The #1 Mistake for Bad Knees: Can Lack of Exercise Cause Knee Pain?

Exploring Why a Lack of Exercise Can Be Hard on Your Knees

Knees are complex joints. They are designed to bear weight, provide mobility, and offer flexibility. However, if we deprive them of regular activity, the repercussions can be profound.

A sedentary lifestyle, with long periods of inactivity, can compromise the strength, stability, and overall function of our knees. The outcome can be discomfort, pain, and a higher propensity for knee injury.

In this article, Dr. Marc Jacobchick helps to unpack the #1 mistake that makes bad knees worse – a lack of exercise.

The #1 Mistake That Makes Injured Knees Worse

Too often, individuals dismiss the initial signs of knee discomfort, attributing it to transient strains or mere aging. This mindset can be detrimental. 

“Many people, especially those in their 20s or 30s, tend to wait for a long time before seeking medical help,” Marc explains. “They assume the pain will just go away on its own. As time passes, the pain either persists or changes, and eventually, they realize the discomfort is significant enough to seek assistance.”

Such people carry an optimistic belief that pain will dissipate naturally. Yet, with time, these pains can evolve or persist. It’s only after enduring prolonged discomfort that they eventually seek medical intervention.

“By the time these individuals come to us, it’s often been months,” Marc says. “In some cases, even a year or two since they first felt the pain. They’ve been dealing with it all this time.”

Conversely, athletes, especially those gearing up for marathons or similar events, are usually more proactive. They’re driven by a vested interest in maintaining peak performance, which propels them to address any niggling sensations promptly. They understand that physical therapy can help.

Of course, the sooner you seek help, the easier repair and rehabilitation is – though, often, traditional medical advice is to rest a painful knee.

Should We Stop Exercising Completely When Experiencing Knee Pain?

When you visit your primary healthcare provider with knee complaints, you’re likely to receive cautionary advice. 

“You may be diagnosed with knee arthritis, a torn meniscus, or some other medical condition, and advised to avoid activities like squatting and lunging,” says Marc. “But it’s rarely this easy. While such advice might make sense for certain situations in the gym, it’s nearly impossible to completely avoid squatting and lunging in everyday life.”

It’s a nuanced issue. It’s crucial to ask if this advice is realistic in real life. The answer is almost always no. Everyday activities frequently involve these natural movements. Completely avoiding them isn’t just impractical, but can also impede daily function. 

“These movements are fundamental patterns that we use in our daily activities, such as standing up from a chair (squatting) or going up and down stairs (lunging),” Marc explains. “Avoiding these movements can severely limit what we can do in our daily lives. So instead of saying ‘avoid these movements’, we need to find a way to reintroduce them into our routine safely.”

The solution? Reintegrate these actions cautiously. Our focus isn’t to propel someone into painful exercises, hoping for the best. Instead, it’s about a tailored, functional evaluation to decode the root of the discomfort. Once we’ve figured this out, we adjust the movement’s intensity, ensuring it’s tolerable, and then, step by step, reclaim the movement’s full scope. The aim is holistic recuperation, underpinned by empowerment and self-assurance – and it’s crucial to properly set pain management goals.

“In summary, our approach is to look at the bigger picture and evaluate the individual’s capabilities rather than focusing on what they can’t do,” Marc says. “We aim to find ways to help them regain their ability to perform movements safely and effectively.”

The Devil Is In the Dosage

A prevailing myth is that once you have chronic pain, you are forever confined to a restricted lifestyle. Contrarily, engaging in rigorous exercises, when executed correctly, can often be the antidote.

“Many of our clients are astonished to discover that challenging exercises, executed with precision and understanding, can drastically alleviate their pain. It doesn’t follow conditioned thinking,” Marc says. “The devil is in the dosage.”

Understanding the correct ‘dosage’ or intensity for each individual is pivotal. 

“We may use simple exercises that everyone does, but our uniqueness lies in finding that sweet spot for each person,” Marc continues. “We make sure they understand the appropriate dosage so that they can practice the exercises on their own and make autonomous decisions about their approach to exercise.”

Equipped with this knowledge, individuals are empowered to practice independently, ensuring they approach exercise with confidence and wisdom – and are better able to achieve their physical therapy goals.

Are you suffering from knee pain? Have you received the traditional advice – to rest your knees – and found that this approach isn’t working?

Take the first step to full knee recovery. Book a comprehensive 90-minute body evaluation with Reload.