ensuring the hips are activity strengthened and conditioned to endure a productive days’ worth of accomplishments.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
