FEELING GREAT: Is walking good or bad for my knees?

He told us he started to experience knee pain a few years ago when walking down the stairs and thought it was just something that would ‘wear off’ with time.

But when he noticed the pain in his knees every time he either went down the stairs, or walked up and down hills with his dog, he thought he better do something about it. So, he went to his Doctor, who at first told him to rest and to take painkillers to help ease the pain.

But the word ‘rest’ can be confusing.

Does rest mean you have to sit on the sofa cooped up inside all day when you’ve got things to do?

Does it mean no walking until your knee feels a bit better? And then when it does, how much walking, is too much?

Being told to rest, and take painkillers is one of the most common things we hear when people are given ‘knee pain’ advice, but this cocktail mix of rest and taking tablets will do absolutely nothing to help you get back to being active.

Now I know if you are one of the many people suffering with knee pain, you might be worried to use your knees, but walking is a safe, low-impact activity, that can actually help get you on the road to recovery.

You see when we don’t move our joints, they become stiff which can cause inflammation – which makes joints like our knees even MORE painful!

Knees are made to bend.

They’re designed to help us walk, kneel down, bend to help us grab objects, walk up and down the stairs – not to stay still and rest all day! (Which is what a lot of people are told to do!)

Start slow, with gentle walking and strengthening exercises, and builds up slowly so you can do more.

Although it may feel like knee pain is something you’ll have to learn to live with and might not be able to be as active as you once were – that’s not always the case.

Don’t just accept rest and taking painkillers as your only solution – there’s a way to get back to living a life you enjoy. P.S. If you’re worried about knee pain and need some help, you can download my FREE knee pain tips guide when you visit here: www.paulgoughphysio.com/knee-pain/