Making Bad Knees Better

Quick, name the joint whose malfunction puts more amateur athletes out of action than any other. Gotta be knees, right? What with meniscus tears, ACL and PCL damage, tendonitis,and a dozen other painful events with long Latinate names, knees are like the Fords of body parts. (It’s OK, Ford was going to advertise here anyway.)  And while there are several new “minimally invasive” surguries to repair damaged knees, wouldn’t it be great if we could just build enough muscle to keep our knees functional and pain-free?  Maybe we can. Outside magazine’s Chris Carmichael –who warns that our first response to knee pain should be a doctor’s consultation–has a couple of suggestions. Carmichael recommends mini-squats and wall squats, starting with three ten-second sets, to build strength, and hiking uphill  at increasing rates of speed. If running remains painful, Carmichael says, get smart: Give up the running thing and start biking.