Knee pain is annoying around the house, but when it happens on a hike, you can find yourself stranded or struggling to get back home. A little understanding of the way hiking stresses your knees will help you reduce the pain, avoid further injury and make the most of your next trek.
Hiking and Knee Stress
Getting away from it all to get out into nature is a healthy choice and good exercise. What your knees will experience is uneven terrain and unstable ground surfaces. Knees are stressed on the uphills and pounded on the downhills. They may also be carrying additional weight in the form of a backpack, so try to pack as lightly as you can. If your regular daily routine doesn't include long walks, start with shorter hikes to build up your muscle strength and endurance.
Knee Pain With Descending
Most knee pain starts on the downhill segments because of the repeated compression of the knee joints as you land on your heels. Avoid rapid downhills that require you to jump or leap down and land hard. Rapid descents also lead to instability, less control and sometimes tumbles. Those factors can twist your knee joint and create injuries. Quality hiking boots with shock absorption for your heels and stiff support for your ankles can help protect your knees..
Knee Pain With Climbing
When you are climbing a trail, you will have less compression but more strain on the ligaments and tendons, especially around the knee cap. Using a hiking stick allows you to use your upper body to lift your body weight up the steep sections. Taking time to stretch your hamstrings and quadriceps during your breaks will help.
Training to Avoid Knee Pain
Treating knee pain with rest, ice, compression wraps and elevation will help with soreness right after you get home. On the trail, stretching the upper and lower leg is helpful. To prepare for longer hikes, weight train using squats or leg presses, leg extensions and hip extensions to improve your endurance.
