A lot of people in Blaine, Washington, love to go on runs to maintain their physical fitness and to clear their minds. Unfortunately, your ability to run can be limited by painful conditions like arthritis in the knee. However, just because you have a condition like arthritis, it doesn’t mean that you need to sit on a couch for the rest of your life.
You might be surprised that you can actually keep running if you have knee arthritis. But there are some tips you should follow.
Before we dive into what these tips are, we want to note that you should always talk to your doctor for any advice pertaining to your individual situation. These tips are helpful for most people with knee arthritis, but you may need to follow different advice depending on your condition.
Five tips that can keep you running when you have knee arthritis
- Listen to your body — Yes, you may still be able to run despite having arthritis, but your limits won’t be as high as they used to be. You need to pay attention to your body for any signs of pain and slow down or stop when you reach this point. In general, you may want to adopt a new routine that’s slower and takes place on less challenging grounds.
- Change your footwear — Lack of support in your feet causes a chain reaction when running that stems from the feet to the ankles, to the knees, hips and even into your back. You’ll want to find some customized footwear or insoles that can help improve support for your knees to reduce pain when running with knee arthritis. Even if you already use custom footwear for running, you might need to make a change when you’ve been diagnosed with arthritis.
- Always warm up and cool down — Stretching and taking a walk before running is a good way to prepare your muscles and soft tissue for a run. When your body is more prepared, you’ll put less strain on your knees while running.
Make sure you stretch and walk after you’re finished too so your muscles can cool back down. Immediately going from running to resting can shock the muscles, which causes tension that just ends up putting strain on the knees. - Try low-impact exercises — Gentle exercises like swimming or yoga exert low amounts of force onto your joints. This can help strengthen the knees without straining them so you’ll be better prepared to go for a run.
- Visit a physical therapist — Physical therapists can guide you through exercises and stretches and provide manual mobilization techniques that help reduce pain in the knees and improve your range of motion. Physical therapy also decreases your dependency on surgery and medications as treatments for arthritis.
Visit Whatcom Physical Therapy in Blaine, WA, for knee arthritis treatment
Are you a runner whose knees are hurting from running thanks to arthritis? Our physical therapists at Whatcom Physical Therapy in Blaine can help. Contact our team today for more information about knee arthritis treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.
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