The joints in your body are really the hinges for movement. However, they are cushioned by cartilage, which, when deteriorated, does not have a high rate of regeneration. Movement and longevity go hand-in-hand, but performing fundamental movements with improper form, load, and recovery is directly and indirectly destroying your joints. Here are 9 devastating fitness mistakes that are wrecking your knees and joints, and what you need to do to prevent them.
Lifting too much
Overloading your joints creates an undesirable situation where you are loading your ligaments and joints instead of your muscles, which are responsible for the resistance. You want the stimulus to be on the working muscle.
Running in Dead Shoes
Shoes should be replaced as they lose their structural shock absorption when the sole wears down. The midsole (where the majority of the shock absorption occurs) loses its cushioning over time, and running in dead shoes sends the shock right into your knees and ankles.
Barely any Heel Striking
This sends tremendous shockwaves straight up the shinbone and into your knees. You want to strike more of your midfoot so the calf and hamstrings can absorb the shock, and it doesn’t go into your knees.
Incorrect Lunging Form
Allowing your knee to drift far past your toes when performing lunges will put pressure on your patella. This will create sharp pain under the kneecap and also cause the back heel to lift, creating an acute angle that crushes the patella tendon.
High Impact Training on Hard Surfaces
Constantly pounding your joints, running on concrete, or lifting weights on hard surfaces will break down the cartilage in your knees and ankles. Try to train on grass, dirt trails, track, or rubber gym mats when possible.
Weak Hamstrings and Glutes
This will cause the kneecap to get pulled out of alignment and track improperly in its natural groove. It’s important to bring the posterior chain muscles into the mix by incorporating RDLs and leg curls into your workouts.
Collapsed Arches (Flat feet)
Flat feet can cause the ankle to pronate excessively, causing an upward twisting kinetic chain effect up the leg, impacting your knees in the process. Proper shoes, orthotics, and strengthening the arch will help address this.
Dropping too fast on the eccentric
This means quickly lowering the weight during the downward part of the lift and using the stored elastic energy to bounce out of the bottom position. This creates a lot of stress on tendons that don’t like it.
Lack of Mobility
When hips and ankles lack range of motion, your knees will have to twist to compensate, and this can create great forces to be put on the knee joint. Your knees are meant to be stable hinges; therefore, their range of motion isn’t great.
