10 Tips To Strengthen Your Knees And Keep Them Healthy

One of the most essential parts of our body are our knees. They help us move, stand, walk, jump, turn around, and crouch and are responsible for all the flexibility, support, and stability of our legs.

In order to avoid serious problems with our knees, we must take care of them properly.

Our knees become weaker with age. But, sometimes any person can experience knee problems, regardless of their age.

Numerous factors can cause knee problems. Some of them are: sedentary lifestyle, knee strain or injury, excess of sodium intake, alcohol, osteoarthritis in the knee and smoking,

We can help our knees naturally by leading a healthy lifestyle and making some dietary changes.

Here, we’re offering you 10 ways to help you to strengthen the knees, and also prevent knee pain:

1. Anti-inflammatory Foods

Inflammation is probably the main cause of pain and weakness of our knees. We must use foods which are anti-inflammatory: turmeric, ginger, walnuts, blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil, tart cherries, and salmon.

Inflammatory foods that you should avoid are: white flour products, foods which are high in saturated fats, white rice, soda and sugary foods.

2. Swimming

Swimming can really help you decrease and treat knee pain and arthritis. It will also reduce the stiffness of your knees, strengthens the bones along with the muscles of the knee joints.

Make sure you swim at least 30 minutes a day. The most effective swimming strokes are butterfly stroke, backstroke, and front crawl. Avoid breaststroke because it creates pressure on your knees joints.

3. Exercises

Exercises are good because they strengthen the knee bones and align the joints. The muscles surrounding your knee will also be strengthened and that will improve their condition.

Some of the best exercises for this condition are step-ups, knee bends, hamstring stretches with thigh contraction, straight-leg raises, lunges, single-leg squats and squats with a Swiss ball.

Do these exercises 30 minutes a day, 4-5 times a week.

4. Epsom Salt

People with weak knees usually have low levels of magnesium. That’s why also osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis appear.

Epsom salt is rich in magnesium and it can effectively relieve this condition. It supports the calcium absorption, thus enabling a proper muscle function, and alleviating the inflammation around the knee joints.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt in half a cup of water. Soak a cloth in that solution and apply it on your knees. Leave it to stay like that for 15-20 minutes. Then, rinse it off with warm water. Repeat this procedure two times a week.

Prepare an Epsom salt bath once or twice a week. Add a cup of Epsom salt into your bath, and soak in it for 20 minutes!

5. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is extremely important for the formation of collagen, but also for proper bones development, quality of bone matrix and synthesis of collagen.

It will help you enhance the bone mass density and reduce the risk of fractures.

Intake vitamin C with foods like: spinach, bell peppers, lemon, broccoli, papaya, oranges, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, berries, kiwi and cauliflower.

You can also take it as a supplement in the form of chewable tablets or capsules.

6. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is significantly important for joints and bones health. The deficiency of vitamin D increases the risk of minimal trauma fractures and bone loss.

Our body will not be able to absorb enough calcium if it lacks this mineral. Exposure to sun is how our body produces vitamin D. Make sure you spend at least 15 minutes a day in the sun.

You can also find vitamin D in fish, egg yolks, cod liver oil, fortified cereals and dairy products or take it in the form of supplements.

7. Calcium

We need calcium for the health of our bones. Deficiency in calcium can lead to weakening and thinning of our bones and that causes osteoporosis. Calcium is not produced by our body naturally, so we need to take supplements and dietary sources to supply it.

We can find calcium in cheese, milk, sardines, dark leafy greens, blackstrap molasses, fortified orange juice, almonds, edamame and calcium-fortified cereals.

If you want to take supplements, choose those with vitamin D, because it helps the absorption of calcium.

8. Massage

Massage is another effective way to treat knee pain and strengthen the knee area. It will also improve your circulation if you do it regularly.

Rub your knees firm and gently using mustard, coconut, or olive oil (clockwise and counter-clockwise movements) for 10-15 minutes. Massage your knees two times a day if you need to. Still, if you suffer from chronic knee pain, you have to consult a specialist.

9. Fish Oil

Fish oil can improve the bone density and strengthen the knee joints because it contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), omega-3 fatty acids. The stiffness and joint pain will be alleviated because it has very strong anti-inflammatory properties.

10. Healthy Weight

Weakened joints can appear because of excess of body weight. They apply much more pressure on the knees and we need to act more using our joints. Obesity increases the risk of hip or knee replacement. It is very important to lose weight if we want to improve the strength and stability of our knees.

Additional tips:

• Don’t sit or stand in the same position for a long time
• You should not wear high-heeled shoes
• You should not drink and smoke
• Yoga poses provide great relief
• To soften the cartilage, drink more fluids.
• Limit the intake of salt, as it causes calcium loss
• Avoid activities which intensify the knee pain
• Avoid activities that include sudden movements, stopping, jumping, twisting
• Walking and cycling greatly strengthen the knees