How to Do Knee Exercises for Seniors

Knees take a lot of punishment over a lifetime and knee pain is one of the major complaints among seniors. Prevention is the best approach to keeping knees healthy and avoiding painful and costly knee replacement surgery. Exercising the thigh muscles around the knee--the quadriceps and hamstrings--will strengthen your knees, increase their flexibility and range of motion and provide stability and balance when walking and standing. These are important benefits for seniors, so don't overlook your knees when preparing your exercise program!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Comfortable shoes
• Sturdy chair with arms

Strengthen Your Quadricep ( Front of the Thigh) Muscles

1. Sit in a chair with your back straight and the balls of your feet touching the floor. If your entire foot lies flat on the floor, sit on some cushions to lift yourself up so only the balls of your feet touch the floor. Your hands can be either resting on your thighs or holding the chair.

2. Bring your right leg in front of you and lift it very slowly until your knee is straight without feeling painful.

3. Point your toes back towards your head while in this position and hold for 3 seconds.

4. Lower your leg back slowly to the starting position, resting the balls of your feet on the floor.

5. Repeat the entire exercise with your left leg. You can repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times if comfortable.

Strengthen Your Hamstring (Back of the Thigh) Muscles

6. Sit up straight in a chair with arms that will not move as you do this exercise. Prop the chair against a wall if that will keep it stable. Place legs at a 45-degree angle with heels resting on the floor.

7. Dig your heels into the floor as you hold onto the arms of the chair. Hold that position for 5 seconds. You will feel your hamstring muscles tighten as you do this.

8. Relax for 10 seconds and then repeat 5 to 10 times.

Tips & Warnings

• Walk around your home for a few minutes before doing knee exercises to give your muscles a chance to warm and stretch.
• Repeat any knee exercise only 2 or 3 times in the beginning until you can gradually work up to more repetitions.
• As you feel your thighs becoming stronger, you can add weights to your ankles to provide more resistance.
• Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes to enhance your balance and avoid jerky movements when doing knee exercises.
• Ask your doctor whether knee exercises are safe for you before incorporating them into your seniors' exercise routine.
• Do not hold your breath when doing muscle-tightening exercises.
• Do not kneel directly on your knees when gardening or doing chores around the house. Seniors should use a low stool or padded kneepads.
• Do not exercise to the point that you start to feel pain.
• Knee exercises must be done very slowly and gradually increased to avoid putting too much stress on your muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!