All of us at Capital Area Physical Therapy are big proponents of physical activity, and hiking is a popular choice here in the southern Adirondacks. It’s great for your cardiovascular health, as well as your mental well-being, but it can also result in ankle and knee injuries if you aren’t properly prepared.
Your ankle and knee joints absorb the impact of each step, and are particularly susceptible to overuse injuries, strains, sprains and fractures when hiking. To protect your ankles and knees while hiking requires outfitting yourself with the right gear, as well as preparing your body and practicing proper hiking form.
Before you set out to explore the great outdoors, consider these hiking safety tips to protect your ankles and knees from injury.
Prepare Your Gear
- Footwear – Invest in quality hiking boots with good ankle support. Ensure your boots have good tread, and fit snugly but not tightly, allowing enough room for your toes to wiggle.
- Hiking Poles – Use hiking poles to reduce the impact on your ankles, knees and lower back. To determine the correct length, stand on flat ground with the poles at your side and check to see that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
- Backpack – Ensure your pack is properly fitted, pack as light as possible, and distribute the weight evenly to reduce straining your joints. Pack heavier items closer to your back and use a waist belt to distribute the load.
Prepare Your Body
- Strengthen Your Joints – Perform exercises, such as ankle circles, calf raises, and single-leg balance exercises, to improve joint stability and strength.
- Strengthen Your Muscles – Include exercises, like squats, lunges, and planks, that target your quads, hamstrings, hips and core muscles that support your knees and ankles when hiking.
- Warm Up & Cool Down – Always warm up before hiking with dynamic stretching, like leg swings, butt kicks and high knees, and cool down with static stretches.
Practice Good Hiking Form
- Engage Your Core – Keep your back straight, your head up, and engage your core to stabilize your spine and reduce strain on your knees, as well as your lower back.
- Maintain a Safe Stance – Walk with your feet parallel and slightly wider than hip-width apart. Lead with the ball of your foot, followed by your heel.
- Zig Zag Downhill – Descend in a zip zag pattern, with a slight bend in your knees to reduce the steepness of the decline and lessen the load on your knees and ankles.
Hit the Trails with Capital Area Physical Therapy in Saratoga & Queensbury
From the right footwear and gear to proper training and hiking techniques, these tips are designed to help you hike safely and protect your ankles and knees. If you’re planning to hit the trails this spring, summer or fall, Capital Area Physical Therapy can help you prepare and train. We’re also here in the event that you suffer a hiking injury.
To make an appointment with our physical therapists in Malta, Queensbury, Saratoga Springs and Delmar, please give us a call at (518) 289-5242.
