Five ways to prevent knee pain when hiking downhill
It’s that time of year again. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, goslings are milling about, the sun is shining…spring is here! For a lot of us, that means that hiking season is right around the corner! 🎉
Knee pain while hiking downhill is one of the most common hiking-related injuries that we treat here at Upward. If you’ve had knee pain while hiking downhill in the past or want to prevent it in the future, check out this short list of tips that will be sure to keep that knee pain away and have you hitting those trails hard this season!
Ramp up: If it’s been a while since you last hiked, make sure to start back up nice and easy. It’s always good to start off the season with easier hikes, and then week by week ramp up mileage and elevation as your body feels able. In this way, you can ensure that your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system have adequate time to condition to the activity. By doing so, you greatly decrease your risk of pain while hiking downhill.
Leg alignment: Keeping your legs in a good neutral alignment while hiking can also greatly reduce your risk of developing knee pain while hiking downhill. When we hike, we are taking thousands of steps, and if your knee alignment is poor, those little irritations with each step can add up during the hike and result in knee pain. Try to keep your knees in line with your hips and your ankles vertically (not moving in towards each other!), and make sure you lean your chest forward over your knee as you step down. This will ensure that your knee joint is in proper alignment and that there is less torque going through the joints of your knee.
Use poles: Hiking poles can be a great way to unload your knees and improve stability while hiking downhill. You’ll be able to use your arms to help to slow down your momentum as you descend and in doing so, unload your legs and your knees a bit. Poles will also help to improve your stability, which allows you to keep your knees in better alignment as you hike.
Cross training: Keeping your muscles strong before, throughout, and after hiking season is key to injury prevention! The big muscle groups that help to support your knees are your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core, so make sure to include exercises that target all of those areas. Because hiking requires a lot of single leg stability, it is always good to incorporate some balance training and single leg strengthening exercises as well. We recommend doing strength training at least 2-3 times a week for 30-45 minutes. (Need a little help with your strength training routine? We specialize in one-on-one and group coaching for this specific purpose! Email us to learn more!)
Stretching: Hiking requires good mobility and flexibility, which is why stretching is so important for injury prevention. We recommend doing dynamic stretching before hiking and then static stretching at the end of a hike to warm up/cool down. We also recommend doing at least 10-15 minutes of stretching 3-4 times per week.
Feel free to reach out with any questions about knee pain while hiking, hike training, or PT for hiking injuries!
