How Krill Oil Reduces Knee Pain
While plainomega-3 fish oils and cod liver oil are popular for preventing and treating knee pain, krill oil has the advantage of supplying long-chain, omega-3 fatty acids plus antioxidant pigments for an enhanced anti-inflammatory effect.
The long-chain omega-3s, EPA and DHA, are processed in the body to reduce formation of inflammatory substances known as leukotrienes. These omega-3s reduce inflammation, stiffness, swelling and, in people with different types of arthritis can reduce the number of painful joints, and the long-term need for pain killers.
Both the omega 3s and the antioxidants found in krill oil have an anti-inflammatory action which help to reduce joint pain, stiffness and swelling in people with rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. In a trial involving 90 people with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid or osteoarthritis, levels of inflammation were reduced by 19% within 7 days, in those taking 300mg krill oil a day, and by 30% within 2 weeks. In those taking placebo, levels of inflammation increased.
As well as helping your knee pain, krill oil is beneficial for the heart and circulation, too.
How To Strengthen Knee Tendons And Ligaments
11 July, 2020
Tendons and ligaments are vital components of the bodys structure. In this article we focus on the knee tendons and ligaments, as they are so important for mobility. Their job is to connect the muscles to the bones, facilitating proper joint function.
If you have put a lot of strain on your knees and are suffering from pain, this article might interest you. You should know that your knee tendons and ligaments require proper nutrition to give them all the necessary vitamins and minerals that keep them strong. This in turn can help improve your quality of life and reduce pain. Find out more in today´s article.
How To Improve Knee Flexion
FREE
- HOW: Sit at the edge of a table or some sort of elevated surface. Ideally, you dont want your feet to touch the ground. Place your unaffected leg under your affected leg, fully supporting it. Slowly let your affected knee bend by lowering your feet. At some point, you will feel a gentle stretch. Hold for the desired amount of time, and then use your unaffected side to help straighten your knee out once again. Repeat.
- FEEL: If you are doing this after surgery, it is normal for this to feel a bit uncomfortable. There should never be any sharp pain, but aching is fine.
- COMPENSATION: Relax! Use your other leg to support your affected side.
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Strap Or Belt Stretch
You can also get a calf stretch by manually stretching your leg using an exercise strap or any comfortable length of material like a towel or belt.
Krill Oil Supplements For Knee Pain
Krill are a tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans found in all the oceans of the world. They feed on microalgae from which they obtain omega-3 fatty acids and two antioxidant pigments, astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. These pigments are produced by algae to protect them from ultraviolet light and, when these algae and shrimps are eaten by wild flamingos, give them their attractive pink plumage. Without them flamingos would be grey. These carotenoid pigments, which also cause shrimps, prawns and lobsters to turn red when cooked, are the reason why krill oil has such a vibrant, crimson colour.
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Hamstring Curls On A Weight Bench
Muscles involved: Hamstrings and gluteal muscles.
This exercise is a variation of the standing hamstring curl. A person can try this version if they have access to a weight bench that is purpose-built for this exercise. It may be more challenging than the standing hamstring curl, depending on how much weight a person uses.
Is Squatting Bad For Your Knees
The short answer: No, especially with proper conditioning of the knees.
Understanding how the knee works and what can go wrong is different from knowing what will or wont aggravate issues going on in your body.
We see comments every day from people, saying things like squatting is bad for your knees, or, if you move like that, youre going to wreck your knees, or, my doctor said to only do X, and youre showing Y, so thats clearly going to hurt people.
99% of these comments are coming from a good place. If someone has had a particular experience thats hurt their knees, they want to share that experience with others, to help them avoid injuries.
The problem with taking those comments at face value is that they dont account for the very wide range of responses that can occur in different peoples bodies. Just because squatting a certain way aggravated John Smiths knee injury doesnt mean it will do the same for you.
Plus, certain motions may technically be wrong for the knees, but if done with proper mechanics and with some nuances, and if you are adequately prepared, they are not dangerous by any means.
In this video, I demonstrate twisting and rotational movements, distinguishing between safe and unsafe approaches:
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Knee Flexion On Wall Exercise After Knee Surgery Prom
- HOW: Lie on your back close to a wall. Place your affected leg on the wall. Make sure your heel can slide on the wall, so wear a sock or place a pillow cloth or something else slippery around your foot so that it can slide. Slowly let gravity slide your leg down. As your leg slides down, your knee will bend more, which is the goal of this exercise. Bend as far as you can, hold that stretch for a few seconds, then return back to the starting position. Repeat.
- FEEL: You should feel a slightly uncomfortable stretch at the end of your range. This is common and the goal of this exercise is to feel that little bit of discomfort so dont be alarmed.
- COMPENSATION: Let gravity bring your foot down as it slides against the wall, dont try to move it yourself. Go slow!
Why Shouldnt You Worry About Pain
Joints can hurt, especially when you first start exercising. Many people with osteoarthritis believe that pain is a sign that the body is being injured. But chronic pain isn’t a good indicator of the condition of a joint. Its the same as with X-rays: Even easily visible, severe joint damage doesnt always hurt, and some people have really bad pain without any visible changes on the X-rays. A little joint pain during exercise doesnt mean that the joints are being harmed. So you can exercise even if you have a little pain.
There are also some other reasons why pain isn’t always a good adviser for people with osteoarthritis: How you perceive pain strongly depends on your mood and situation. For example, if youre exercising in a group following a teachers instructions, you may worry less about minor pain or not notice it nearly as much as people who exercise alone at home and are unsure of what theyre doing.
Staying active has a lot of advantages: Many studies show that physical exercise can relieve osteoarthritis pain and improve joint function. When you exercise, your body releases substances that have a pain-relieving effect. Exercise also improves blood circulation and stimulates your metabolism, making sure that your bones and cartilage get enough nutrients. Exercise reduces the risk of falls too.
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Tips For Bulletproof Knees
Having a bum knee sucks, so I decided to come up with a bulletproof plan to get your knees feeling healthy and working as well as humanly possible.
Wait! Were you about to X out of this article already? Maybe go check and see if any new hotties have posted their photos elsewhere on the site? Well, don’t. Why? Because you don’t want to go through this, do you?
I didn’t think so. Yes, this article is about knee health. No, that’s not as sexy as biceps and big bench presses, but maybe I can scare you into caring with the photo above.
You see, a year and a half ago, I had perfectly healthy knees, and I was coming off the best training cycle of my entire life. Long story short: A ski trip led to an arthroscope and a knee that may never return to normal.
Fixing knees is my business. I’ve studied their architecture, how they function, the most cutting edge research, common injuries, and what the best and the brightest in the industry are doing to fix even the most stubborn knees. I’d love to say I’m doing it all for you, but obviously there’s a little self-interest involved here as well!
If you’ve ever had a knee injury, this is the article for you. I’m going to get you up-to-speed with some new concepts that are sure to get your knees as healthy as possible.
Never had a knee injury? Then this is an even better article for you. If you follow the ideas here, you’ll be a lot less likely to have a knee injury in the first place.
Body On Knee Flexion Exercise After Knee Surgery Prom
- HOW: Sitting on a bed or couch, remove your knee immobilizer. Put your heel on the ground with your knee unsupported. Using your arms and non-surgical leg, scoot your bottom forward with your surgical knee moving forward over your foot, moving into knee flexion. Use your arms and your non-surgical leg to return to starting position.
- FEEL: You should feel a stretching sensation both around the front of your knee and even behind your knee. This should only be a mild discomfort, and not too much pain! As you continue to relax into a new, available range of motion, you can continue to move your body forward.
- COMPENSATION: Avoid leaning your hip away towards the opposite leg. Keep your hips square and even without shifting your weight away.
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Osteoarthritis Of The Knee: What Can I Do To Strengthen My Knees
Strength and mobility exercises are among the most important things people with osteoarthritis can do for their knees. These exercises can relieve pain, strengthen the joints, and improve joint function. Theres no need to worry about damaging your joints if you do the right kind of exercises.
Many people with osteoarthritis avoid sports and exercise for fear of putting additional strain on their joints and wearing them out faster. But theres no need to worry about that: In fact, lack of movement is bad for the joints. For one thing, movement is important for the metabolic processes in the joint cartilage. Also, exercise can strengthen muscles, improve joint stability, and increase range of motion. This not only protects the knee but also helps in everyday life for example, when climbing stairs or getting up from a chair.
Even if your joints hurt, its usually best to keep moving. But many people who have painful and stiff joints find that hard to do. Thats why its very important to find the right type of exercise that you enjoy, too. Exercising in a group can help to motivate you.
Get Some Soft Tissue Work Done
This is another addition to your program that can give you huge paybacks over the long-term.
First, if you haven’t purchased a foam roller yet, what are you waiting for? I’d venture to say almost any performance coach worth his salt is using one, so why aren’t you? If you aren’t sure how to use one, check out our Feel Better for 10 Bucks article.
Something we didn’t discuss in the foam rolling article is changing the length of the muscle while you’re working it. This allows you to work different areas of the muscle and get an even better response. For instance, try this for your rectus femoris and quads: Roll these areas like you normally would, and then continue rolling but bend your knee. You may not feel it at the bottom of the quads, but I think you’ll notice a big difference when rolling the top of your thigh!
Now as great as the foam roller is, it still pales in comparison to specific soft-tissue work performed by a specialist. If you’ve never had soft-tissue work done before, I’d start with a solid ART provider, as they’ll be able to get rid of adhesions and scar tissue that have built up over the course of your training career.
After that, a more general deep tissue massage will help normalize your tissue tone and help you realize better quality of movement. This isn’t really something that can be described in words, but you’ll know the feeling when you effortlessly drop into a deep squat for the first time!
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A New Study A New Approach
A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine takes a unique approach to the treatment of people with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Researchers divided 148 people with osteoarthritis of the knee into two groups: one group was encouraged to access standard educational material from the web regarding osteoarthritis. This included information about medications, diet, physical activity, and exercises from the research website. The other group not only had access to these same materials, but also received:
- an interactive web-based program about how to cope with pain, with eight weekly sessions lasting 35-45 minutes in which participants learned relaxation techniques, how to balance rest and activity, ways to distract ones attention from pain, and other strategies
- seven Skype-based sessions over three months with an experienced physical therapist. Each session lasted 30 to 45 minutes and covered home exercises to strengthen lower limb muscles. In addition to video presentations, each participant received free resistance bands, ankle weights, and a pedometer.
- email reminders that regularly encouraged participants to take full advantage of these interventions.
Inflammation And Your Knees
Knee injuries cause inflammation, which in turn causes pain. Chronic knee pain might be due to several conditions that also cause inflammation directly or indirectly. These conditions may include arthritis, gout, tendonitis, bursitis, and several other itis conditions.
So, by eating the best foods that reduce inflammation, you more or less help your knees stay healthy and pain-free!
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What Else Can I Do
If you’re overweight, losing weight can take some strain off your joints. In studies, losing more than 5% of the starting weight improved mobility and relieved joint pain. Losing weight and keeping it off requires motivation and weeks or months of patience. But various programs can help.
It is also recommended that you wear well-fitting shoes with shock-absorbing soles. Shoes should support the arch of your foot and leave enough space for your toes. Tight shoes and high heels aren’t suitable. Theres no proof that special pain relief shoes have any benefits.
How To Exercise Without Hurting Your Knees: Take
If youre suffering from knee pain, fight the temptation to avoid any and all activities. You should absolutely do any exercise you can, and modulate them to be able to perform them pain-free.
Exercises focusing on the quadriceps have been shown to be particularly effective at reducing knee pain, and the two best exercises are likely leg extensions and bike riding. If you dont have access to a gym, why not invest in an exercise bike to use at home to get on your way to stronger, healthier and more resilient knees.
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How To Improve Joint Health Naturally
Joint health is a subject that concerns many adults as they age. Stiff joints that are tender and painful are common in adults and can interfere mobility and independence as you grow older. Poor joint health can be reversed naturally in some cases through a series of lifestyle changes. Following a healthy diet and making a point to be physically active can improve joint health in many people without the need for medications, supplements or surgery.
Step 1
Improve joint health with gentle, slow movements. Vigorous exercise when you are not accustomed to it, or when your joints hurt, can just make you feel worse. Range-of-motion exercises, including knee bends, neck rotations and shoulder shrugs, take your joints through their natural movements to maintain and increase flexibility and mobility. Increase your workout goals gradually to ensure a steady improvement in function.
Step 2
Exercise daily to improve joint health naturally. Working out may feel counterintuitive when your joints are stiff and achy, but regular movement is the key to smooth, flexible joints. Warm up and cool down with stretching and slow walking to reduce the risk of injury. Participate in a physical activity you enjoy for at least 20 minutes each day, such as team sports, swimming, jumping rope or walking. Yard work and shoveling snow also counts as exercise.
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
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