Kertz Coaching

As I was cleaning out my closet, I found something from roughly 18 years ago.

A cycling jersey.

But I’ve never been a competitive cyclist. 🚴‍♀️

When I moved to Austin almost two decades ago, I was looking to meet people in my new city. 🏙️

So I attended a Saturday cycling workshop.

We learned bike maintenance, and then we went on a hilly group ride.

I had such a great time!

But the following day, I had burning, achy pain on the front of my knees. 😩

And it didn’t just go away on its own.

At the time, I was struck by how something that I was told in physical therapy school – that biking is good for your knees – had somehow caused my painful knees.

And when I stopped to think about the people whom I had helped in my initial years as a physical therapist:

💡 I recognized that some of them reported that biking made their knees feel better.

💡But others who rode a stationary bike for several minutes in the clinic reported that their knees felt worse.

💡And sometimes they didn’t feel this increase in knee pain until the next day.

Fast forward to today:

*My knees feel great!*

I enjoy rigorous hikes, weight lifting, yoga, pickleball, and yes, even hilly bike rides!

And I’m frequently asked this question:
“Will biking strengthen my knees??”

So in the Better Knees Newsletter — on Thurs., Feb. 27th & Thurs., March 6th, 2025– I’m sharing why biking can sometimes cause knee pain AND how biking can also strengthen your knees.

To get all the details, DM or Comment “NEWSLETTER”.

——
Hi, I’m Laurie Kertz Kelly, and I’m here to help you build stronger, healthier knees — without surgery!

Is knee pain distracting you from what you enjoy?

The Better Knees Method provides a solution for people with sore, achy knees.

Some people think they need to learn to live with knee pain…

But here’s the TRUTH:
✨ Every part of your body can get better (or get worse).

The Better Knees Method is a 3-phase approach to building stronger, healthier knees:

1️⃣ SOOTHE your knees:
+ Get rid of resting knee pain.
+ Eliminate knee swelling.
+ Get rid of morning stiffness.

2️⃣ STRENGTHEN your knees:
Improve your knees so they feel good during & after:
+ sustained sitting;
+ prolonged standing;
+ fitness walking.

3️⃣ STRENGTHEN your leg muscles for everything your life demands:
+ workouts;
+ sports;
+ squats (including sitting down and standing up from the couch).

Get Started TODAY :
Follow my free 3-step guide to improve your knees at home — Comment or DM “BETTER” for immediate access!

Why is Travis Kelce's knee swollen?

He missed the first game of the NFL 2023-24 Season because he hyperextended his knee during practice.

This means he straightened his knee farther than his knee is meant to move-- probably while his foot was planted on the ground.

Swelling occurs in response to too much force-- either during a trauma (like in Kelce's case) or with repeated forces (that may seem harmless).

The normal fluid inside your knee is called synovial fluid.
It's thick-- like egg whites-- and provides shock-absorption inside your knee.

But in response to too much force, your body produces an excessive amount of fluid.

This excessive fluid is inferior for two reasons:
(1) It is thinner, so it fails to protect your knee.
(2) It makes your leg muscles weak.

Get rid of at home-- check out my free guide www.saveyourkneesguide.com.

"Changing your mindset toward aging has as much impact on longevity as quitting smoking, and more impact than losing weight, even if you’re obese."

A positive perspective on aging will likely prompt you to take better care of yourself.

For example, if you have & negative views on aging-- you may think the discomfort is a sign of inevitable decline.

And you may ignore the warning signs that your body is giving you & neglect steps to remedy it.

Whereas someone with a positive view of aging may more readily seek help to remedy their knee pain.

For resources to -- check out my website (link in the Kertz Coaching Facebook bio).

And thanks to Time magazine for promoting positive beliefs about aging:
https://buff.ly/3qJveSi

Believing Myths About Aging Makes Growing Old Worse Believing the myths about aging actually makes us age faster

A 70 year old woman was told by her doctor that her knee pain was due to her age.

Her reaction was priceless:

"'Then why does my other knee feel fine? It’s the same age.'"

Rather than blaming her on age, the woman advocated for more helpful insights.

For resources to -- check out my website (link in the Kertz Coaching Facebook bio).

And thanks to The Washington Post for supporting healthy aging:
​https://buff.ly/3shRfs5

Negative thoughts about aging can be harmful. Here’s how to reduce them. Age bias doesn’t show up only as blatant discrimination or snarky birthday cards. One potent source of ageism comes from older people themselves.

Are weak hips to blame for your knee pain?

One of the most common things people are told when they have is this:

"Stronger muscles will take pressure off your knees, and reduce your knee pain."

Sometimes this is partially true.

But other times, it sets people up for unnecessary frustration.

Because many exercises that strengthen leg muscles initially place more pressure on your knees.

And more pressure typically leads to more pain.

Here's how to determine whether stronger hip muscles may eliminate your knee pain :

1 . Secure both ends of a piece of elastic tubing (roughly 5 feet in length) at the height of your mid-thigh.

2 . Choose which knee you're testing. Stand with this knee closer to the attachment.

3 . Place the loop of tubing around this leg just above your knee.

4 . Step away from the attachment until you achieve moderate tension on the tubing.
(The more you step away from the attachment, the more assistance your hip will receive.)

5 . Squat down to chair height, and return to standing. Pay attention to how your knee closer to the attachment feels.

6 . Now squat without the elastic tubing.

7 . Compare how that same knee feels. Is there a difference in how it feels with and without the tubing?

IF your knee was less painful >> then stronger hip muscles may decrease your knee pain.

IF your knee was equally painful or more painful >> then stronger hip muscles probably won't decrease your knee pain.

For a 2-minute demonstration, scroll to 01:23 within this video:

How to Adjust Your Squats to Get Stronger Without Knee Pain -- Adjustment #1 [ www.saveyourkneesguide.com ] Watch 1 way to make squats easier for your knees – whether you’ve been diagnosed with knee arthritis, osteoarthritis, chondrom...