Why does knee pain occur when climbing mountains?

Now the air in cities is getting worse and worse. On weekends or holidays, many people go to the suburbs to breathe fresh air. Some people choose to go hiking to immerse themselves in nature and release the pressure of living and working in the city. They can’t exercise well on weekdays, so they wait to go hiking in the suburbs on weekends to stretch their muscles. Now the problem comes. Some people have knee pain after climbing. What’s going on? Is there any good way to climb mountains?

Many people who climb mountains, especially when going down a mountain, consciously or unconsciously put their entire body weight on their knee joints, causing the thigh bone and calf bone to collide directly at the knee joint. Relying on the hard-to-hard knee joints to instantly dissipate gravity and brake can save energy. However, over time, the knee area becomes particularly susceptible to injury.

Not using the knees means not allowing gravity to be completely dissipated instantly at the knee joint, nor relying entirely on the bones of the knee joint for rigid braking. Instead, the thigh and calf muscles are used to disperse gravity and brake. Distribute the strength evenly among the leg muscles, use the muscles to control the speed of descent, starting, and braking, consciously use the muscles to support the body weight, and use the mind to strongly focus on muscle movement to greatly reduce the gravity that the knee joint is impacted with.

The specific method is: when walking, especially when going downhill, do not straighten your legs completely, but leave a little bend, so that your legs are like a spring. When walking, you should be flexible and light, and the outside and forefoot of the foot should touch the ground (professionally trained athletes know this). The heel only serves to stabilize balance and control direction.

This requires good leg muscles. Generally speaking, people who suffer knee injuries from walking too much in the mountains mostly have underdeveloped leg muscles and lack strength. It is not difficult to strengthen leg muscles. First, you can do moderate equipment training. Second, you can strengthen them through squats, high leg raises and other training. Of course, every time you climb a mountain, pay attention to changing your habits, walking flexibly, and letting your body follow the flexion and extension of your legs, which will gradually make your leg muscles stronger.

The above content tells us why knee pain occurs when climbing mountains, and also describes a good climbing method. You can try it in future trips. Of course, this method is not effective for everyone. If you have severe knee pain after climbing mountains, you still need to go to the hospital for corresponding examinations to avoid serious knee injuries. Going out for a trip to the suburbs is a good thing, but you must also do what you can and try your best to protect your body.