Note Briefly
The information herein is for general education purposes only; and does not act as medical advice, or function as an alternative.
For your benefit & safety, consult with your medical doctor for clearance; and physiotherapist, and/or personal trainer before engaging in any exercise regimen.
Introduction
If you exercise (non-sport focused) recreationally; or play sport- professionally, semi-professionally & recreationally), you stand a relatively high chance of experiencing injury, or pain (acute/chronic) within the ankle, knee & hip joints, at one point or another in your active lifetime (child age-senior age).
Same can be said for individuals (kids-senior) who are sedentary (very little movement). Such is the unforgiving reality we are faced with.
Read: Activities of Daily Living: Aging. Dysfunction. Population Challenges. Exercise.
Weight-Bearing Joints: Hips, Knees, Ankles
Our hips, knees & ankles, (with other joints), function as weight-bearers (bodyweight + external weight), in daily activities, such as:
- Standing.
- Sitting.
- Walking.
- Running.
- Jumping.
- Changing bodily direction.
The loss of strength & mobility; the presence/onset of disease (such as osteoarthritis); injury (product of trauma inherent external to your body, and/or internal to your body-such as through aging); are significant contributor(s) in us experiencing reduced movement capacity, and pain, within these and other weight-bearing joints.
Preserving and/or attaining optimum function within the knee, hip & ankle joints, as well as within other joints; towards the managing of our bodyweight combined with loads (external & multiplanar), is a critical targeted long term outcome/goal that is not typically fancied, relative to weight loss, weight gain & sport-specific performance.
This should not be the case.
General Exercise Tips-Knee, Hip & Ankle Pain
Prevention
With exercise clearance from your medical doctor, commit to an exercise regimen geared towards:
- Improving double-limbed & single limbed joint(s) stability.
- Strengthening (not necessarily) hypertrophy of striated muscle groups that support stability and movement of the joint(s) in focus.
- Increasing vascular density of striated muscles and other tissues which function to stabilize & move the joint(s) in focus
- Contract the services of reputable exercise professionals (rehab, post-rehab, sport-specific); such as physiotherapist, personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach).
Read: 4 Key Steps To Safe Exercise For All Age Groups
Rehabilitation-Post Rehabilitation Exercise Approach
- Diagnostics-Prescription-Exercise Clearance from medical doctor.
- Multimodal passive & active exercise & stimulation for retraining, at ‘light’ resistance & relatively narrow range of motion.
- Stability Training (bodyweight).
- Mobility Training.
- Load Training (light resistance; high reps).
About The Author
Oshane Bryant: BSc Geology, Geography Minor; ACE CPT since 2012; Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Accelerator Graduate-2018 cohort; Licensed KUKIBO Martial Arts & Self Defense, Senior Instructor; OB Fitness Founder & Managing Director.