Working out at home without supervision and proper equipment has its perils. And one of the most common complaints of people of all age groups exercising at home is knee pain – Monojit Ghosh – Monojit Ghosh is a former national level gymnast and fitness trainer/coach at Art Corner Gymnastics, Bengaluru Although under Unlock 4.0 the Central government has allowed the reopening of gyms and fitness centres, most people are hesitant about visiting them, preferring to exercise indoors at home. Living room hops, skips and jumps and spot running are all great ways to keep fit. But working out at home without supervision and proper equipment has its perils. For instance, most people are unaware that exercising on a hard floor tends to cause pain in the heels and knees. Indeed, the most common complaint I hear from adults as well as adolescents exercising at home is: knee pain. “The knee is one of the largest and most used joints of the body. It is the immediate and most important connection between the ankles and hips. While ankles and feet are the first-level contact of any stress, the knee joints are force dissipaters,” says Dr. Lavanya P. Kumar, sports scientist and physiotherapist at the RNR FIT-Gymnastics Academy, Bengaluru. According to Dr. Kumar, when the knee joints are subjected to stress and strain over a period of time, it results in wear and tear of the cartilage surrounding the bony structures, femur, tibia and patella. This in turn leads to early degeneration or a type of arthritis of the cartilage around the articulating surfaces of femur and tibia. “Sometimes, the cause of knee pain can also be tightness of the muscles that attach to the bones near the articulating surface. When these muscles pull on the attachment, there can be sharp knee pain that can limit us from performing our daily activities,” says Dr. Kumar. Knee pain afflicts people of all ages. However, children and adults who are physically active such as athletes and fitness enthusiasts as well as the overweight and obese are more prone to experiencing knee pain. Teens and preteens are also susceptible to knee pain because of overuse, an imbalance in muscle strength and flexibility, and growth-related diseases. Another likely cause of knee pain is excessive exercise and improper exercise techniques. For instance, sudden twists, inappropriate or failed attempts in landing on the ground during a workout exercise can cause nasty injuries such as knee dislocation, ligament tears, fractures, and bone bruises. Exercises such as running and jumping most often cause general knee pain. Dr. Kumar advises children and adults experiencing knee pain to do a simple test exercise to ascertain if it’s an inflammation or structural damage. “If you are able to extend your knees straight without pain, it’s an inflammation. It’s structural damage if it hurts and the knees are visibly swollen or you are not able to get into a squatting position with your knees at 90-degree angles,” explains Kumar. Preventing knee pain/injury Maintain…
