The New York Times – Frequent knee pain affects about 25 percent of adults. While a generation ago experts often recommended rest and ice to alleviate knee pain, evidence now suggests that strength training can reduce pain and increase range of motion.
“Stronger muscles help distribute the load more evenly across the knee,” said Dr. Nima Mehran, an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles, Calif., who specializes in the knee.
Building muscles reduces the amount of stress on the joint, he said, and it can also improve alignment, which in turn helps prevent injury.
“People think that strength training will hurt their knees or cause further damage,” said Leada Malek, a physical therapist in San Francisco who specializes in sports medicine and the author of “Science of Stretch.” But that’s not actually the case, she said.
The key is to find movements you can do without severe pain and gradually build your strength and range of motion.
How Muscles Affect Knee Pain
While the knee joint itself doesn’t have muscles, it has ligaments and cartilage and is stabilized by the muscles surrounding the joint: the quads, hamstrings, calves and hips.
These muscles power your body’s movement, and they also act as shock absorbers, Dr. Malek said. Chronic knee pain — as opposed to an acute injury, which may require surgery — can often be resolved through strengthening, Dr. Mehran said.
That’s especially true for two of the most common types of knee pain.
The first is patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner’s knee, which presents as pain at the front of the knee. The second, osteoarthritis-related knee pain, often occurs in people who are around age 50 or older and can frequently lead to discomfort and stiffness surrounding the entire knee joint.
Dan Giordano, a physical therapist in New York City who treated Ms. Berzok, added that it’s important to remember the hip muscles as well, since they play a significant role in reducing the strain on the knee joint.
Many of Dr. Mehran’s patients are in their 50s and 60s with chronic knee pain and want to avoid knee replacements, but their pain is limiting their activities and quality of life. He advises those patients to first try strength training, he said …
