A knee injury doesn’t have to put a kibosh on your plans to exercise. There are many workouts that you can do without using your knees. There are exercises for the legs that won’t damage injury like a torn ACL or meniscus further. If you have arthritis, there are ones that can make your knees stronger to reduce the pain. They build the muscles and tendons around the joints to provide more support. Before you start any exercise program, always check with your healthcare provider.
Don’t start exercising until you’ve warmed up.
Stretching your muscles and ensuring they’re thoroughly warmed should be part of any exercise routine, especially if you’re dealing with pain or an injury. You can start by sitting back in a chair and slowly straightening one leg, leaving the other foot on the floor until the leg is straight and parallel to the floor with your foot pointing slightly outward. Hold for ten to fifteen seconds, then do the other leg. The longer you keep the muscles tense above the knee, the better the warm-up. Switch legs and do the same thing. Marching in place and stretching all the muscles can also be part of the warm-up.
Choose exercises that are low impact and don’t require jumping or explosive movements.
Start with a jumping jack that doesn’t require jumping. Instead of the high-impact jump as you spread your feet out and raise your hands, just step to the side without jumping. Do standing hamstring curls. Start by taking a step back, as you use a chair or table for balance. The heel of the foot behind you should be up off the floor with only the toe touching. Your knee should be lightly bent.
Strengthen your hips to relieve pain.
Weak hip muscles can cause knee pain and improving them helps bring relief. A clamshell stretch can help improve hip muscles. Start on your side with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle. Your legs should be on top of one another. Lift the top leg as you keep your feet together. Hold that position for three to four seconds, then slowly lower your leg and repeat 9 to 14 more times.
- Tightening your glutes helps bring relief from knee pain without using your knees. Stand up straight with your legs comfortably apart and tighten your glutes by squeezing them. Hold for a few seconds and repeat.
- The pool is a great place to work leg muscles. You can build knee strength without putting stress on it. Do flutter kicks or walk around the pool. If you don’t have a pool, try walking as long as it’s not too painful.
- Skip using heavy weights. If you have knee pain, the extra weight will exacerbate it. If you’re using weights, doing seated exercises that don’t require you to use your legs can work.
- You can build leg muscles without harming your knee by doing calf raises. Hang on to a chair or table for support and raise your heels slowly then lower them. Start with ten repetitions and work your way higher.
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