Taking care of your knees now will cost you a lot less time and effort than rehabilitating them down the road. Here are four ways to minimize stress to your knees and prevent long-term, chronic problems:

1. Don’t Ignore Knee Pain: Your body has warning systems in place for a Pain alerts you to a potential problem. Instead of covering up the symptoms, try getting to the root of your pain with the help of a chiropractic examination. In many cases of knee pain, the lower leg (tibia) has become abnormally rotated (misaligned) relative to the thigh bone (femur). This abnormal rotation causes great stress to the knee joint and the surrounding muscles, ligaments and cartilage.

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight: More weight on your body means more strain on your muscles, joints, and knee cartilage. Compared to other body areas, knees are especially vulnerable to extra Practicing whole body care by getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, replacing caffeine and soda with water, and exercising regularly can help you manage your weight. Even small, incremental reductions in body weight can make a significant difference.
3. Wear the Correct Shoes: Prior to beginning your exercise routine, don’t just reach for whatever shoes are available. The single most important piece of workout gear you own is your shoes! Shoes designed for walking or running are made very differently than shoes made for playing tennis or basketball. Consult your local sports gear store for advice on the right type of shoe for your type of exercise.
4. Maintain Proper Alignment: It is no wonder the knees suffer when the body is out of alignment. Everything is connected, and your knees provide a major place of support and flexibility in your lower limbs. If your knees hurt, it very likely could be due to a knee misalignment, or possibly even an alignment problem somewhere else which is placing undue stress on the knees.

Many times the feet can be the major underlying problem. In other cases, it’s the pelvis or lower back that’s causing stress to the knee joints. More times than not, there are misalignments simultaneously in the feet and the lower back that play a role in causing stress and strain on the knees.

When it comes to your knees, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you have experienced periodic knee pain or stress patterns, you should definitely schedule an appointment to get your knees evaluated. There could be a simple misalignment problem causing all your knee stress, and with a few chiropractic adjustments, you may be surprised by how great your knees will feel.