Do painful knees stop you from walking?
If you are like me you love to walk. I walk each morning for exercise, but also for relaxation and fresh air. It is beautiful here in Sarasota to walk across the Ringling bridge or even downtown in the morning. However, sometimes I may experience a little pain on the front of my knee. What is that? It can feel like a sharp knife sticking into the knee. The truth of the matter is, it is coming from your shins. You have three muscles that run from your toes, up the front of your leg, and into your knee. This pain is sometimes called shin splints, but it really means your shins are tight. Many things can cause it, but the most common are your shoes and your stride. If your shoes are worn, and I don't mean worn out and looks bad, but the gel in the soles have flattened out, it may be time for new shoes. If you walk or run in your shoes every day, you should replace the shoes every 3-6 months, depending on how far you walk or run. If it is your stride, then we can fix that today, but first things first. Let's get those shins soft again. Sitting in a chair, or on the floor, cross your legs and massage the shins of the crossed leg. Using your hands, reach around your leg and press the shin muscles against your shin bone starting at your knee and going down to your ankle. As you press breathe out and relax the muscle. It may hurt at first, but if you just release the muscle the pain will subside. Next reach around to the outside of your leg and repeat from knee to ankle. When you can squeeze as hard as you want with no pain, then your muscles are ready to go. Now , let's talk about your stride. When you walk always keep your head up, looking down the road, not at your feet. Lead with your belly button and reach with your feet. A good practice that I do is to remind myself with every step to reach, reach, reach to make sure I extend my stride. This will help you use all your muscles and not fatigue the few that create the most pain. Next issue I will show you how to increase your range of motion in your ankles to improve your stride.
You can view the calf stretches and many more at our website MuscleRepairShop.com. Or schedule an appointment for a teaching session.
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