Disease, overuse injuries, and trauma are all potential causes of knee discomfort. About 25% of American adults report having knee pain that impairs their ability to move their knee. It’s usual to experience knee discomfort and knee-related conditions. The body part that sustains injuries the most frequently in runners is the knee. Osteoarthritis, an aging-related change to the knee, frequently affects adults over the age of 50. Over the course of a long life, the knee’s cartilage and other components can change from thousands of steps, squats, and twists.
Exercises that promote flexibility and build up the muscles around the knee are combined with strengthening and stretching techniques as part of physical therapy for knee discomfort. Physical therapy can be administered on its own or in combination with other medical procedures including surgery, ultrasound, injections, heat and ice, or heat and cold therapy. You can reduce your knee pain with physical treatment, avoiding surgery. However, physical therapy is also a crucial component of your recovery if you do end up needing surgery. Even though it probably aches to walk or move your knee, you must keep your knee active because idleness might exacerbate the situation. You can move your knee safely while walking thanks to physical therapy. Below are a few exercises to help with knee pain.
Straight Leg Raises
Make sure you hunch your shoulders and point your palms upward. Maintain a wide flexion in your knees while you support your low back. Remove the leg you’re going to lift. Before you start the rest of the exercise, take this chance to extend your toes. (Toe stretches are always beneficial!) Raise your leg and keep your toes pointing in the direction of your nose. Lift the leg only as high as the thigh of the opposing leg. Pause. Don’t let the leg drop; bring it down slowly. Make it a point to breathe normally throughout the activity and pay close attention to your breathing.
Prone Straight Leg Raises
Beginning on your hands and knees, raise your arms and legs straight up to your shoulders and hips, keeping them parallel to the ground. Maintain a parallel alignment of the neck, head, hips, and spine with the floor. Squeeze your lower abdominal muscles, lift one knee, and slowly extend one leg backward, pointing the toes, until the leg is almost parallel to the floor. Next, softly reposition your leg so that the knee is touching the ground in the starting position. Maintain the natural alignment of your hips, back, neck, and head throughout this exercise.
Wall Squats
For this workout, you may either use a medicine ball or just the wall. Your physical therapist can demonstrate both methods for you during your physical therapy session to make it simpler for you to perform them at home as well. Place your feet about shoulder width apart and lean against a wall. Use your glutes to slowly raise yourself back up to the position of standing against the wall after attempting to hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
It’s crucial to meet face-to-face with your physical therapist to receive a personalized diagnosis of your knee discomfort and instruction on the best exercises to address it. There are many more knee exercises you can benefit from, but they are generally beneficial for a variety of knee pain sufferers. Don’t let knee discomfort prevent you from leading a fulfilling life.
