Adventurous trips are one of the best things to do when you want to relax mentally and physically. Hiking is undoubtedly fun, but it is also exhausting, especially when it comes to your knees. Those who have been hiking for a long time know that painful knees can not only ruin your body but mind as well. You can take care of your knees by following some preventive measures for keeping your knees happy and pain-free.

Why Do your knees hurt?

Painful knees are not only a problem for new hikers but can also affect the experienced among us. If your knees start to hurt they can cut short a hiking trip leaving you and your fellow hikers disheartened. The reason they hurt when you hike is because of the weight you carry while walking. The level of pain is varied depending on the track you take.

Take care when you hit an incline–

A lot of people depend on muscles of the front body like quadriceps and hip flexors to hike, rather than on the calves and hamstrings. This generally happens as the calves and hamstring muscles are weaker. Even if you don’t want it to the weight would fall on the quadriceps and knee tracks causing wear and tear on the cartilage.

You can solve this issue to keeping your knee and shin vertical to the ground while hiking. This allows your calf muscles to bear the weight. Always make sure that you keep your feet and heels flat on the ground, rather than walking with the toes.

Take care when you hit a decline –

While coming back from the hike, keep your knees protected by walking in the following way. The lower elevation walk seems like a steep and long walk that makes you feel like running. Sometimes the road might be rocky and feel unsteady. The most important thing is to sit back and relax. This allows your body weight to disperse when the foot hits the ground. Do not walk straight with extended legs, walk in a zig-zag manner as it helps in decreasing the amount of pressure put on your knees.

Prepare to protect your knees –

Use appropriate gear to keep your knees safe during the hike as this helps in releasing your knees from stress and keeps you moving. Gear like compression knee socks, the right hiking boots, trekking poles and supportive knee braces are ideal to pack before starting the trek.

Give extra care and protection to your knees so that they can heal in time after a long and tiresome hike. Unnecessary activity after a tiresome journey can cause physical exertion and tighten the muscles leading to serious injury. Take precautionary steps to have a safe and happy hiking experience.