Your legs were designed to be used in certain ways.  But, lots of times, for all kinds of reasons, we “forget” how we used to climb stairs.  Sometimes, we just “clomp” along, with flat feet.  We “pull” ourselves up, using the handrail.

Sometimes we make our poor knees do all of the work.  Uh oh, not good.

If you learn how to use your legs as they were designed to be used, they will become stronger and feel better.

By the way, if you cannot do this because you have too much knee pain, here are a few tips just for you.

1)  Walk down the stairs backward, while you hold the hand rail.  This uses different leg muscles and might make going down stairs much easier for you.

(2)  Begin a walking program.  Walking properly will strengthen your legs.  Check this article about walking for knee pain.

(3)  Keep reading, because simply knowing the proper way to use your legs and feet might help you immensely!

All you need for getting stronger legs by climbing stairs is…a staircase!  And, your willingness to try.

Here is the technique.

Place one foot on a stair, but don’t pull yourself up with handrail, and don’t lift your body with your knees, and don’t let your feet be flat boards.  There, we got all the “don’ts” out of the way.

Here are the DO’s.

(1)  Do use your feet to raise your body.

(2)  When your foot is on a step, raise your heel.

(3)  Feel your calf muscles work.

Now, only your toe is supporting you on the stair.

If you have to use the handrail or wall for support that’s okay.  But, no pulling yourself on allowed.

(4)  Take a step to the next stair and repeat.  Use your calf muscles and feet to lift yourself up the stairs.

When you use your calves and feet, as they were designed to be used, there is much less stress on your knees.  You will have less leg and knee pain.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”

I remembered working with a man who had severe damage to both knees.  He told me he could walk without pain, even on stairs, as long as he kept the muscles around his knees strong.  He did this with machine weight training.

I thought about him, and decided maybe I could strengthen my legs by walking.

So I began my “serious” walking program, and I have noticed lots of benefits already.  Several are benefits that I wasn’t quite expecting and am very pleased with.

I would have said before that I “walked,” but really, it was more like strolling, stopping to smell the flowers on the way.

So I decided I had better get serious.

I started walking as fast as I could while still able to breathe and talk.  In time, I could walk even farther and faster, with fewer breaks.

I already knew how to let my arms swing from my shoulders (thumbs forward, like shaking hands) and to hold my chest high.  I knew how to “roll” my foot from heel to toe.

So, off I went.

When I started just three weeks ago I had several reasons for walking.

• I’m going on a hiking trip and wanted to be able to easily keep up.
• I wanted to strengthen my heart with aerobic activity, but I hate bouncing around.
• My doctor asks me, “What are you doing for aerobic exercise?”  I always tell her I do massage all day long, but she doesn’t buy it.
• I wanted to drop a few pounds.

But, most importantly,

• I wanted my knees to have less discomfort.  I noticed they were starting to be painful and creaky when moving to a standing position from a seat.
• One day I realized my knees weren’t quite “working right” when I wanted to get up from the floor.  I wanted to; they didn’t.  I didn’t like that, either.

Here are the benefits I have already received from my walking program.

• My legs feel stronger (and they were already strong.)
• My knees have no discomfort.  It is much easier to stand from a seated position.  In fact, it’s just plain easy again.
• My back is stronger and straighter.  (I didn’t expect this benefit.  I am sure that it was caused by the proper arm movement during walking.)  This is a big benefit when sitting, standing and working.
• Stairs are easier, too.
• Of course, I also feel more energetic.

I know there are a lot of different causes for knee pain.  I also know that, most of the time, pain in the legs and knees is caused by a muscular imbalance.

Walking can help correct your muscular imbalance.

And, if overweight is part of the cause for your knee (hip and ankle) pain, then walking will be doubly beneficial for you.

Here’s an example.

I met a woman in her thirties who had lost a couple of hundred pounds by walking.  She told me she did not change her diet at all!  When she first began walking, she could go only 6 houses down the street.  Eventually she could go around the block, then farther and farther.  By the time I met her, she was normal weight and race-walking.

So there you have it, and I have faith in you that you can do it.  For more help, go to http://www.SimplePainRelief.com

“Because You Deserve to Feel Better!”

We were built for movement and when we don’t move enough – when we spend too much time in a chair or car – our leg muscles get out of balance and lose strength.  Balance and strength occur when we use our legs. When we use our legs, and they are strong, we feel stable instead of weak.

When your legs are out of balance – some muscles are weaker than others – then you get aches and pains in your legs.  When your muscles are out of balance, they pull on the bones in a different way than they are supposed to.  This causes arthritis.

Some savvy doctors recommend that their older patients take tai chi classes.  Tai chi (pronounced ti-chee) is done standing, and the people who practice it develop strong legs and good balance.

Here’s a simple strengthening movement that you can do at home or anywhere.

Stand near a piece of furniture, like the back of a chair.  Stand close enough so that you can use the chair back as a support for one hand, if you need it.  (And you will probably need it until your balance improves.)

Lift one foot off the ground, and tuck it behind your other calf.

Let go of the chair and try to balance on the foot that is still on the floor.

Keep your hand very close to the chair back in case you need to support yourself.

While you are balancing on one foot, you are using all of the muscles in that foot and leg.  You will notice that the pressure in your foot moves from front to back and side to side.  Your body is trying to keep its’ balance.

Standing on one foot and balancing like this actually relaxes all of the muscles in your foot and leg, because all of the muscles are being used.  You are creating and achieving muscular balance!

Try to balance for one minute.  When you start to become better at balancing, you can do two minutes or more.

When you are done with your first leg, then practice balancing on your other foot.

An interesting side effect occurs, and it is a good one!  Your legs will be less achey.  They will feel refreshed.  Why?  Because you are using all of your leg muscles, and your body likes that.

Use this new skill to strengthen your legs and get rid of weak and achey legs.  Find more help at http://www.SimplePainRelief.com

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

Well, maybe.  Maybe not.

We all have changes in our bones and joints that show up on x-rays.  Do we all have pain?

No.

But when a doctor can see something that could be the cause of pain, they usually figure that it is the cause.

“Oh, you just have arthritis.  You will have to live with it.”

Well, maybe.  Maybe not.

Large powerful muscles pass over our hip joint.  These muscles allow us to move our leg.  The hip joint occurs where our thigh bones connect to our pelvic bones.

Those large muscles can get overstretched from crossed-leg positions, overstressed from pressure like sleeping on our sides or car seats pressing on them, or tight from overuse or overstretch.

Your plan is to get back into balance and out of pain.

There are four sides to your hip joint.  Front of your leg, back of your leg, inside of your thigh and outer side of your thigh.  The outside of your thigh–your hip joint–is likely where you feel your pain.

Here’s the plan of attack.

(Please note:  Do and observe these moves thoughtfully, being aware of how your muscles are feeling.  Pay attention to how you feel afterward, too.)

1.  Standing in a secure position, lift your leg, with your knee bent, in front of you.  Does that cause you pain in your hip joint?  If so, your gluteal muscles (butt) may be tight.  Those large, powerful muscles need stretching or therapeutic massage to release them.

2.  Same position, lift your leg behind you.  Does that cause pain?  Your front thigh muscles are probably tight.  You may need to spend more time stretching your leg back like this, in a gentle and controlled manner, like a dancer.

3.  Lift your leg out to the side.  Did that movement cause pain?  The outside thigh muscles may need strengthening.  Just lift in the same way or lay in bed on your other side and lift your bent knee toward the ceiling–just a few inches.  You will feel those muscles contract and strengthen.

4.  Move your leg across the mid-line of your body.  Any pain?  Well, then, don’t do it and if you’re in the habit of crossing your leg, try to eliminate that habit.  You have probably overstretched your hip muscles.

5.  Lay on your back and let your bent knee slowly drop off to the side, away from your body.  What is the sensation in your upper inside thigh?  Is there tightness?  You may feel a direct relationship between the pain in your hip and your inner thigh muscles.  If you do, this is a move for you which will help release that hip pain. Use gentle, controlled stretches for just two seconds, back to neutral, and then another two second stretch.  Repeat several times.

Moves #3 and #5 are often the cure for hip pain.  It may take only several days of movement to relieve your hip pain.  Try and see!

Being your own doctor and physical therapist takes some work, but is well worth it.

You can avoid pain medicines and sometimes surgeries by not just having “arthritis.”  Find more help at http://www.SimplePainRelief and http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

1.  Strong shin muscles create balance between your strong calves and the front of your lower leg.

2.  They help prevent charley-horses, or cramps, in your calves.

3.   They help create balanced posture.  A balanced body has less pain.

4.   And, I can’t say for sure, but it might even help prevent shin splints (a painful condition from overuse.)

It is so easy to get strong shin muscles.

Sit, stand or lay down.  Lift your toes up.  Lift them closer to the front of your knee.

Imagine you are trying to touch the tips of your toes to your nose.  Make the movement from your ankle.

Move your ankle and your toes at the same time.  You are lengthening your calf muscles at the same time you are making stronger shin muscles.

And you are creating balance.

Balance is good.  It will help you feel better!

Find more help at http://www.CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com and http://www.SimplePainRelief.com.