The Best Way to Keep Your Knees Healthy Is to Use Them

Ellen O'Brien
·5 min read

Michael Houtz; Getty Images

Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or a novice weightlifter, you’ve likely heard concern that your workout will damage your knees. But these complex joints aren’t as fragile as you (or your mother or coworkers) may believe, and the truth is, to build strong knees, you have to use them.

Here, we asked the experts to break down some of the common myths when it comes to the health of your knees—and suggest what to focus on instead.

Stop Overthinking the Squat

As a child, you likely moved through the world without stressing about your form. You simply popped into a squat. But as an adult, you may sink into that same position cautiously, afraid of letting your knees go past your toes. That’s not necessarily the way to build stronger knees.

While you shouldn’t force your body into a squat, if it’s comfortable to let your knees extend beyond your toes, that’s perfectly OK, says Kate Forman, a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. Still skeptical? Forman says to think about what a yoga squat looks like. In this position, your knees go beyond your ankles. Without letting them do this, you wouldn’t be able to sit low. The same idea applies for gaining depth while strength training.

Howard Luks, MD, an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon, agrees. “You can squat your knees over your toes all you want,” he says. Rather than focusing on the position of your knees, he suggests thinking about the basic mechanics of the exercise, such as keeping your core engaged and back neutral. (Nailing this motion will help you perform everyday tasks, such as picking things up off the ground or going from a seated to a standing position, even as you age.)

Why You Should (Sometimes) Push Through the Pain

If you’ve ever experienced a serious sports injury, you can likely recall the moment in vivid detail. The noise of the rip or tear (and your subsequent reaction) may even continue to haunt you. But most sports-related aches and pain aren’t those dramatic falling-to-the-ground moments, and shouldn’t be treated as such. Skipping your run in the name of preserving your long-term joint health isn’t always the answer.

For example, you may notice some swelling or pain in your knee after running, lifting, or cycling. Dr. Luks says this type of pain isn’t the beginning of the end, as many tend to assume. Sure, something annoyed your knee, but that’s the natural response of the joint. “Pain is not always a protection mechanism,” he says. “It’s not always meant to imply that you’re going to harm yourself if you push past it.”

The majority of these types of swelling issues aren’t because of a mechanical issue in your joints, he says, but rather mild arthritis. So, instead of telling you to hit the couch, Dr. Luks prefers to work through any potential discomfort by managing your exercise dose. For example, if you’re clocking five-mile runs at a 8-minute pace, consider scaling back to three-mile jogs at a 10-minute pace. On the other hand, stopping the workout regimen entirely can make the problem worse.

“Our knees are not fragile,” he says, pointing out that, if they were, arthritis-related injuries from running or playing a sport would be much higher. “Just look at all the professional soccer players out there. If their knees were at risk or fragile, they’d have a team roster of 100.”

Many aches and pains even benefit from more movement, he says, noting that one of the most effective ways to manage arthritic knee pain is walking. Recent research backs this up. A 2022 study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology of people with knee osteoarthritis found that participants who walked for exercise reported having less knee pain compared to those who didn’t. Building strength is also key. A 2023 review published in Skeletal Radiology found that a lack of strength in knee extensors and flexors increased the risk of worsening osteoarthritis in participants who had or were at risk for the joint disease.

How to Properly Work Your Knees

Caring for your knees isn’t complicated. You simply have to use them by integrating regular movement into your routine. Our experts offered these tips:

  • Make it a routine: “Prioritize consistency over intensity,” Dr. Luks says. A harder workout isn’t necessarily better if it’s leading to you spending the subsequent days lying on the couch.

  • Don’t stress about switching things up: It’s OK if you’re not varying your workout every week. In fact, your knees may thank you if you keep in consistent: “Those joints will get more cranky if you show them something new, or if you show them something more intense than what they’re used to,” Dr. Luks says.

  • Work your whole body: The knee exists in the context of your entire physical body. Oftentimes, mobility restrictions in your ankles or hips will present themselves in your knees, Forman says. So work your knees, but focus on strengthening your glutes, ankles, and hips at the same time.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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