How to protect knee joints during long-distance running

Long-distance running is a national sport that has been warmly welcomed by many friends. Long-distance running can improve the body's immunity, promote blood circulation, and has a good effect on weight loss. However, we need to pay attention to the fact that the body will be exhausted during long-distance running and it is easy to get injured. Protecting the knee joint is the most critical. So how can we protect the knee joint effectively during long-distance running?

Paying attention to fitness maintenance after exercise is indeed something that needs to be taken seriously. For people who run frequently, the most active way to protect the knee joints is to practice the "small half squat". Neither warm-up exercises nor relaxation exercises can replace the "small half squat" exercise. If long-distance running is mainly for exercising bones and muscles of the legs, then the "small half squat" is a good way to exercise ligaments; if long-distance running is an active exercise for the body, then the "small half squat" is a proactive maintenance.

If you run 4-5 times a week, you don’t have to do the “small half squat” every time after running. You can set aside some time each week to do it 2-3 times, or you can do it only once a week. It depends on how you feel and the effect. Do more if you have time, and do less if you don’t have time. The "small half squat" is actually very simple. It focuses mainly on the duration of endurance and the cultivation of self-sustaining mentality during the practice time.

The specific content and method of "small half squat" are as follows:

Small half squat

Put your hands on your hips, feet forward, and leave a 10 cm gap between your feet, the distance of a fist. When you squat, the knee joint is also at the distance of a fist, and the height is reduced by ten centimeters. The main performance is bending the legs, sinking the hips, and keeping the back upright. Hold it still, and do it for 10-30 minutes each time. Be sure to keep your body's center of gravity on the forefoot at all times. This will help you to have better balance and to be able to hold on longer. If you are too tired in the middle of the process, stand up and rest for a while, then squat down again.

After finishing the half squat, stand up straight and put your feet together, overlap your hands on your navel (men should put their left hand on their navel, women should do the opposite), and rest for a while. This move is mainly used to calm the mind, gather energy and stabilize the mentality.

Don't underestimate this little half squat, it plays a very important role. The lubricating fluid produced by the continuous stimulation of the knee ligaments can first lubricate the joints, secondly nourish the joints, and most importantly, it can also repair the joints during the process.

Therefore, this small half squat will put very little muscle load on improving the quality of the ligaments around the knee joint, but this movement must be maintained for a long time. When doing this movement, the ligaments of the joint are exerting force, and this force and muscle are two different concepts. Ligament stimulation requires to be maintained for a certain period of time, so it must be at least 10 minutes, and preferably more than half an hour.

What we need to pay attention to during long-distance running is to protect the knee joints and knees. First of all, take normal care of the knees during long-distance running, do sufficient warm-up exercises during long-distance running, and it is best to wait half an hour after a meal before long-distance running to avoid abdominal pain and bloating due to violent gastrointestinal movements during long-distance running.