Stairway to Heaven - Why Climbing Stairs Prolongs Quality of Life

Are you 40 years old or older? Do you have vague knee or hip pain that might be stopping you from wanting to go up and down stairs as often as you used to? Did you know that this might be the least of your problems?

In reality, if you are a woman, you may have already started to lose bone mass. If you are a man, you probably have not started to lose bone mass, but you will soon. Yes, men over the age of 65 are also at risk of osteoporosis.

"But it hurts. Why would climbing stairs hurt and be good for me?"

Well, you may be experiencing arthritis in one/both of your knees. There are several contributing reasons as to why stairs may aggravate this pain, but most importantly is form. The next time that you climb stairs, I want you to focus on putting your whole foot onto the higher step before climbing (i.e. toes flush against the beginning of the following step.) In doing so, you'll place your foot and knee in a much healthier position as you ascend. If this is still difficult and/or painful for you, you might want to try a smaller step and progress only if pain-free. And, guess what? Stairs will help strengthen the muscles around your knee to eliminate future pain.

Stairs are one of the most important 'maintenance' exercises that you can do. Not only do stairs require that you use at least 3 joints at once (hip, knee, ankle), requiring increased oxygen consumption and therefore increased metabolism, but they also help build bone. Through weight-bearing exercise, such as stair climbing, squatting, lunging, push-ups, etc., your body's "osteoblasts" are activated. 'Osteoblast' is just a fancy name for 'bone builder.' Your body feels stress through the long bones of your legs while climbing stairs and responds by layering more bone to protect the area.

Did you know that hip fractures are one of the most deadly injuries to occur in the older adult population? If you are 40 or older, and you'd like to live a fracture-free older adulthood, I highly recommend that you find a way to make stairs a regular part of your routine NOW! Even if you do not exercise regularly, this is one area that can help you without having to leave your home.