Training for a 5K? Here is how you can protect your knees

Atlanta - If you're new to walking or running or just want to step up your game, you want to protect your knees.

So, Dr. Rishin Kadakia, an orthopedic surgeon at Emory University, says start by making sure you have a good, supportive pair of running shoes.

You want a shoe that's somewhat rigid," Kadakia says. "Really flimsy shoes don't absorb shock and impact well, and that translates to more impact and shock on your soft tissues and your bones and your tendons."

When you are starting a new activity like running, there can be tendency to go big or go home.

But, be careful about pushing too hard, too soon.

Start your run with a warm-up, and end it with a cool down.

Most mild knee injuries can be treated with rest, icing, and compression wraps.

But, Dr. Kadakia says, if you fall and injure yourself, or experience a sudden, sharp pain, get that checked out.

"If you had a trauma, for example, an injury, and you're unable to bear weight on the knee, it's probably good to go in and see if you need to get an x-ray," Dr. Kadakia says.  "A lot of times one of the first indicators of a broken bone or a fracture is an inability to bear weight. A significant amount of swelling is also an indication to go in to see someone. Those are probably the two big things right off the bat."

If your knee is hurting, but you are still as able to bear weight on it, and you haven't had an injury,
he says, you may have just overdone it.

"I think it's always important to think deeply as to why you're having knee pain," Dr. Kadakia says.  "Sometimes, you might have done something recently, changed jobs, you might have gone on a trip, you might have changed shoes, or tried a new exercise activity, or something that might have flared some of this up."