Knee-Bend Exercises
You're already doing plenty of knee-bending in your everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs or getting into a car. Nevertheless, targeted exercises can improve strength, range of motion and flexibility at the knee joint. Always listen to your body's response to an exercise and back off if necessary. Also, check with a certified personal trainer or medical professional before adding knee-bend exercises to your routine.
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Deep Knee Bends
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The classic knee-bending exercise is more complex than you might think, and careful attention to form is the only way to avoid injury. Stand with feet about 12 to 18 inches apart and your toes pointed out a little wider than 10 and two on a clock face. Sink gradually and carefully down into a squat without leaning forward at the waist, which can hurt your back. Make your rise back to standing just as gentle.
Standing Knee Lifts
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Stand sideways near enough to a wall that you can touch it with your hand. Lift your outside foot as if you're marching. Hold your knee raised and bent for five to 10 seconds and return your foot to the floor. Turn the other side to the wall and repeat with the other leg.
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Hamstrings Contraction
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Start with your knees already bent as you lie on your back on a mat or the floor, as if about to do sit-ups. Press your heels into the floor and tense the muscles in the backs of your thighs (hamstrings). Hold for three to five seconds, then relax. Because it's an isometric exercise, this hamstrings contraction is recommended by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons even immediately after arthroscopic knee surgery.
Wall Sits or Squats
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Sit against the wall without any tools or movement, or add a stability ball behind your lower back and begin from a standing position with your feet out away from the wall at least as far as they were in the sit or would be from the back of a straight chair. Slide your back gently down the wall into a sitting position and hold the position for five to 10 seconds before sliding back up and relaxing.
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References
- The Walking Site.com: Exercises for Knee Strength and Flexibility
- Core Knowledge: Single Leg Balance
- The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Knee Arthroscopy Exercise Guide
- Advanced Fitness Assessment & Exercise Prescription; Vivian H. Heyward; 1991
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Collateral Ligament Injuries
