Is Jogging Bad for your Knees
You may ask yourself, is jogging bad for your knee? No, I think it’s not. However, it depends on how you jog and the areas you carry out these exercises. Nonetheless, to avoid a knee injury, you might decide to consider hiring a professional coach to avoid pain in the knee.
According to the study published in the Journal of Athletic Training, jogging doesn’t relate to knee problems when carried in the right way. Moreover, the research elaborates that athletes who jog at least 10 minutes in a training session never experience knee or joint problems. Similarly, the study continues to illustrate that athletes who jog daily show extensive stamina in their legs.
Furthermore, a brief study documented in the European Journal of Applied Physiology indicates that running and jogging for 30 minutes reduces inflammation rate in your knee. The research further reveals that an individual who runs is in a better position to develop strong knee joints than an inactive person.
What is the difference in jogging from different areas?
Road
Running on the road may be convenient for you due to clear paths and lower impact on the surface, which is knee-friendly. However, it is the most dangerous jogging place since a runner can dislocate an ankle. This happens since the ground is hard and can’t absorb shock. This leads to fatigue, and you may lose your leg’s stability. Therefore, you have a high probability of twisting your ankles which can be traumatic when you fall.
Running track
If you are recovering from a knee injury, and you are concerned about a recurrence, jogging on a running track is the best solution for you. The area offers a level surface that is effective in shock absorption. Running tracks are easy to monitor since they have a length of 400 metres. This helps you to speed limit yourself according to the distance that you want to cover.
Nonetheless, running track is also challenging, especially when you are jogging around the curves. This can result in pain in your knee joints.
Grass
Grass surfaces are efficient for your body as compared to the trails. The softer grass helps to reduce shock on the surface. Nevertheless, it would be best if you were careful when you are jogging to maintain stability. Moreover, jogging barefoot is vital since it helps to strengthen your legs muscles. However, you should note that if the grass is wet, there is a probability of you twisting your knee.
Beach
Jogging on sand is considered a fun experience than on other surfaces. The sand provides you with a low-impact surface that is perfect for your jogging activities. Similarly, the sand absorbs the surface shock, which causes knee problems. Consequently, you should avoid jogging closely to the surface of the water to avoid the slippery area that can make you fall.
Best jogging area
Sand
Jogging on the sand is the best for your knee since the sand absorbs the surface shock that hurts your knee.
Worst jogging area
Road
The road is the worst for jogging area since shock on the surface that can make you feel pain in your knee.
What can you do to make jogging less damaging to your knees?
Avoid jogging on the road.
Jogging on the road may sound like a fun thing; however, you should be very cautious when jogging on the road. Due to the force impact on the road, legs muscles try to contract to help the legs gain stability. In the process of the body, boosting the stability, your knee joints become vulnerable to twist, and you may feel a lot of pain.
Get the appropriate shoes that absorb surface shock.
As an enthusiastic athlete, you should purchase shoes that support your pronation and easy to diffuse the shock from the earth surface. The move will minimize the threats of your knee pain.
Consider hips strengthen
If you want a permanent solution for your knee problems, then you should make your core and hips to be strong. Strengthening of hips is done be regularly performing single-leg landings, squats and lunges. These exercises help to strengthen your hips which results in a stronger knee.
A study on female runners outlined in the journal of Medicine, Exercise & Sports indicated that many women athletes experience knee pain due to weak hips. The research concluded that strengthening hips decreases the force that causes injury in knee’s joint.
Ask for expert advice on jogging.
If you are passionate about jogging and keeping fit, you need a coach to guide on how to train appropriately. You might not understand that if your body has not fully adopted to jogging, you may experience some knee problem. This because your tendons and ligaments improve slower since there is no adequate flow of blood in the muscles when you jog.
Therefore, you need a fitness instructor to guide on how and when to jog and how to avoid hurting your knee effectively. Consequently, the coach might recommend you to skip other days to enable knee muscles to relax.
How can you recover if you have pain in your knees from jogging?
- Ensures your knee rest, and you can skip your jogging practices for a few days.
- Consider putting icebergs on your knee time to time which will help to ease the pain
- You can wrap your knee with a bandage if the pain persists in your knee.
- Ensure you always elevate the legs on a comfortable pillow when you lie or sit down.
- Take medicines such as naproxen and ibuprofen to relieve the pain.
- Carry out some non-straining exercises and stretching.
Exercises and stretching that can help you relieve jogging pain for your knee.
Hamstring stretch
Hamstring standing stretch is the best intervention where your foot should be propped on a chair to allow deeper stretch, which is good for your hip stability.
Side-lying leg fit
If you feel pain while lying down, you have an option of carrying this exercise while you are standing. Place your hands on the hips. Lift the left leg to allow the weight to shift to the right one. Bring the leg down and repeat the process for the other leg.
Clam exercise
For the perfect results, you may wrap a resistance band on your legs. Ensures your legs are stacked and knees bent. Don’t strain so much since you may hurt your neck in the process.
Standing quad stretch
It would be best if you could use a wall or a chair to help you maintain stability. Stay upright and avoid leaning while stretching. You should note that over-stretching your hips will not give the best results.
Simple tips that you can follow in your jogging routine.
Alienate yourself from lifting your knees to high when you jog
You should lean your body in the running direction.
Always ensure your knees are bent and soft.
Ensure that your shoelaces are well tightened for leg stability.