The knee joint is a complex joint containing lots of tendon, ligaments and cartilages. It plays a pivotal role in connecting upper leg muscles and tendons to lower leg. A weak knee joint is a common occurrence for people, irrespective of their gender or age. It could be because of arthritis, infections, gout or any injury resulting in torn cartilage and ruptured ligaments. Other risk factors contributing to weak knees are excessive body weight, injury prone sports, lack of muscle strength due to some muscular pathology. Therefore, learning how to strengthen your knees becomes very important.
Knee joint weakness may appear to be minor but if neglected may result in early degenerative changes leading to arthritis.
To stop the small issues from blowing up into bigger concerns, it is important that you should know how to strengthen knees.
How to strengthen your knees?
The best approach to strong knees is through regular exercises. Exercising regularly is one thing that always pays off to help you stay fit. There are three types of exercises that can be done to ensure healthy and strong knees. These include:
1.Flexibility exercises
2.Aerobic exercises
3.Strength training exercises.
Let us understand the role of each type of exercise in strengthening knees as each set of exercise plays an important role in maintaining the health and integrity of the knee joint, thereby improving their ability to move and function effortlessly.
1. FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES
As the name suggests, the exercises in this category are aimed at improving muscle flexibility. By increasing the range of motion of the knee joint, they help in reducing muscle stiffness. Simply put, this means increased flexibility helps improve the range of motion of joint ensuring that knees move freely through the full range of motion.
Quadriceps Stretch: Quadriceps(known as Quads) is the muscle on the front of the thigh muscle and helps maintain the knee in the extended or straight position.
How to do: Stand adjacent to a wall. Hold your ankle with your hand, and bend the leg backward, so as that your ankle touches your hip. You would feel the stretch at front of the thigh. Maintain this stretch for 30 sec. Release and do the same for the other leg. Repeat this for 5-10 reps each.
Hamstring Stretch: Hamstring(also known as Hams) is the muscle at the back of the thigh and helps in bending the knee.
How to do: Lie down flat on your back with knees bent. Take a long towel or dupatta, place the center of it on the sole of your foot and hold the towel from the ends. Now, lift that leg up towards ceiling without bending the knee. You will feel a stretch behind the back of your leg. Maintain this stretch for 30 sec. Release and do the same for the other leg. Repeat this for 5-10 reps each.
Calf stretch: Calf muscle is the muscle at the back of lower leg. It plays an important role in knee joint mechanism.
How to do: In long sitting position(sitting with legs straight). Bend one knee inwards towards groin making sure your sole rests on the inner thigh of other leg. Now pull the foot towards you of the straight leg. Make sure you don’t lift up your leg or bend your knee. Only your foot moves forward towards you creating a stretch at calf muscle. Maintain this stretch for 30 sec. Release and do the same for the other leg. Repeat this for 5-10 reps each.
All these stretches relax the taut and stiff muscles thereby increasing flexibility and pain-free full range of movement.
2. AEROBIC EXERCISES
Aerobic exercises bestow multiple benefits to the human body. Primarily used to keep the body’s weight in check, aerobic exercises also do wonders for the knee joint. Aside from the well-known fact that they improve stamina and reduce fatigue, aerobic exercises also strengthen the heart and make the lungs more efficient. Some of the common aerobic exercises are as follows:
Brisk Walking
This is one of the best knee-strengthening aerobic activities. While a 30-minute brisk walking session at least 5 days a week is the ideal recommendation, it is okay to initially start slow with three 10 minutes walking sessions spread out throughout the day.
Brisk walking reduces inflammation and muscle stiffness, without worsening existing knee conditions. It is, therefore, considered to be one of the best methods of strengthening knees. The fact that it remains popular even today, in a world overflowing with new age exercises and forms, says a lot about its positive impact on overall health. If you have been wondering how to strengthen knees, then a brisk walk is a good thing to start with.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the most enjoyable forms of exercise in summers. It not only reduces muscle stiffness but also increases the circumference of joints movements with added flexibility and strengthening. In addition, it improves balance and coordination between joints and muscles. Swimming strengthens the hips, knees, shoulders and the chest while having minimum impact on the joints. A 30-minute swimming session, 5 days a week can be very beneficial to the knees. At the same time, it ensures overall cardio fitness.
Cycling
The knee joint is a complex one, making it more prone to injury and pain. Cycling builds up the thigh muscles that essentially protect the knees, stabilize them and absorb shock in case of sudden falls, reducing knee damage and ache. Also, cycling helps to maintain the lubrication in the knee joints and builds up their tone, lending them extra strength. Start cycling and stop wondering how to make knees stronger, now you know!
During cycling, hips and knees stretch through their complete range of motion while cycling. This strengthens the muscles of the thigh and calf, thereby providing vital support to all the joints of lower limbs, including the knee joints. A 30-minute ride at least 5 days a week is usually recommended to help strengthen not just the knee joints, but also all the others below the waist.
3. STRENGTH TRAINING EXERCISES
These exercises are used to maintain and/or improve the muscle strength. Strong muscles support and protect the joints, preventing joint ailments as well as improving their health. A few strengthening exercises that can be followed to ensure the strengthening of the knees are:
1. Chair Sit-ups
Sit on a chair that does not revolve or has no wheels. Slowly, rise up using the legs and the hip, keeping the back straight. Use the elbow-rests for support if required. Stand-up straight and sit-back down. Perform 20 repetitions of this chair sit-up anytime throughout the day. This movement strengthens the hips, knees as well the feet.
2. Leg Raises
Lie down on the back and place the hands on the sides, palms facing down. While keeping both legs straight, slowly raise the right leg using the abdominal muscles, hold it in the air for 5 seconds and bring it back down. Repeat on each leg 10 times. This exercise also strengthens the core muscles that support the spine.
3. Knee Rolls
Lie down on the back, hands on the side and bend the legs at the knees so that the feet touch the ground. Inhale, and slowly lower both knees towards the ground on the right side. Hold for 5 seconds and come back to the starting position. Repeat on the left side. Repeat 20 times on both sides. This exercise relieves stiffness of the hips and the abdominal muscles while strengthening the knees.
So grab your shoes, tie your laces and stop thinking how to make knees stronger! Start with stretching, extend to aerobics and end with strength-training exercises.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
-For those suffering from long-standing joint pains or ailments of any kind, high-impact exercises must be avoided, unless given a green chit by your doctor.
-Wearing proper, comfortable, well-ventilated clothing and footwear when exercising is an obvious, unwritten rule to be followed at all times.
-Rest is as important as the exercise itself. Not getting enough rest may cause a new injury.
-An expert’s supervision is recommended while working out with heavy equipment.
-Patients with heart conditions and other chronic health conditions should always consult a doctor before taking up a new exercise regime.
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