One of the most common orthopedic conditions is knee pain, and a lot of people seek medical treatment due to it. Knee pain includes pain felt behind and around the knee cap, especially when doing activities like running, climbing, walking while carrying heavy items, and squatting. It can prevent people from participating in strenuous activities and as well as accomplishing daily tasks. And if knee pain is left untreated, it can become a more serious problem, which can lead to knee replacement surgery. If you want to avoid this from happening, you can read some tips here.
Knee pain can be caused by different factors. Some of these include incorrect positioning of the knee cap at rest or with movement, knee stiffness, improper exercise form, flat feet, and having weak muscles that control the hip and knee. Whether you are an athlete, an outdoor adventurer, or you walk daily, dealing with knee pain can definitely hinder you from doing your favorite activities. But no worries because there are several ways to treat knee pain, and one of those is by exercising.
Exercise and Knee Pain
If you are suffering from knee pain due to an injury, surgery, or arthritis, you can do gentle stretching and strengthening exercises. These may help ease the pain that you are feeling and as well as improve your flexibility and range of motion. You may think that exercising an injured knee or arthritic knee might make it worse, but exercise is actually better for your knee than keeping it still. It’s because when you do not move your knee, it can stiffen and may worsen the pain.
With this, gentle stretching and strengthening the muscles that support your knee joint are essential to reduce the impact and stress on your knee and also to help your knee joint move more easily. However, before you start with an exercise program, it is better to consult with your doctor or physical therapist first to ensure that the exercises are safe for you. Your doctor may recommend some modifications to certain exercises, depending on your situation you can get pain relief for knees.
Simple Exercises to Help Reduce Knee Pain
If you are searching for the best exercises that you can do to ease your knee pain, we are here to help you. The great thing is that exercise does not have to be difficult to be beneficial in reducing knee pain. In fact, gentle and low-impact exercises are better for knee pain. To give you some ideas, here are 5 simple exercises to help reduce knee pain.
1. Knee Extension
To do this exercise, sit down on a chair. Then, straighten your problem knee slowly to let the muscles in your thigh contract. Try to hold the contraction for 5 to 10 seconds as tolerated. After that, slowly bend your knee and lower foot to the floor. Doing this exercise will help you build quadriceps strength, which is responsible for supporting your knee.
2. Heel Raises
To perform heel raises, while standing, rise up onto your tiptoes slowly, then back down to the soles of your feet. You can repeat this exercise five to ten times as tolerated. While doing it, you should feel it working in your calf muscles. Having enough calf strength can help you to push off through your toes while walking, which can normalize your walking pattern. This is important because people who are suffering from knee pain tend to walk with an altered step pattern.
3. Sit to Stand
To perform this simple exercise, sit on a chair, and slowly rise to a standing position. Squeeze your buttock and thigh muscles as you rise. You can repeat this exercise five to ten times as tolerated. This will help strengthen your gluteal muscles and give further support to the knees. Repeating this exercise will also help lubricate the joint and reduce stiffness.
4. Walking or Swimming
It is also a great idea to include some aerobic exercises if you are suffering from knee pain. Aside from helping you improve your wellbeing, these exercises are also low impact and gentle on your knees. Swimming is a fantastic way to exercise your knee because the water takes the load off the joint. Doing a well-rounded exercise routine will also help you keep a healthy weight, which means less strain on your knees.
5. Quadriceps Stretch
To do this simple exercise, stand with your feet and hip wide apart. Then, bend the problem knee and hold the top of your foot, bringing your heel towards your buttock. Stretch and hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds as tolerated while stretching down the front of your thigh. This exercise should be gentle and not painful. If you feel any pain, drop your foot back down. This exercise can help ease the tension in the knee joint and as well as improve your range of motion.
These are the 5 simple exercises that we can recommend to relieve knee pain. All of these are very easy to do and will not put too much stress on your knees. But as we’ve mentioned earlier, before performing any exercise, it’s better to consult with a doctor or physical therapist and get knee pain treatments in Naples first to ensure your safety.
