The knee is a very important part of the human body and when we exercise we tend to forget it. It’s not that we forget it’s there, but rather we forget to exercise it individually because we assume other leg exercises that we already do help to strengthen the knees. The knee is a complex joint that doesn’t simply need weight bearing exercises to strengthen it, but rather our own body weight. As someone who suffers from knee problems I am here to give some simple exercises that will help to improve knee stability and strength without all the heavy lifting.
Stretch and strengthen those hamstrings
While the ACL is an important ligament to protect in the knee it is just as important to strengthen the other ligaments that help to support the knee. Your hamstrings play a large part in the stability and flexibility of your knees, the less flexible your hamstrings the less flexible your knees and likewise when it comes to strength. No amount of lifting that you do can help to improve this and in fact too much heavy lifting can be a bad thing for the knee in general. Some of the best ways to strengthen and stretch your hamstrings include riding an elliptical or mountain bike and sitting and reaching out toward your toes with your legs in front of you. While running is typical in the exercise world I advise against it as it actually can damage your heels of your foot and your knee due to repeated impacts and the fact that the ground is not a flat surface, riding a bike is much better for your joints and works more parts of your body. The best way to strengthen the hamstrings apart from stretching is to do lunges and jumping jacks. This will help to strengthen your hamstrings as it causes them to stretch and bend and will also promote healthy healing in the area.
Do pushups and lots of them
This exercise may not seem like a good one for your knees, but it actually is. When you do a pushup you rely on not just your arms but your toes of your feet as well. The strength of your toes and of your feet help to give the rest of your leg added stability and the weight bearing caused by the pushup will also strengthen your thy muscles and calf muscles. This may not seem like an area to focus on when concerning the knee, but remember your leg is only as strong as its weakest point, if your calf is weak compared to the other muscles in your leg it will affect the overall support and stability of your knees. Your entire leg needs to be strong to help with absorption of impacts that your knee takes just from walking.
Leg hinges and rotations
Your knee is the central part of all leg movement and as a result it is often referred to as the hinge of the leg, doing similar to what the hinges on a door do, if a doors hinges are rusted it doesn’t work as well, the same goes for your knee. The best way to strengthen the knee itself and the muscles around it is to do leg hinges and knee rotations. When standing up you simply grab your foot on one leg and bend your leg backward and hold for ten seconds, this not only strengthens the muscles in your knee, but also loosens your hamstrings. You can also do this sitting down by simply moving your leg back as far as you can without discomfort and then pushing it out and holding for ten seconds. This helps to promote muscle growth around the knee as it will adapt to the weight and pressure from the hold. Another way to strengthen the knee is to do simple knee rotations. Turn your knee to the inside of your other leg and then outward, holding each pose for ten seconds, this will help to strengthen your knee and provide greater flexibility so that injuries are less likely to happen.
Note:All information provided within this article is through my own personal experience of the knee rehab process done through advice from medical professionals. For more information seek a medical professional or visit http://www.livestrong.com/article/371103-knee-strengthening-exercises-acl-damage/.
