Learn to Walk Up and Down Stairs Pain-Free
Do you struggle with knee or hip pain when using the stairs? Coach Tyler explains that going up and down stairs often aggravates pain because of 3 common mistakes people make.
Mistake #1
Putting too much weight on the balls of your feet. Tyler says to prevent knee pain, "put your foot flat on the ground and try to put the weight on your heel."
Mistake #2
Letting your knees collapse inwards. Keep your "knee going the same direction as your toes" instead.
Mistake #3
Relying too much on your knees instead of your hips. Tyler recommends you "hinge through the hips" so you feel a stretch in your glutes and hamstrings.
To go upstairs pain-free
Follow these steps(pun intended) to activate the correct muscles and allow your body the chance to be pain free going up stairs.
"Put your foot flat, bring the weight distribution to your heel, make sure your shin is vertical, hinge at the hips and load the glute muscle." Then stand up slow, keeping your knee tracking over your toes.
To go down stairs pain-free
Going down stairs takes even more care. It's important to "keep the foot flat, and before we step down, we are going to put the weight on the back of the foot." Maintain a vertical shin, hinge at the hips, and lower your heel to the next step. Use handrails if needed.
Practice this good form every time you use stairs. "Treat every single curve and every single staircase as a way for you to practice going up and down the stairs pain free." Over time, your ankles, knees and hips will feel much better!