Best Smart Fitness Watches
I believe everyone has the experience of knee pain when climbing. Do you know why your knees hurt when you come back from climbing a mountain? Because there will be various large-scale movements during mountain climbing, such as crossing rocks, walking up and downhill, or some special terrains on the mountain require the knee joint to make various difficult movements.
Walking for a long time will put a lot of pressure on the knees, especially walking downhill is more likely to damage the knee joints and surrounding cartilage, because the pressure on the knees when going downhill is three to four times that of when going uphill. Times, coupled with the backpack load, may make the situation worse. Today I will provide 10 ways to teach you how to avoid knee pain when hiking.
1. Stretch and warm up before hiking
The importance of warming up cannot be ignored! Relaxing the muscles helps make your legs and knees more flexible, and warming up before strenuous exercise can also pump blood to the muscles of the body and generate localized heat to reduce the chance of muscle tears or strains. Regardless of whether it is a rest before hiking or during mountaineering, the muscles will also contract during the hike, so stretching again can restore the muscles to normal. It is recommended to do a simple warm-up (especially the lower body) during the small or big rest between mountaineering. Can effectively prevent sprains and muscle tears.
2. Use trekking poles
Trekking poles can reduce knee pressure by 25%, and using trekking poles can evenly distribute the load to the arms and shoulders, reducing the impact on the knees. But many people tend to make a common mistake when using trekking poles, that is, the body leans too forward, which will actually bring greater burden to the knees, and attention must be paid to the balance between the trekking poles and the body.
3. Reduce the weight of the backpack
The heavier the backpack is, the greater the damage it will cause to the knees over a long period of time. Reducing the weight of the backpack as much as possible will definitely help your knees.
4. Try using knee pads or athletic tape
Wearing knee pads or athletic tape can provide extra stability to the knee.
5. Drink plenty of water
65-80% of the ligaments in the human body are water. Keeping enough water in the body can keep the ligaments lubricated, improve their toughness, and better withstand the injuries caused by weight and long-term walking. Thickening of the joint fluid can lead to the formation of uric acid crystals in the joint, causing gout-like joint pain. So drinking water is the easiest and most convenient way to protect your joints!
6. Keep your knees slightly bent when going downhill
Walk slowly when going downhill, keep your knees slightly bent, so that your body can bear the pressure properly, and let gravity carry your weight at a slow pace.
7. Walk in a "Zigzag" pattern when going downhill
Compared with straight downhill, this way has less impact on the knees. Keep a steady pace, and if you go downhill in a straight line, if the speed is not controlled properly, you may step on the air or slip, which is easy to sprain your ankle and cause knee injury.
8. Rest is for taking a longer journey
Everyone's physical strength and muscle endurance are different. Excessive use of the body for a long time will easily overwhelm the knees, so it is necessary to arrange rest properly during the march in order to go longer.
9. Strengthen thighs and buttocks
In fact, knee injuries are rarely related to the knees. Most of them are due to the weakness of the "glutes" and "quadriceps". Training these two parts can improve the stability of the lower body and play a very important role in regulating knee pain. effect.
10. Protect your joints with insoles
If you wear hiking shoes for a long time, the midsole of the shoes is likely to be compressed and flattened during use, so it cannot cushion the pressure on the joints during each step. Although the outer layer of the shoe still looks solid, the midsole will wear out after long-term use. Use the insole properly to replace the shoe to increase the shock absorption effect of the shoe, which can protect the feet when standing, maintain the correct pace and be more stable when walking. .
Take good care of your knees to play outdoors for a long time. It is normal to feel some soreness after going down the mountain, but if you feel pain or swelling for more than a day or two, it is recommended to see a doctor!
To better manage your outdoor sports, a smart watch will do. BP Smartwatch can monitor your exercise and physical condition and help you adjust in time.