Tips for Walking When You Have Bad Knees

It may seem counterproductive to walk when your knees are bad, but there can be a lot of value to walking if you have bad knees. That is not to say that you should always be walking no matter how your knees feel. However, as long as the pain is not too severe, walking can have a good effect on your knees. Below are several tips for walking when you have bad knees that can help protect you from pain.

Prepare the Correct Gear

It is important to be fully prepared for a walk before you start. To properly protect your knees, you should make sure you have shoes that can support your knees. You need comfortable shoes that displace your weight and do not apply pressure to your knees. Getting shoe inserts can help your knees as well. Do not be afraid of using walking assistant gear, either, as they will help your knees greatly. Investing in a good cane, such as the blackthorn cane, will alleviate a lot of pressure from your knees while ensuring you remain stylish.

Walking

The trick to the actual walk is to take it easy on yourself. You do not need to push yourself to any extremes when walking. If you build up your walking time and distance slowly, you can reach a healthy pace without hurting yourself. Focus on small improvements, and your endurance will steadily increase.

During the actual walk, there are some things you can do to help your knees. For instance, walk on softer surfaces, avoid walking on cement, and aim for dirt or grass when possible. This lessens the impact of each step on your knees. Keep to slower paces until you have built up some endurance—your knees get the same benefits whether you walk slow or fast. You should aim for roughly 6,000 steps a day when you walk to get the full results of a walk.

Hopefully, these tips for walking when you have bad knees have helped you come up with a walking plan for yourself. It is important to keep walking, if you can, as it helps lubricate the joints and keeps them better protected.