Why 10,000 Steps Might Be Making Your Pain Worse (+ What To Do Instead)

Walking can be pleasant, but (unless you’re walking on rough terrain) in biomechanical terms it’s very repetitive, and doesn’t challenge muscles enough to build strength or improve balance.

So, wear and tear can occur, but development won’t happen much after a certain very base level.

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis expert, explains how to fix that:

Different Movements

If you sometimes find yourself struggling with stairs, low chairs, or daily movement, that usually means your muscles lack the correct strength. As with any kind of strength training, your muscles need to be challenged with increasing resistance, not just the same repetitive movement, or else they will have no reason to get stronger.

Dr. Kuhn recommends these exercises in particular:

• Chair stands: sit at the edge of a chair, stand up, and sit back down to work your thighs, glutes, hamstrings, feet, and ankles. To make it easier, raise the seat height or use the chair arms for support. Alternatively to make it harder, hold a weight to your chest. Goal: 8–12 reps, 2–3 sets; optional 30-second test for number of stands.
• Step-back with knee march: step one leg backwards, then bring your knee up to your chest before repeating to build your hips, glutes, core, and balance. To make it easier, shorten your step and knee lift, and hold a chair for support. To make it harder, take a bigger step, make a faster knee drive, and step up onto a stool. Goal: 10–12 reps per side, 2–3 sets.
• Balance with weight pass: stand on one leg (or use your back toes as a sort kickstand for balance purposes, without putting much weight there) and pass a weight or object hand-to-hand. To make it harder, use a heavier weight and hold it further from your body. Goal: 20–30 passes or 30–60 seconds per side, 2–3 sets.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!