Forward-collapsed posture causes pain and dysfunction.  That’s why you want to have a strong core.

But what if you can’t or don’t want to do sit-ups?  Well, just don’t then.

Here’s something even easier and it’s a great way to get started strengthening your core muscles easily.

And in bed, even.

Lay on your back.  Make yourself as flat as possible.  If you need a small neck or head support, use one.  If you don’t need one, that’s even better.

Stretch your arms over your head, as far as you can without discomfort.

Stretch your heels as far as you can.

Imagine someone is pulling on your heels and your hands and stretching you.  What does that feel like?  Do it!

And hold in your belly while you stretch.

Be long and be strong. 

This movement will help you strengthen your core muscles.  It will help you stand taller and feel better.

Here’s why you should strengthen your back and neck:

• A weak back hurts. A strong back helps hold you upright and avoids pain.
• When the muscles in the front of your neck are stronger than the back neck muscles your head goes forward.  A ‘forward head’ causes upper back pain and muscle strain.

Here’s how you can strengthen your upper back and neck muscles:

This is so easy–you can do it in bed.  When you are lying flat on your back you are in pretty neutral posture; your head is about where it should be and you don’t have to think about your posture. It’s easier to get strong muscles in your back and neck when gravity isn’t pulling you forward.

If you need a small neck roll to support your neck in a natural curve, that’s fine.

If you need a small flat pillow or folded hand towel behind your head to avoid neck strain, that’s fine, too.  Maybe at a later date you will discover that you don’t need to prop your head as much.

1.  Squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine.  Hold for several seconds.  f you can’t do it then just pretend you are doing it.  Your body will start to remember after a while.  This helps strengthen the muscles in your upper back.

2.  Position your head in the most comfortable position, as close to neutral as possible.  Gently press your neck into the mattress.  GENTLY!  Hold for several seconds.  This activates the muscles in the back of your neck and strengthens them.

Always do these movements thoughtfully, slowly and gently.  This isn’t a race.  Strength will come over time.

Note:  Always start slowly!  Do just a couple of times the first and second days.  Then you can add one or two more movements each day.  If you do too many too soon you will have soreness just because the muscles are doing something they haven’t done in a while.

But it’s a very good way to strengthen the muscles in your neck and upper back easily and painlessly.

That may sound way too simple but bodies are logical.  Things happen for reasons.

One of the most common reasons for knots is using your hands in front of your body (something that we do a lot!) and having weak back muscles.  The back muscles cannot hold their own if they are weaker than your front-body muscles and they get stretched and strained.  They get knots.

How can you get rid of these muscle knots?

1.  Stretch and lengthen the muscles in the front of your body.  There are lots of articles right here at SimpleStrengthening.com  with directions.

2.  Strengthen your back muscles.  <– click that link to find my video program with easy directions for getting rid of knots and strengthening your back.

And you can find lots more information about the causes of muscle knots and how to get rid of them naturally  if you go to http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com

Well, maybe.  But quite probably not.

Some things are hard on knees.  And when knees aren’t happy they complain.  It’s not just pain or stiffness–it’s an actual complaint!  They are yelling at you:  “Hey!  Help me!  I’m not happy!”

Here are some of the most common things that are hard on knees.

*  Twisting is hard on knees.  So are abrupt stops.  This sounds a lot like basketball and football as I have observed it.  However, a basketball player could still keep throwing the ball.  Stretching and throwing overhead are really good for the upper body and heart.

*  Running is hard on knees because of the pounding.  That’s why walking helps–it uses all of the leg muscles without the jarring movements that usually accompany running.

*  If your vehicle seat is high, that’s very good for your knee pain when getting out.  But you may have to think about how you get in if it’s really tall.  The goal is to keep your knees at a 90 degree angle or more open.  Could you back onto your seat first and then lift your legs in?  Perhaps you can ‘plant’ your feet getting in and out in a way that avoids twisting your legs, back or knees?

*  If your car seat is very low, it makes your knees work harder trying to get you up.  You might be able to lift your seat to a more neutral position by sitting on a cushion.

*  Strengthen your leg muscles.  Don’t forget the hamstrings!  You also have muscles on the inner side and outer side of your thighs.  But you want soft, relaxed calves so don’t pay too much attention to them.

*  Do you need arch supports?  If you have flat feet that is hard on knees because flat feet create angles in knees rather than allowing them to track normally.  Running shoe stores usually sell good, firm orthotics for runners and anyone can use them.

Here’s the recap and a little bit more:

1.  No twisting-turning at the knees.  Keep your feet pointing in the direction you want to move.  When I was 30, I thought I would need knee replacements.  One day it dawned on me that I was twisting from sink to dishwasher…at the knees!  So I stopped doing that and the knee pain went away.

2.  Strengthen <em>all </em>of the leg muscles except for calves.   You can do this when you are watching television or at a desk.  Just lift your lower leg.  That will strengthen your front thigh muscles.  And when you stand up, lift one foot behind you, heel toward your buttock.  That strengthens the back of your thigh.

3.  Flat feet?  Get good arch supports.

4.  Ice is great therapy.  Use cold packs around your knees whenever you are resting or even in bed.  I’m talking often!  Daily!  At <em>least </em>once a day.  Twenty minutes on/twenty off.

5.  If you are overweight it causes pressure on knees.  Losing just ten pounds will make a difference.

6.  Watch your posture when sitting and standing.  Lift your breastbone and the crown of your head.

7.  Avoid sitting with your feet tucked under you or tucked under your chair.

8.  If your favorite chair or couch makes you work to get up, make it higher with pillows.  If you push yourself up with your hands, either the chair is too low or your legs are weak.  We need strong legs.

9.  When you walk for exercise (which is also fun) make sure to roll your foot from heel, through mid-foot and push off with your toes.  Swing your arms at your sides with thumbs facing forward.  Use Nordic walking sticks if you wish.

10.  Examine the muscles around your knees, looking for tender areas.  Warm them by rubbing, pressing and massaging.  See if you can follow the tender spots to other tender spots.  Massage is great natural therapy!

Here’s the deal:  <em>Bodies heal all the time!</em>

Replace movements that hurt with more knee-friendly neutral-movement activities.  Give your knees a chance to heal.  It make take a few months and lots of adjustments to things you are used to.

Whenever you feel an ouch, pay attention to the movement that just caused it.  Change the movement.

Remember,  bodies heal all the time.  Pain is a complaint.  Your knees are saying they need some care and attention from you right now.  That’s why they are complaining:  They want help.

Walking is an excellent exercise for knees.  Would you like to learn more about walking without pain?  Just click here –>  http://WalkingSmart.com  and claim the free report that will help you start walking and getting rid of your knee pain naturally today.

Muscles in your lower legs attach to your thighs and muscles in your upper legs attach to your lower legs.

Your knees are stuck right in the middle of all of these muscles and guess what!

Muscles are the most common cause of knee pain or any other type of pain.

Sometimes injuries cause knee pain.  Here’s some information about that:

Knee pain can be caused by injury to the ligaments that attach bones to other bones.  Sometimes they require surgery to repair.  Ligaments are dense, tough tissue without much blood supply so they heal slowly but my understanding is that if it is not completely torn from the bone a ligament can heal over time.  Lots of time.

Knee injury can also cause damage to tendons.  Tendons are the ends of muscles that attach to bones.  Like ligaments, they are also tough tissue that takes a long time to heal.  If a tendon totally detaches from the bone it is supposed to attach to, it can create instability in a joint.

But lets assume that you do NOT have a knee injury–you haven’t fallen or been in an accident.  But you DO have knee pain.

Why?

And what can you do to get rid of that nagging knee pain and start doing the things you’d like to do?

Lots of times the doctor will say pain in your knees is from ‘old age’ or ‘arthritis.’  Maybe it is but usually that means the doctor doesn’t really know why you have pain.  Those are catch-all diagnoses.  Kind of like Old Wives Tales.  They don’t teach muscles much in med school.

This may be the real reason:  Muscle imbalance in your legs.

Muscle imbalance means that some muscles are a bit ‘too tight’ and some are a bit ‘too weak.’  This happens from using some muscles too much and some too little.

We have over 600 muscles.  Unfortunately, lots of times we get in habits or positions which use only 60 or so muscles on a regular basis.

But we were born to move!  We are supposed to be using ALL of our muscles on a regular basis.

I know a man who had ligament damage in both knees from injuries.  But as long as he kept his leg muscles strong he had little discomfort and could even walk stairs with no pain.

You can see where I’m going with this, right? 

It may not be comfortable at first but you have to start using your leg muscles again.  They don’t have to be big movements right off the bat.  Little movements are just fine to help your leg muscles remember how they used to move–how they are supposed to move.

I’d like to tell you about my friend, Rosalie.  She didn’t have knee pain but she had hip pain.  She couldn’t even walk up her stairs.  She had to crawl like a puppy. 

But she got better!  Her legs got stronger!  Now she’s a heck of a walker and it’s all because she took the first steps to walking.  She took baby steps.

And you can get better, too!  But you have to start moving.

You have to take those baby steps.

Are you sitting on the couch or at the computer?  How about doing some circles with your feet? (Uses all the muscles in your lower leg.)  How about lifting your lower leg with your toes curled toward your nose?  (That strengthens your shin muscles.)

Or when you are standing at the sink how about lifting one foot at a time behind you?  The weight of your lower leg is all the weight you need to start building strength in your thigh.

Or maybe you could march in place?  Hold the wall if you need support.  It’s okay.

Do your knees hurt when you walk up the stairs?  Use your calf muscles.  Push up from your toes.

Does it hurt to walk down the stairs?   Hold the handrail and walk backwards.  (That uses your leg muscles in a different way.)

 The idea is…get moving.  Help your muscles wake up and let them feel useful and happy again.

These little steps can help you get on the road to bigger and bigger steps and pretty soon, know what?  You will notice less and less pain in your knees.

And walking is a great way to strengthen your leg muscles.  Remember Rosalie?  That’s what she did and that’s how she got rid of her hip pain and the neuropathy (numbness) in her feet and increased her lung capacity!  (Her pulmonary doctor was amazed about that!)

I’d like to invite you to discover how to walk without pain (<– click here) like Rosalie did so you can have strong legs, too.  Strong leg muscles take the pressure off knees.  They work so your knee joint doesn’t have to.

By strengthening your upper and lower legs there’s a great chance that you can get rid of your knee pain naturally!

Joint pain, too?  Yes.  Often we think it’s the joint when it’s actually muscle pain.  So these three ways will help your joints feel better, also.

If you don’t move enough–too little–your leg muscles will start to get weak and unhappy.  They won’t be able to support and move you.

If you move too much there is a good chance that you are only using some of your muscles too much.  If you do the same movements over and over without making sure that all of the muscles in your legs are being strengthened, that makes your leg muscles ‘out of balance’ and they start causing pain.

1.  Start using ALL of the muscles of your legs.  The easiest way I know to do this is to walk.  (Click here ->> to get my free walking report.)  The next easiest way is to exercise in water.  Water acts as resistance and helps strengthen your leg muscles.  Do scissors kicks and regular kicks and even just bob.  Whatever you can do will help strengthen your legs and that is what will help get rid of your muscle pain.

2.  Have a massage.  A skilled massage therapist can relax the muscles from your feet to your lower back.  He or she can knead the muscles that are ‘too tight’ to help them relax and help tone the muscles that are a bit too weak.  You may be surprised to discover that your gluteal muscles–your buttocks–have a lot of tender places.  Those tender areas can cause aches and pains in your legs.

3.  Be sure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet.  Your muscles need lots of nutrients–minerals, specifically–to function their best.  Calcium, magnesium and potassium are three minerals that help muscles feel better.  Taking a good multi-vitamin-mineral supplement can help you get rid of the joint and muscle pain in your legs.

They are trying to tell you something.

They are saying, “Help!  I’m not happy!  You are straining me!  Stop it!”

But what do we often do?

>  Take a couple of pills to hopefully relieve the discomfort in your back.  But that doesn’t really cure the back pain; just helps cover it up, maybe.

>  Use heat.  Oh, not good!  Why?

Because heat helps those poor overstretched muscles relax and get even more stretched.  And even more unhappy.

There are lots of articles at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com to help you get rid of all types of back pain.

And you will find lots of articles right here at SimpleStrengthening.com to help you get rid of your aching back by doing gentle movements to strengthen your back muscles.  When they are strong, your back muscles are less likely to be stretched too far.

If your mother ever told you to ‘watch your posture’ or ‘straighten up’ she was right!    A strong back will help you do that.

And that means…your crabby overstretched muscles will be less likely to give you a back ache.

Your hamstrings aren’t the problem.

Almost always, the problem is that your quadricep muscles in the front of your thigh are too tight.  They are stronger than your hamstrings.

Your ‘tight hamstrings’ are just a symptom.

The muscles in the front of your body are generally about 30% stronger than the muscles in the back.  It’s easy for the bulky front muscles to over-power the back muscles.  That explains lots of back and neck pain, too.

The reason the muscles in the back of your thigh feel tight is because your hamstrings are in a specialized type of contraction.  They are in eccentric contraction.

An eccentric contraction happens when a muscle is being stretched more than it likes.  It responds by contracting but it cannot relax like a regular contraction (concentric contraction) can.

Imagine this:

You are pulling on one end of a rope.  Your friend is pulling on the other end.  There is a knot in the middle of the rope.

Can that knot be un-knotted while you are both pulling on the rope?

Nope.

You have to let go of at least one of the ends so the rope can be un-knotted.  Same thing with ‘tight’ hamstrings.

You have to relax the muscles in front (the quads) that are causing the hamstrings to go into an eccentric contraction and feel tight.

Here’s how it works:

The stronger quadriceps are attached to your pelvic bones.  They pull on your pelvis.  That pulls your pelvis into a more forward, downward-tilting position.  And THAT is what causes your hamstrings to be stretched and unhappy.

The interaction of the leg muscles with the pelvis can cause back and neck pain, too, because it’s all attached.  You can find lots of self-help articles from me for that at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com

What’s the answer?

Stretch your quads.  Make them a little longer.  A massage therapist can help relax them, too.  Then they will pull less on your pelvis and that will take the strain off your hamstring muscles.

Why does a strong back equal strong bones?

Here’s how it works:

When your bones are all stacked up the way they are supposed to be they support the weight of your body and head.  Supporting you is what makes bones strong.

Their job is to support you.  And the job of your muscles is to help you move.

But when your back muscles are weak you collapse forward.  Your head moves in front of your body and your shoulders will roll forward.  Your back will complain.

When you are in that position your bones are not stacked up properly.  They are not getting the work out they need because they are not doing the job of supporting you.  So your bones get weak.

And your poor muscles?  They are acting as bones to hold you up but that is not their job!

When you strengthen your back it will stop complaining AND your bones will be supporting you again.  They will get stronger and you will stay healthier longer.

There are lots of articles right here at SimpleStrengthening.com that will help you get a strong back and keep your bones strong.

If you have access to a swimming pool or other safe body of water, here’s an idea:

Get into the water and move.

If you don’t swim (I don’t) then wear a grown-up floatie (I do.)  That way you can go into the deeper water and move your legs in all different directions.

Or hold onto the edge of the pool and kick your legs as though you are swimming.  Let your knees bend slightly.

Try it with your feet flopping like a fish or hold them bent.  See what works best for you.

You might hear some clunking or cracking–that’s your bones moving back into their correct location (where they used to be.)  Or maybe it’s ligaments and tendons getting used to moving again.

How long will it take until your knees start to feel better?

Well, it took a while for them to get unhappy but I’ll bet you will start to feel benefit in just a couple of weeks of daily pool movements.

That might sound like a long time but what’s the alternative?  Drugs don’t cure pain; they mask it.  Surgery?  Sometimes it’s necessary but sometimes you can be your own natural surgeon by getting your muscles back into balance. 

Why did you get the pain in your knees in the first place?

We have over 600 muscles and they like to be used.  (That’s why we have them.)  Sometimes our muscles get ‘out of balance.’  We use some but not others.  Then they start to cause pain in the joints that the muscles cross over.

Sometimes we actually have joint pain but most often the pain we feel is from the muscles.

I knew an attorney who had no cushioning left in his knees from a couple of different accidents.  But as long as he did exercises to keep his leg muscles (especially the thighs) strong, he had no problems even walking on the stairs.

Sometimes people say it hurts too much to move but when you are in the water it’s much easier.  The water supports you.  It massages you.

Don’t like the water or want to get wet?  Here’s the link to another article that can help you get happier knees:

http://www.simplestrengthening.com/2009/01/10/get-strong-legs-on-your-stairs-how-to-use-your-legs-walking-on-stairs/

So, to wrap it up, I’m not a doctor but a swimming pool or lake can be a wonderful, natural tool to help you get rid of your knee pain naturally.