In middle age, many people often face a tricky problem: knee problems. Do you often find it difficult to stand up after sitting for a long time, knee pain when going up and down stairs, these symptoms may be a sign of insufficient strength in the butt muscles, affecting the normal movement of the legs and knees.
Studies have shown that the strength of the butt muscles is closely related to knee health. When the buttocks are underdeveloped or weakened, other parts of the body such as the lower back, knees, and ankles are put under more pressure, leading to pain and discomfort. This problem often occurs in people who are sedentary or aging. So, how can we improve our butt strength, reduce knee pressure, and maintain healthy legs and body in simple and effective ways in life?
First of all, let me share a little story with you, one day, 45-year-old Liu Qiang (pseudonym) was watching TV on the sofa at home and forgot the passage of time. Suddenly, he remembered that he was going to pick up his children from school, and when he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his knees, and he could barely support his weight. Liu Qiang frowned, thinking, "Why does your knee hurt so much? Could it be that you are old?" He tried to relieve the pain, but the discomfort in his knee stayed with him all day.
The next day, Liu Qiang felt that his knee was still uncomfortable, so he went to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor told him that the knee problem was probably due to the lack of hip muscles, because the butt muscles were not strong enough, causing too much pressure on other parts of the body, which in turn affected the health of the knee.
Liu Qiang began to realize that he usually sedentary for too long and rarely exercised, and his hip muscles may become loose and weak as a result. The doctor advised him to do some simple butt exercises every day to strengthen his hip muscles and reduce pressure on his knees.
So, Liu Qiang decided to change his lifestyle from now on. He does a few minutes of butt training every morning and evening, including seated leg raises and standing leg raises. At first, he felt a little strained, but after a few days, he began to feel the strength of his hip muscles and the pain in his knees lessened a lot.
Over time, Liu Qiang's life has changed in a positive way. He is no longer sedentary, but often gets up and moves. He fell in love with climbing stairs and used his hips to lift his legs every day instead of relying too much on his knees. In addition, he has adjusted his diet to increase his intake of high-quality protein and calcium foods to help his muscles recover and grow better.
Gluteal weakness can have a variety of effects on the body. First and foremost, the gluteal muscles are one of the important muscles that support the body's balance and posture. If the hip muscles are weak, it may lead to unstable body posture, increase the burden on the lumbar spine and knees, and easily cause problems such as low back pain and knee pain.
Secondly, gluteal weakness can also affect daily activities and exercise ability. For example, walking, running, climbing stairs and other actions require the coordination of the buttock muscles, if the gluteal muscles are weak, it will lead to the poor effect of these movements, and it is easy to have leg fatigue and weakness.
In addition, gluteal weakness can affect the stability of the pelvis. Weakened hip muscles can cause the pelvis to move forward or tilt, which in turn affects the alignment and stability of the spine, which can lead to lumbar spine problems and poor posture.
Gluteal weakness not only affects daily activities and exercise ability, but also may cause pain and discomfort in the lower back and knees, and even affect the overall body balance and posture.
Correct hip training in life is actually very simple, as long as you do a few small movements every day, you can effectively strengthen the hip muscles, reduce the pressure on the knees, and make the legs healthier.
Get rid of the bad habit of sitting for a long time. Sitting for long periods of time can cause your glute muscles to relax, so every 60 minutes of sitting, get up and move, either by walking a few steps or doing some simple standing exercises to help activate your glute muscles.
Second, climb the stairs appropriately. Climbing stairs is a good way to exercise the gluteal muscles, and it is necessary to use the hip joint to lift the leg to exert force, rather than using the knee joint or calf to exert force, which can effectively exercise the glute muscles.
Again, control your weight reasonably. The heavier the weight, the more weight the knee needs to bear, which is easy to accelerate knee deterioration. Maintaining a proper weight reduces stress on your knees and is also beneficial for the health of your hip muscles.
Also, pay attention to the height of the chair. The height of the chair should be 1 cm lower than the knee, so that the knee joint is just flexed at 90 degrees, which can avoid lengthening the gluteus maximus and help protect the knee and hip muscles.
In addition, the diet should also pay attention to nutritional balance. Meat, eggs and milk are great sources of high-quality protein that should be supplemented as you age, as well as calcium and vitamin D, which are important for muscle and bone health, can be increased appropriately.
Finally, do exercises that strengthen your hip muscles. For example, sitting leg raises and standing leg raises, lifting the leg slowly and forcefully, holding it for 15 seconds and then slowly lowering it, can effectively exercise the hip muscles and reduce the pressure on the knee.
In addition to working your glute muscles, there are other simple and effective ways to help reduce pressure on your knees and make your legs healthier.
Care should be taken to avoid standing or walking for long periods of time. Standing or walking for long periods of time can put too much pressure on the knee joint, which can easily lead to pain and discomfort. You can take a break at the right time to relieve the burden on your knees.
Secondly, it is important to choose the right shoes. Wearing the right shoes can provide good support and cushioning, reducing impact and pressure on the knees. Avoid wearing shoes that are too tall or too hard, especially if walking for long periods of time.
Finally, regular moderate exercise can also help protect your knee joints. Choosing an exercise that works for you, such as swimming, cycling or yoga, can strengthen your muscles, improve joint flexibility, and reduce the load and strain on your knees.
Through these simple methods and precautions, you can effectively reduce the pressure on your knees and protect the health of your leg joints.