When we talk of exercises we usually discuss about cardiovascular exercises, weight training, bicep curls and leg exercises. These exercises are great for your health, but there are other exercises too that needs to be considered for problems related to bone. In the old age majority of people suffer from knee pain and knee injuries. They also have disorders like arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc which can be overwhelming. Knee strengthening exercises are indeed important because they increase your knee strength and improve your bones to lower down the chance of fatigue. Here are some knee exercises that you must try.
Exercise To Prevent Osteoarthritis
1. Leg Lifts
Leg lifts is a simple exercise but it can be challenging for your body as it involves quadriceps and abdominal muscles. Here is how you can do this exercise-
- Lie down on the floor with a back flat. Use a yoga mat or folded blanket for your comfort
- Not keep the left leg straight and bend your right leg slightly closer to the body.
- Pull the abdominal muscles inward and imagine it bending towards the floor. Put your lower back close to the floor now
- Place a hand beneath your lower back and make sure there is no gap between your lower back and the floor
- Now lift your left leg without bending the knee and keep the toes pointed towards the ceiling.
- Hold the leg up for about 5 seconds and then bring it slowly downwards.
- Repeat the same with other leg as well. Do this 10 times with each leg.
2. Hamstring curls while standing
So this is an exercise that puts direct pressure on the knees. It involves back of the thigh muscles and gluteal muscles. By doing this exercise you can ease movement of your knees and it can help you to walk and function well in the long term. Here is how you can do this exercise-
- First stand straight by keeping your knees just 1-2 inches apart. Hold the chair stable and counter loop another object to create balance.
- Now bend one knee from behind the body and lift the heel off the floor
- Continue to lift the knee until your thighs feel aligned to each other
- Once it reaches slightly more than 90 degree angle. Hold the knee in that position without any support or bending
- Now bring the leg down slowly and repeat the exercise with your other leg.
- Switch sides and repeat
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3. Step Exercise
Another very popular exercise that people usually do to maintain their knee strength is related to steps. Walking up and down the stairs can be beneficial but sometimes it is not feasible. Therefore in order to perform exercises in a better way, you need to-
- Use a large sturdy tool or exercise platform, it should not be taller than 6 inches
- Step up onto the stool with right foot and allow the left foot to follow behind
- Keep the body weight on the right foot and hold there for around 5 seconds
- Now gradually lower the left foot down and follow the same with the right foot
- Switch legs and repeat this exercise in a set of 3.
4. Wall Squats
Normal squats are usually known by all the people, but there is much more beneficial wall squats that can help your knees to increase its strength. It can also prevent you from getting arthritis and knee pain in the later stages of your life. Wall squats focus on the quadriceps and gluteal muscles. Here is how you need to do this exercise-
- Stand with the head, shoulders, back and hip against the wall
- Now step both feet about 24 inches away from the wall while keeping the back and rest of the body inclined to the wall
- Keep your legs hip width apart
- Slide the back down the wall and slowly until the body is almost to get into a normal sitting position.
- Hold the back for around 5 seconds and then slide back up
- Repeat this exercise for about 10 times in set of 2.
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