Cameron Garber, physical therapist with Body Smart Physical Therapy, recently shared with us 7 tips to prevent knee pain.

1- Know when to call it. One of the biggest myths of fitness is that distance running is bad for your knees. The truth is that runners have less arthritis and long term knee problems than nonrunners. Now, that being said, there are definitely exceptions to this rule. One of the major things runners do wrong is simply push through the pain.

2- Maintain healthy body weight. The biggest thing you can do to ensure you maintain good knee health is to make sure your waistline stays smaller. Body weight increases play a huge factor in knee pain. One study suggests that for every 10 pounds gained, there is a 45-pound pressure difference inside the knee joint. WOW!

3-  Stay Strong! Strength training is a critical component to both maintaining your weight as well as keeping the knees pain free. Doing exercises that strengthen the right areas, i.e.: your core, hip, knee, calf and foot muscles, will help you maintain proper alignment during running and decrease wear and tear.

4- It’s all in the HIPS. Making sure you keep the hips (especially the glutes) strong is vital to proper running form. If the hips become too weak we begin to make adaptations in the knee and foot to keep us running straight. These adaptations cause most of our running injuries. The list is long: plantar fasciitis, shin splints, IT band syndrome, patellofemoral knee pain, meniscus injuries, ACL injury, patellar tracking problems, patellar and quadriceps tendinitis, Achilles tendon problems, hip bursitis, piriformis syndrome and even sciatica have all been linked with hip weakness!

5-Be a Control Freak! Strength training is critical, but if you’re strength training with poor form, it may be all for naught. If your form isn’t right you may actually be increasing your risk of knee injury. Remember, always stay in control! Here are a couple of tips to take control to make sure your form is good and you stay safe. First, slow down the reps. Make sure you can stop any repetition at any time and hold the position. This will make sure you aren’t using momentum.

6- Get Perfect Feet. Getting custom inserts can be a very important key in foot health.

7- “It ain’t the years honey, it’s the mileage.” Often those who keep running later in life lead healthier lives with fewer falls or hospitalizations. Following all of the previous tips can help keep your knees as healthy as possible as you age. It isn’t uncommon to develop some arthritis no matter what we do to prevent it. Much of this even has to do with personal genetics. The good news is that no matter why we start having some knee pain, the right type of exercise can help decrease pain and keep you from losing function.