Knee pain can be irritable and can sometimes impact your day-to-day activities. Here is a list of some exercises you can do that can potential help and reduce your knee pain.
- Leg extensions: Leg extensions primarily target the quadricep muscles. Stronger quads can help stabilize that knee joint, which is beneficial for knee pain, weakness, and stability. To do leg extensions you simply:
- Sit in a chair that allows your knees to be bent 90 degrees.
- Set your feet flat on the floor and look straight out in front of you, relaxed.
- Extend one leg up at a time, pointing your toes in the air.
- Do a couple sets of 10 on each leg or until there is discomfort in the knee.
- Wall sits: Wall sitting is a low impact exercise that can also strengthen your quadriceps, which is beneficial for stabilizing the knee and surrounding areas. To do this low impact exercise you can simply:
- Stand with your back against the wall.
- With your back against the wall, lower your body into a squat position or until your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
- Hold the position for a comfortable amount of time or until your knees experience discomfort. We recommend doing short durations of time for longer sets, allowing for adjustments and minimal knee discomfort.
- Heel slides: Heel slides help with mobility and knee comfort. They can increase the range of motion while limiting pain and discomfort. To do a heel slide you simply:
- Lay on your back, on a comfortable surface
- Start with your hands either on your chest or to your side, with your knees bent towards the sky and your heels just below your waste.
- Gradually slide one heel outward at a time and then slide it back just as slowly. You should feel slight friction between your heel and the ground, but this is ok.
- If this causes discomfort, slow down or slightly raise your heel to reduce the friction when performing the heel slides.
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