Save Your Knees While You Can

Experts at Methodist Center for Sports Medicine say protecting your knees while you're young may help in preventing issues from forming as you age.

“Every time you take a step you apply three times your body weight to the knee,” said Dr. William J. Bryan, an orthopedic surgeon with the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine in Houston, in a press release. “When you run it's five times, when you jump it's seven times. If you are experiencing frequent knee pain, lifestyle changes might be in order.”

Being obese or overweight can only further enhance knee problems, they said.

“What most people don't understand about weight loss is that it's 70 percent diet and 30 percent exercise,” Bryan said. “If you think you can eat the same and exercise the pounds away, you are mistaken. You have to change your attitude about the refrigerator for weight loss to happen.”

The experts recommend exercise such as swimming or cycling as well as other low-impact options and also exercises that strengthen abdominal muscles, back muscles, and the pelvis.