Walking is a great exercise for all muscle groups. In addition, it trains the heart, improves mood, and makes your cheeks pink. There are no contraindications for walking. However, beginning athletes risk making mistakes that can negate all the benefits. It’s about your knees. How to prevent knee pain if you walk regularly?

You’re wearing the wrong shoes

The wrong running shoes can exacerbate pre-existing knee problems. If you have pain outside your knees because your front knee doesn’t align properly when you walk, you need shoes with stability control and arch support.

If you’re showing early signs of arthritis on the inside of your knee, you’ll need shoes designed for people with hypersupination. The task is to align the knees as much as possible when walking. At the reception, an orthopedist will help you determine exactly what you need!

You’re not trying to engage your gluteal muscles

The best way to avoid knee pain is to control how you walk. This includes engaging the thigh and gluteal muscles during movement to avoid straining the knee.

Gluteal muscles are a large and strong muscle group, but if they are not involved during lower body movements, this can lead to joint problems because the knee is forced to take on too much weight.

You keep walking despite the pain

Some discomfort or fatigue when walking is normal, but if you just brush off the pain and it doesn’t go away and gets worse, it’s a sign that you need to stop waiting for the knee to “get healed” and seek help.

You’re used to hitting the ground hard with your heels

A confident gait, in which the heels hit the ground hard, and the foot does not “roll” onto the toe, is detrimental to the joints and knees. It causes a lot of pain quickly in the middle of the knee, so you will need the patience to relearn and stop pounding your heels. Try watching the video tutorials – the anatomy of proper walking is explained there! Not only your knees but also the neighbors below will be extremely grateful.