3 Exercises That Help You If You Have Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis causes pain and inflammation of the joint due to progressive deterioration. To improve your symptoms, some exercises can be very beneficial.
Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that affects this joint, especially in elderly women. It is the consequence of progressive wear and tear, as well as the loss of cartilage tissue.
In this article we share some exercises that can help you if you suffer from knee osteoarthritis. With patience and discipline you can alleviate the discomfort and slow down the deterioration a bit. Keep reading!
About knee osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis can lead to movement disability, although symptoms and severity vary from person to person. What is known is that, with the passage of time, there is a progressive deterioration.
In a first stage, the person begins to suffer pain that increases progressively, especially when we do some physical activity. Stiffness and inflammation are also suffered.
Do you have treatment?
Treatment also depends on the intensity of symptoms, from medication to surgery. However, drugs can alleviate the symptoms but not cure this disease. Therefore, it is important to look for complementary techniques that help us to give relief.
It is also essential that the person avoid being overweight, since this affects the knees with great pressure. This can be achieved with regular low-impact aerobic exercise and a balanced diet.
In addition, you must make changes in physical activities that harm you, either by movement or by being too long in rest in the same position. Knee pads can also be used.
Exercises that help you if you have knee osteoarthritis
Some supervised and scheduled exercises to do at home may work well for knee osteoarthritis. However, these must be done consistently. If they were stopped, after 6 months the effectiveness achieved would be lost.
1. Hamstring stretch
This stretch should always be done after having been in motion, that is, with the joint warm. We can do it, for example, when we get home or after a walk. This first exercise combats stiffness and extends the range of motion. It can also reduce pain and the risk of injury.
- First, lie on your back.
- Next, put an elastic band or a sheet around one of the feet.
- Keep the other leg bent and stretch the one we have held by the foot as much as we can, stretching the tip of the foot towards our body and upwards.
- Stretch for about 15 seconds or more gradually and repeat with the other leg.
- Repeat 2 times with each leg.
2. Calf stretch
To relieve knee osteoarthritis it is very important to keep your legs toned and flexible at the same time. By strengthening all the muscles that surround the knee we can facilitate the work of the joint. Therefore, in this second exercise we focus on the calf.
- Standing, put your hands on the wall just in front of your chest.
- Next, put one leg closer to the wall a little bent and stretch the one behind with the heel on the floor. We should feel the calf stretch as we press against the wall.
- Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and move to the other leg.
- Repeat 3 times with each leg 1 time a day.
3. Quadriceps strengthening
In this last exercise we focus on strengthening the quadriceps. This large thigh muscle acts as an important stabilizer for the knee.
- First, lie on your back with one leg bent and the other straight.
- Place a rolled towel under the knee of the outstretched leg.
- Next, squeeze your quadriceps while pressing on the towel.
- Maintain this pressure for 5 seconds and release gently.
- Rest 5 seconds and repeat up to 10 times.
- Do the same with the other leg.
- This exercise can be done 2 or 3 times each day.
These 3 exercises are simple and help us to give our knee mobility while reducing inflammation and pain. The legs will gradually tone up and we will be able to notice a significant improvement if we accompany it with regular physical activity.
