Whether the cause of your knee problems or pain is a medical condition such as arthritis or an injury, taking steps to strengthen the knee can improve your mobility and symptoms. Eliminating risk factors for knee pain and injury--such as losing weight or increasing the strength of the leg muscles--can prevent further injury and help your painful knees recover.

Lose Weight

Excessive weight puts pressure on the knee joints and can exacerbate an injury or even cause one to occur. You can help your knee problems by losing a few pounds. Maintain your current weight if you are within normal ranges to prevent knee injury and osteoarthritis. Begin a weight loss program if you are overweight. Plan to take the pounds off with a sensible balanced diet. Eliminate about 500 calories from your diet to lose about one pound per week. Exercise increases the amount that you can lose. Your healthy diet should contain lean proteins from fish, chicken or plant sources such as soy. Eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables for healthy sources of complex carbohydrates and don't forget to include some healthy fat. Healthy fats are unsaturated fats including olive and canola oil. Limit the amount of saturated fat found in red meat, and trans fats should be avoided.

Increase Strength

The quadriceps and hamstrings provide the knees with support. Strengthen these muscles to give your knees as much support as possible. Leg extensions, presses and curls keep these muscles strong and able to protect your knees. A good exercise program should not overwork the muscles and cause injury. Pay attention to how your knees are feeling. Do not perform exercises while the knees are inflamed and painful. Discuss exercise and muscle building with your doctor before beginning any new physical activity. The doctor may recommend some lighter exercises for you while your knee is healing from an injury.

Rest

Rest is just as important as exercise for the health of your knees. Take a day of rest between your muscle-building workouts to give the hamstrings and quadriceps time to repair. Aerobic activity is an important part of good health and weight control. Use water sports or swimming to get your cardiovascular exercise without putting weight on your knees. Look for water aerobics classes to keep you in shape while a knee injury is healing.

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Knee Pain