Our knees too often become our “weakest link” when it comes to our joints, primarily because they carry so much of our weight and do a lot of the work. But we really can strengthen and protect our knees when we understand that our joints will be no stronger than the muscles and ligaments that provide their support. Combine strengthening exercises with a healthy diet and joint supplementation, and there’s a good chance we can keep our knees healthy and strong.
Strengthening our knees is actually just a matter of strengthening our quadriceps – that large muscle group that runs the front length of your thigh. There are two ways to strengthen the quadriceps.
First, sit in a kitchen table-type chair with your back straight and your butt tucked into the back of the chair. Roll up a towel or something similar and place it under your knees for support. At this point, your feet may or may not be touching the floor, depending on the height of your chair seat. With a steady motion, slowly lift one leg at a time. When fully extended, your leg should be horizontal or parallel to the floor. Hold this position for a count of three. Then slowly lower your leg until your foot is on the floor or in the starting position. Repeat the exercise with the other leg. Do as many as you comfortably can, eventually working up to 10 or more knee extensions per leg.
For the second exercise, sit on a table or work bench – something that’s high enough for your legs to dangle, with a foot or more from your feet to the floor. Using a bucket or purse with a strap, hang weights on our foot at the ankle. Beginning with two or five pounds, slowly lift the weight by extending your leg as far as you can. Hold for a count of three. Then slowly lower your leg to the starting position. Be sure you keep your back straight, being careful not to lean backwards or to lift your thigh off the table. The work must be done using the quadriceps. Repeat the lift 10-15 times, progressively increasing both the weight and number of repetitions. Repeat the exercise with the other leg.
As for joint supplements, glucosamine may be the most researched joint nutrient out there. My naturopathic health care provider, Dr. Christine Melloy, recommends 1,500 mg daily. Recently, she also told me about natural eggshell membrane, which contains glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid and collagen. In addition to being components of healthy cartilage, natural eggshell membrane is being researched for its efficacy in reducing joint pain. Melloy suggests 500 mg daily of natural eggshell membrane for her patients with joint discomfort and stiffness. Her third recommendation for maintaining healthy joints is 100 mg daily of bovine cartilage, which is made up of collagen.
Although I have healthy, pain-free joints thus far in my life, I have a family history of “terrible knees.” For many years I have taken only a glucosamine/chondroitin product, and I have no doubt supplementation and strong quadriceps have prevented much of the damage many others in my immediate family have suffered.
