An injured knee is a common condition that doesn’t just affect the athletes – in fact, every third adult American has suffered from it at one point in their lives. As with many other conditions, prevention is the main key to maintaining your health in good shape, and taking care of your knees can save you months of pain, immobility and physical therapy. Here are 3 things that will keep your knees happy and less prone to injury:
1. Getting enough sleep
Isn’t that interesting? You don’t have to do anything, your body will take care of everything, provided you make sure you give it enough time to rest and regenerate. Did you know that chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes1? Even if you’re not a professional athlete, you still need to take good care of your joints in order to keep them working, and sleep is the perfect way to avoid any future knee injuries. Make sure to sleep at least 7 hours per night as this is the minimum time your body needs to rest and regenerate.
2. Eating the right food
Your diet is an extremely important factor in keeping your knees in good shape. It is simply because certain foods can either weaken or strengthen the joints due to their inflammatory effects. Try to include as many anti-inflammatory foods as you can in your everyday diet – these include products such as oily fish, nuts and seeds, and green leafy vegetables. On the other hand, indulging on dairy, sugar and deep-fried food can cause inflammation in your body and make your knees more prone to injury, so try to stay away of them as much as you can.
3. Exercising on regular basis
If you get in the habit of walking for at least 30 minute a day, your overall health will improve significantly. It is great for your heart and keeping your blood pressure in check, but your knees also benefit. Why? Because exercising on regular basis strengthens the muscles around the joints and therefore, keeping you resistant to common injuries. And if you are already doing some exercise, make sure to wear proper protective gear – good-quality sports shoes make all the difference in the way you burden your knees, so think of it as in investment in your health.
Knee Injury West Palm Beach – Where to look from help?
If in spite of your best efforts you may at times still injure your knees, but don’t worry – here at Palm Beach Orthopedic Institute our professional team of orthopedic surgeons will do all they can to get you up and running again. For more information about our facility, visit our website or contact us today. We are looking forward to seeing you soon!