Health Benefits of a Strong Lower Body

There are many benefits to having a strong lower body, including reduced pain and injury prevention. Learn more about the health benefits of having a strong lower body from HOI Sports Medicine Physician, James Suchy, MD.

Q: Can having a strong lower body help reduce pain?

A: For patients with chronic musculoskeletal disease of the feet, legs, and back, having a strong lower body can reduce pain and dysfunction. Very commonly, I see patients with osteoarthritis of the hips and knees. Possessing lower body muscular strength and endurance reduces the load that these joints must bear. In turn, this reduces the need for pain medications and other invasive procedures. Also, it’s amazing how quickly general muscle aches and pains improve when many of my patients transition from a sedentary lifestyle to a more active one.

Q: What’s another benefit of having a strong lower body?

A: Lower body strength doesn’t just reduce injuries by preventing falls and accidents. Strengthening work also helps prevent injuries related to musculoskeletal disuse. If the muscles are unconditioned, we can set ourselves up for more frequent injuries like sprain, strains, and tendinitis as we go about our day-to-day life.

Q: Does cardio and strength training help build a strong lower body?

A: I would also note in this section that it’s important to gradually build up your cardio training intensity over time. Trying to progress too quickly can result in acute and overuse injuries that could keep you side-lined from any activity for weeks. Your neuromuscular system needs time to adapt, especially if you’re new to exercising or haven’t don’t a specific activity before.

In this case, you may want to start with only 10-20 minutes of the activity at a mild to moderate intensity. Assess how your body feels during and after the workout to make sure injuries are not developing. If not, then you can slowly increase the frequency, intensity, or duration of your workouts. If you’re concerned about a developing problem, reduce the frequency, intensity, or duration of your workouts for a short period. If you’re not sure or the problem is not improving, then talk with your sports medicine physician.

It’s also better to do a moderate amount of cardio (and strength training) throughout the week than to do a large amount over only 1-2 days.