Running has become a more and more popular exercise activity in recent years. In addition to illnesses that make it difficult to go to the gym, people used to go running in parks more and more because it is an exercise that can be started without much equipment. It can be run by all genders and ages, and there are not as many restrictions as other types of exercise.
However, when running became popular to the point of having competitions with prizes, many times the participants did not train properly, which led to injuries. Today, kdms has advice from ยูฟ่าเบท to share about how to run without harming the joints in the body.
Running is a good and easy exercise, but sometimes it can cause injuries. And the most common injury for both professional and novice runners is knee pain.
How to Protect Your Knees from Running
Control your weight. Being overweight will cause more impact on your knees. People who are overweight are also at risk of developing osteoarthritis sooner. The ideal weight can be calculated from the body mass index (BMI) (it should not exceed 25, which is suitable for running and to preserve joints and knees).
When choosing running shoes , choose the right size and shape of your feet. Shoes should have sufficient shock absorption, especially for people with flat feet. (You can consult a doctor about your own foot shape and the use of insoles or rubber insoles.)
Regularly strengthen your thigh and hip muscles to reduce the burden on your knee joints. Exercises for leg muscles include Squat, Leg Extension, Hip Abduction, etc.
Warm up before running. Warm up by jogging or walking quickly before running at full speed to adjust your muscles and heart rate.
- Walk slowly for 3-5 minutes before starting to run to help relax your muscles, tendons and joints and prepare them for work. Then start jogging lightly in place to help stimulate your body temperature and heart rate.
- Take long strides, alternating sides, for about 2 minutes to stimulate blood flow to the muscles and make them more flexible.
- Stretch the muscles from the thighs, front of the legs, front of the hips, down to the calves, to the tips of the feet and toes, stretching each part and holding for about 15 seconds at a time.
- Stretch your tendons, especially your knees, by standing up straight with your legs spread apart, leaning and bending to the side, or lying on your side, spreading one leg at a time and lifting it high, and hold for 10 seconds.
The running area should be level, not tilted or turned too much. You should not run up or down slopes. The type of surface is soil or synthetic rubber.
Do not run excessively, such as suddenly increasing your speed or running too fast, as this can cause knee pain.
Adjust your running posture. Try adjusting your running posture as follows:
- Do not take too long steps. You can tell when you run with your feet leading your knees (landing on your heels while your knees are still straight) because this will cause the impact force to reach your knees. To fix this, take short, frequent steps to reduce the impact force on your knees.
- Do not lift your legs high because it will cause your knees to bend too much. If you run long distances, your knees will hurt.
- Lean forward about 15 degrees, but keep your back straight and do not bow your head. This will help reduce the impact on your knees.
- Don’t run on your heels. Run on your toes or midfoot to reduce knee injuries.
The important thing is how can we exercise longer and with less injury, or best of all, without injury at all? Just try the methods presented above. It’s not too late if you start now.