5 tips to avoid knee pain

Don't let knee pain get you down anymore. Be kind to your knees: follow these expert tips to avoid knee pain and regain your mobility.

• The human knee is an amazing yet flawed piece of architecture. This complex joint is built to withstand forces four times greater than your body weight with each step—and to support you as you bend, twist and jump.
• But the knee isn't perfect. Its rigging system of bones, ligaments and tendons works best when the muscles around it are also strong and flexible. Let 'em go soft, and even a long day carting heavy packages at the mall can lead to pain.
• And time isn't always kind to knees either. Since aging, genetics and injuries contribute to the wide variety of problems that can cause knee pain, it's no wonder that one in four people over age 55 complain of chronic knee pain. Here's how to avoid it.

• Each 450 grams (one pound) of excess weight you lose reduces the pressure on your knees by 1.8 kilograms (four pounds). Furthermore, exercising while you diet not only makes permanent weight loss much easier but also translates into bigger benefits for knees.
• A study followed 316 women and men with painful knees. Those who took a low-impact aerobics and strength-training class for one hour three times a week—and also lost weight—reported a 30 percent drop in knee pain and a 24 percent improvement in their ability to do everyday things, like climbing stairs and getting in and out of a car.

• Chemicals in tobacco smoke derail the process that heals torn ligaments, including those in the knees.
• University of Washington School of Medicine researchers found that smoking reduced the number of infection-fighting cells called macrophages that reported for duty at the site of ligament injuries. That's a problem because macrophages release chemical signals that summon other cells needed for making repairs in the body.

• If running, step aerobics or even jumping jacks hurt, it's time to switch to a lower-impact fitness routine. Walking, swimming, biking and water aerobics are great workouts that burn calories, boost cardiovascular fitness and have even been shown to reduce knee pain in studies.

• Strong quadriceps (the big muscles that run down the fronts of your thighs) and hamstrings (at the backs of your thighs) act as shock absorbers that take some of the pressure put on your knees when you walk, jump and bend. They also keep the bones in your knees better aligned, which reduces the risk of pain and excess wear and tear.
• In one study, women with stronger thigh muscles had 55 percent less chance of developing knee pain. But don't stop there. Strengthening your "core" abdominal and back muscles, as well as those in your hips and buttocks, is equally important for decreasing knee pain.

• Wear joint-friendly footwear. The best shoes for your knees are flat and flexible, say researchers from Rush Medical College in Chicago.
• The scientists analyzed pressure on the knees of 16 volunteers as they walked in clogs, flip-flops, walking shoes and "stability" shoes (stiff shoes often worn by older people with balance problems).
• The surprise winners: flip-flops and walking shoes, which allowed the feet to bend and flex naturally with each step, taking pressure off the knees. If you have flat feet, slipping over-the-counter shoe inserts or custom-made orthotics into your shoes can help keep the bones in your knees better aligned, helping to prevent pain.