Do Simple Physical Therapy Exercises at Home to Strengthen the Knees
It is very common for people to develop various knee problems. Often this is the result of overuse, perhaps pushing too hard at a particular exercise or sport, or perhaps even from walking or running too far or too fast. It could also be the result of simple aging. The knee is the largest joint in the body, and supports all of our weight. In non-medical terms, a lot of different things connect up in there, and it is easy for something to go wrong.
The steps in this article show some basic knee-strengthening exercises that you can do at home on your own. These exercises are best to do proactively, either before you experience any knee pain at all, or while it is at a bare minimum. Certainly don't do any exercises that cause you actual pain while you do them, and certainly see a doctor or physical therapist if you feel that you have any specific thing wrong with your knees other than some pain from typical overuse.
Instructions
1. This first exercise can be done in a chair just as easily and effectively as on the floor as shown. Bend your working knee. Flex your quadricep muscle (on the front of your thigh), and push your knee downward. You won't actually be moving your knee, you're just pushing it down internally while tightening your quad.
You can actually do this at work or while watching TV. Just extend your involved leg so that it has a bend at the knee as shown. Push your knee downward, hold and stay flexed for about 10 seconds, then rest for about 5-10 seconds and repeat about 10 more times. You can really do this exercise as often as you remember and have time. Having strong quad muscles is very important since they help to support your legs and take strain off the knee joint as you exercise. Conversely, many knee problems come as the result of having weak quads.
2. For this next exercise, lie on your back. Prop up the underside of your thigh using a pillow so that your knee as at the 45° angle shown. While keeping your knee in place, lift your lower leg so that it is extended straight, then lower it. Slowly count 1, 2 while lifting, and 3, 4 while lowering. If necessary, place your hand on your knee to keep it steady. Only the lower part of your leg should be moving.
Try to do about 15 repetitions of this exercise, but of course stop if it becomes painful or if you cannot maintain proper form. Rest about a minute, and then see if you can do two more sets. Don't ever push yourself too hard. Remember to switch legs so that your work your body symmetrically, even if only one knee is causing you problems.
3. Stay on your back for this next exercise. It is similar to the one above, but instead of bending and flexing at the knee, you will lift and lower your entire leg, keeping it straight. Bend the non-working knee, and extend the working leg straight out. Lift and lower that leg up to the level of the bent leg as shown. There should be no bend in the knee of the working leg, but don't tense up or "lock" the knee. Do this exercise using the counting and sets described above.
4. For this last exercise you will need an exercise ball or a chair. Lie on your back as shown, and place your knees bent over the ball or chair. Lift your buttocks smoothly off the floor, and then lower them. Count and do reps and sets as described above. You can press down into the mat with your hands if that is helpful, but make sure that it is actually your abs and legs that are doing most of the work. This exercise has a side benefit of strengthening your abdominal muscles which is highly important for any and all physical activity that you are involved in.
5. The diagrams and instructions in the steps of this article are just guidelines. Modify them as you feel is appropriate or as instructed by a doctor, physical therapist, or personal trainer. If you feel any unusual pain in the days after doing these exercises, it probably means that you did too many reps and/or sets. Wait until the pain subsides, and then do fewer sets and reps the next time, remembering to build up gradually.
6. For the exercises that involve working one leg at a time, be sure to do the same number of sets and reps for each side unless instructed otherwise. You don't want to have a situation where you work your "bad" knee to the point that it is actually stronger than the other knee, and then have the opposite imbalance. A common cause of injuries in the first place is not using your body symmetrically.
7. It is ideal if you can do these exercises in conjunction with a supervised personal training program at a gym, but not everyone can afford that or has the time for that. If that is an option, though, it is certainly money and time well spent. A gym offers equipment that can more effectively stretch and strengthen the knees and related muscles and joints, and of course working with a personal trainer ensures that you have the appropriate supervision and guidance.
8. An important part of physical activity is learning manage yourself. Don't get into a pattern of perpetually hurting yourself and then needing to take time off to rehabilitate. Do exercises such as these proactively to avoid common problems, and if you do injure or strain yourself from an activity, take carefully inventory of what you did and what you can do to avoid the same problem in the future. Good luck! O
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