Stair climbing is a great form of exercise as it provides an effective workout. It is also often the recommended alternative to taking the elevator or escalator in daily life to promote an active lifestyle. It is also convenient for HDB dwellers as you can simply climb up and down your stairwell. Yet as with all good stuff, and high intensity exercises, inappropriate and excessive stair climbing can hurt your knees and cause pain and swelling. In the long run, knee injuries can become chronic, and especially painful and inconvenient in old age!
However, by utilising the following tips, you can still go about your daily stair climbing while keeping your knees in healthy, painless state.
Adopt the correct posture when climbing up or down stairs. The key is to engage the whole body when climbing the stairs, rather than allowing your weight to drop into your legs. Place your foot flat on the step, putting weight on the inner side of your foot and big toe. Putting too much weight on the outside, something which we may be more inclined to do so, can move the knee out of alignment. Bend your knees slightly.
Pull your stomach in, back straight, shoulders over hips. Avoid leaning or bending forward as that forces one to put extra stress on the knees to stabilise the body.
Wear knee guards to absorb shock. Hold on to the railings for greater stability.
Strengthen the muscles that support your knees. Work on the quadriceps in the front of your tie - lie on your back with your torso propped up on your arms, left leg bent and right leg straight out in front. Lift your right leg off the floor a few cm, feel your thigh muscles as you hold for five seconds, then switch legs. Do two sets of 10 repetitions. Stretch the quadriceps by standing behind a chair, place your left hand on the chair for support, then grab the right ankle with your right hand and gently pull it toward your back, hold the stretch for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
Work on your hamstrings, which are the group of muscles in the back of your thigh. Stand behind a chair with legs together, hold onto the back of the chair of support, then raise a foot up toward your buttock in a right angle. Hold for five seconds, switch legs, and do 2 sets of 10 repetitions per leg. Stretch the hamstrings - sit on the floor with legs straight out in front, slide your hands down your legs as far as you can go. When you feel the stretch, hold for 30 seconds, then slowly return to position.
If you're obese, high impact activities like stair climbing is bad for your knees. Make a point to lose extra weight with recommended exercises from the doctor before you embark on regular stair climbing.
Cross-train. Rather than climb the stairs everyday, alternate it with other exercises, like yoga, aerobics or swimming for example.
If necessary, use aids like crutches or walking stick.
Sources:
http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/fitness-fixer/better-exercise-stairs
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/features/why-you-must-protect-your-knees
http://www.livestrong.com/article/546772-how-to-climb-stairs-to-minimize-knee-strain/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/333409-the-proper-posture-when-climbing-down-the-stairs/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/458015-stair-climbing-knee-health/
0 comments: