The Five Most Effective Cures for Knee Pain

The most common affliction among avid runners is the knee pain. It can be blunt, or sharp. It can happen with every pound on pavement, or with every awkward landing. It can stop you dead in your tracks and every time you try to suck it up, it might just get worse and worse until you end up like me - needing surgery at the age of twenty two.

Had I listened to those that came before me, I would have known some of the basics that on keeping your knees working well.

1. Good Shoes

I once wore the same pair of shoes for several thousand miles. Most runner's will recommend that you change your shoes every 500 miles or every six months, which ever shows up sooner. It may even be beneficial to have a few pairs of shoes and switch them out once in awhile.

Caution: I think that running my shoes ragged is what caused me to have knee problems in the first place. When I got shoes fitted by a real expert and in-soles that worked for it too, it was magical. When I went on my first run, the pain that had afflicted me all but disappeared.

2. Supplements

A good diet can always make or break an athlete. Be cautious of fueling your body with the wrong things. Someone fueled by cheetos and coke won't be able to run as well as someone who has whole grains and water, and it can drastically affect a runner's recovery from injury. If necessary, supplements like Triflex, glucosamine chondroitin and calcium can help ward off the aches and pains but popping them in pill form is never as efficient as digesting them from food.

3. Strengthening exercises

Okay, sometimes runners neglect to lift weight, weight lifters forget ot run. When you work out, there's bound to be exercises that you do and do not like. However, doing core exercises, squats and balancing workouts can go a long way in preventing injury. Strong legs and stabilizer muscles can go a long way.

4. Physical Therapy

This is a more expensive option, but if knee pain persists, it might be benficial to see a physical therapist. They look at runners just like you, often times they'll see the same problems in runners because that activity can only lead to so many injuries. They have solutions, they have exercises, they have options and expert advice.

Since it is a little more costly, I only recommend this for those who have had chronic knee pain (a few months or more). If it's only been a few days, try steps one through three to see if it helps alleviate the problem.

5. Knee Surgery

This is the absolute last case scenario! I would only recommend this if the physical therapist tells you that there are no other alternatives or if the knee pain gets so bad that walking becomes difficult. Surgery is not only painful and costly, but the recovery time after surgery can range from six weeks to several months. I solved my knee problems this way, but I was only comfortable going this route after I exhausted all other possibilities.

On a cautionary note, remember that nothing beats getting a good, solid, medical opinion.