Recent findings have shown that techniques previously believed to help prevent injuries to knees and other muscles may not be as affective as once thought. Recently, a study tested the theory that pre-running warm-up stretches can help prevent injury.
The results were surprising; while gentle warm-up exercises and more dynamic stretches weren’t included, the study proved that warm-up stretches before running may not actually reduce injury. Out of both groups tested, those who stretched, and those who didn’t, both ended up with the same percentage of injuries.
Furthermore, it was proven that orthotics cannot help align the body, however, when a standard insert was used on a variety of individuals, the individual’s comfort increased. This implies that while orthotics cannot align the body, they can certainly help compensate for discomfort caused by certain conditions. A relief to most runners, the study also proved that running will not have adverse effects on the knees, and in fact, the study showed that those who didn’t run had a higher increase in arthritis than those who did.
Although it’s fantastic that these knee health myths have been exposed, taking care of the knees is vital to an active lifestyle. Thankfully, taking care of the knees doesn’t have to be difficult; even certain diet changes can help keep the knees healthy. Perhaps one of the best diet plans for healthy knees is the Mediterranean diet which contains a variety of food options.
For example, for breakfast, try eating cereal with 1 cup Kashi or another cereal containing at least 6g of fiber, 1 cup low fat milk, 2tbs unsalted pecans, and 1/2 cup of a fruit of choice. For lunch, consider a slice of whole-wheat pita bread with provolone cheese, hummus, in addition to a fresh fruit or vegetable. If you’re looking for a snack during the day, try eating a piece of fresh fruit drizzled with honey. For dinner, try Mustard-Crusted Salmon containing 1 1/4 pounds center-cut salmon fillets, 1/4tsp salt, freshly ground pepper, 2tbs stone-ground mustard, lemon wedges, 2tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 cup reduce-fat sour cream.
The Mediterranean diet is extremely beneficial to knee health as it contains foods with Vitamin C, Fish Oil, and others that help with joint health. It can also be beneficial to add foods with soy and flax seed to the diet in addition to Omega-3 in supplement form to further promote healthy knees and joints.
