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Escape a Major Blowout and Fix Your Knees!
Every time you go to your gym, you get motivated with the goal of doing all the exercises. Unfortunately, your good will may be lessened when you feel a pain that can be troublesome at the level of the joint.
Be smart and sensible in the practice of any physical activity and it's not as simple as saying "I'm going to jump on the treadmill". An active and healthy person will have no difficulty doing the activities he likes. However, it differs from the one who feels particular pains, especially regarding the bearing joints. The question is what exercises can be done to make the most of the situation without increasing pain or risk of injury?
Following a fracture, sprain, tearing of the ligament or cartilage, knee pain may continue for several months to several years after the trauma and possibly after surgery. How do you relieve the pain when it occurs?
The Cause of This Pain
Your knees are supported by two large muscle groups. The first is the quadriceps (quad), which is on the front of the thigh and is a push muscle. The second is the hamstring muscle support. The hamstring muscle extends to the back of the thigh and pulls the leg back when running or walking.
Injuries or pain in the knee often occurs because the muscles supporting the knee are too weak. So, if you want to remove the pain in your knee, strengthen the muscles supporting it.
The Step Up
The first exercise to help you strengthen your leg muscles is called Step up. Step-ups are great for strengthening both your hamstrings and quads. They help increase the power and coordination in the muscles of your legs while using the weight of the body as resistance.
For this exercise, all you will need is a staircase. Stand in front of the stairs and go up with your right foot. Repeat the movement with your left foot. Continue this motion for 30 seconds with 20 seconds off. Do it 3 times for 90 seconds.
Partial Squats
Crouching is perfect for strengthening the leg muscles and increasing the range of motion in the knee joints. It targets not only your quads but also the glutes and hamstrings and the abdominal muscles.
To perform squats, hold your back straight, feet apart to the width of your shoulders and your toes pointing either straight or slightly to the sides. Lower your body by pushing the hips back and bend your knees to form a 90-degree angle.
Isometric Quad Exercise
The quad isometric exercise focuses on strengthening the quad muscle while in a static position. It is perfect for anyone who has noticed an imbalance of strength in the muscles of their legs.
To perform the quad isometric exercise, sit on a chair with your back straight and your feet flat. Raise your right leg until your foot is flexed and is parallel to the ground. Contract your thigh muscle and hold this position for 6 to 8 seconds then release. Repeat the movement with the right leg 8 to 12 times, and then repeat with the left.
Walk on the Spot
Walking on the spot might not seem like a good idea when you have knee problems, but this exercise is amazing for strengthening leg muscles and relieving knee joints. It also improves stability and balance.
Stand with your feet on the floor and lift your legs up and down, one at a time. Try doing this for about a minute, twice a day. This exercise helps prevent your knee from being stiff, you can do it anytime.
Short Bows
Short bows are exercises that help relieve the quad and strengthen it. Lie on your back or sit down with your horizontal leg on a flat surface like a bed. Pull your toes towards you while squeezing your thigh muscles. Slowly lift your foot out of bed until your knee is straight. Hold for 3-5 seconds and slowly lower.
Exercises to Avoid
Running, as opposed to walking, increases the weight of the body on the weight-bearing joints by almost ten times. In the case of hip or knee pain, it would be more appropriate to walk, or if you choose, light jog. Make sure you have a good running technique and suitable shoes. Other activities such as jumping rope, repeated impact aerobic classes, or any activity or exercise that increases the support load or the amount of impact on the joints must also be avoided. This leaves a lot of activity choices for people with symptoms. Key elements that you need to consider include cardiovascular activity (for weight control and vascularization), muscle building (to relieve pressure on the joints) and stretching (to maintain flexibility and flexibility) range of motion). Proprioceptive work also helps prevent falls by its effects on systems that manage posture and balance.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Good examples of cardiovascular activities for people with knee pains include walking and swimming. Walking is a simple and easy activity that can be practiced almost anytime. Also, working in the water is very interesting when you want to reduce joint stress. Water gymnastics has developed particularly in recent years and now offers multiple options for working on many aspects of fitness. Cycling is an option to consider with caution. It allows you to work in resistance without impact, but the amplitude of movement is limited at the level of the lower limbs. This means, among other things, that you need a lot of stretching exercises to reduce the inevitable contractures of the muscles around the knee. Tension in the quadriceps is common and will result in localized pain in the front of the knee as strains in the psoas muscle reverberate in the lower back. This would be an individual choice. Respect your pace, go step by step, pay attention to the warning signs of pain and adjust accordingly.
There is a tendency to think that lifting weights is bad for conditions such as this. Yet studies show that it is rather the opposite. By strengthening the muscles around the joints, the bodybuilding allows to transfer to the muscles a part of the load imposed on the joints. One of the roles of the muscular system is to keep things in place. When you strengthen the active system (muscle) that supports the passive system (bone), you relieve the articulation of certain symptoms. In a recent study, seniors with moderate knee osteoarthritis who went through a 16-week resistance workout program reported on average a 43% decrease in pain, increased feeling of strength, decreased disability as well as a decrease in clinical signs and symptoms of their disease. Muscle training also reduces the risk of falls, which is a major risk factor for people with knee injuries. Another recent study showed a 40% reduction in falls in people 80 years and older following specific training.
Flexibility and Range of Motion
There are a number of specific exercises that you can do to increase your flexibility and maintain the range of functional movement. Proprioceptive exercises without loads allow the joints to lubricate and help the healing process. The advantage of these exercises is that you can run them quietly in the comfort of your home. Begin by getting in the habit of doing them 2 to 3 times a week and gradually increase until you get into the habit of doing them every day.
Soft gymnastics like yoga, table gymnastics and pilates are also worth considering. Certain positions can be sometimes restrictive, so you must still listen to your body and be aware of its capabilities. It is the overall approach of these disciplines that is particularly interesting as you work at the same time with elements such as reinforcement, balance, coordination and flexibility.
Knee Exercises
For strengthening, choose mostly closed-chain movements (when the foot is the fixed point) such as squat or deadlift. Again, you can bet on one-sided exercises and do not be afraid to go into deep knee flexion. Many people mistakenly believe that going downstairs in an exercise like the squat is bad for the knee. The knee joint is made to flex and, in fact, the lower you get in an exercise and the more you stimulate the reflex activity associated with the stretching of the muscle fibers, in addition to preserving the amplitudes of functional movements. Everything is a matter of control and support. Be sure to control movement while keeping the weight of the body on the heel of the foot (not on the toes), descending in a straight line (not leaning forward) and stopping the motion before compensating (usually with the back). You will notice a decrease in knee discomfort as soon as you apply to perform the movement as described. You can start without weight and increase the load gradually as you improve your performance.
Also remember that some active treatments (such as kinesitherapy massage) can be combined with your physical activity as needed. People tend to require the services of a therapist only when they are in pain and are unaware that they are also effective in optimizing physical fitness and joint function. If necessary, training on lifting or handling techniques at work may also be complementary or even necessary.
To derive the maximum benefit, a combination of these different activities mentioned would be the ideal tactic to work the condition as a whole and from various angles. No matter what you choose to do, the important thing is to take control of your condition and take action by establishing an appropriate action plan.
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