Does climbing stairs damage the knee joints?

Answer

Climbing stairs is an exercise that is easy to incorporate into daily life and offers many benefits, such as burning energy, controlling blood sugar, maintaining body weight, and strengthening the muscles of the lower back, hips, and thighs.

But like any other physical activity, stair climbing is only beneficial when it is suitable for your physical condition. If it is done incorrectly or excessively, this habit can backfire and harm the musculoskeletal system and overall health.

A person holding their knee. Photo by Pexels

The knee joint is the largest in the entire body, and it has to endure the most. Over a lifetime, a person walks about 160,000-200,000km. The knee joint is the first to face the risk of injury when some trauma occurs, musculoskeletal disorders develop or movement is performed incorrectly or excessively over a long period.

When going up or down the stairs the joint surfaces generate significant friction. Compressive forces are exerted on the subchondral bone and meniscus while the ligament system is stretched in multiple directions. Whether stair climbing is beneficial or harmful depends entirely on the individual’s body structure and the condition of their knee joints.

A healthy person, if their body mass index (BMI) is normal, if they have no pain or fatigue, and the results of their knee joints’ X-rays are good, can absolutely do stair climbing to improve their health.

If you are overweight or obese, have bow legs or knock knees, or if your X-rays show joint space narrowing compared to your age group, you should limit stair climbing. It should only be done when necessary (such as going up to your bedroom) to help prevent early knee osteoarthritis.

For people with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, stair climbing multiple times a day should be absolutely avoided. This not only accelerates joint osteoarthritis but also increases the chance of falling, which can cause serious injuries.

According to orthopedic trauma and physical therapy literature, a patient with knee osteoarthritis should only walk (including daily activities and exercise) about 3,000-6,000 steps a day, which is around 2-4 km.

When you have a problem with knee joints or plan to start a new training habit, you should consult a specialist for assessment and to design a safe and appropriate exercise regimen.

Specialist Doctor Level II Tran Chi Khoi

Lower Limb Department – Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopaedics HCMC