Get a Leg Up on Healthy Knees

As anyone over the age of 50 can attest, strong joints won't last forever. We all eventually experience the normal aches, pains, and stiffness that result from an active life.

Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to help keep your joints strong and supple as you age.

The program I recommend is one used by Dr. James Fox, a West Coast orthopedist who practices what I consider smart medicine. I first learned of Dr. Fox after the wife of a friend went to see him. Rosita is an ex-dancer who had been having problems with her right knee for years. She had already been on her own supplement and exercise program, but the problem persisted and she started having a hard time negotiating stairs. After looking at her MRI, Dr. Fox told Rosita that she couldn't be helped by arthroscopic surgery and, in fact, might be a candidate for a knee replacement.

Before going down that path, though, Dr. Fox asked Rosita to strengthen her legs by working with a physical therapist and doing aquatic exercises in a swimming pool three times a week for a month. Rosita did her month in the pool—walking forward, backward, and sideways, and doing assorted leg lifts and squats with the guidance of a physical therapist. When she returned to Dr. Fox, her knee felt much better and more stable.

Dr. Fox told Rosita to continue the aquatic therapy exercises for another month. After the second month, Rosita said her knee felt even better. He advised her to continue the water therapy indefinitely, and he gave her additional exercises to do out of the water. I'm happy to say that Rosita continues to make progress and is no longer a candidate for knee replacement surgery!

Rosita is a great example of how exercise—specifically those that strengthen the muscles around problem joints—can be a boon to anyone whose joints aren't what they used to be. Strengthening the muscles around the joint helps improve balance and movement, and thereby can help minimize the amount of additional wear and tear the joint suffers. 

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