Want to take control of your knee pain while at home? Don’t get started on pain medications and opioids to help resolve your pain. Schedule your appointment to start with a natural treatment for your knee pain at Pittman Physical Therapy. While you’re waiting on your appointment, here are some exercises you can do on your own.
Knee Pain Exercises:
Increase your leg strength!
- Knee extension stretch. Lie on your stomach on a table/bed with your thighs at the end of the bed. Allow the leg to straighten out as much as possible. Hold for as long as you like until you feel a good stretch.
- Calf Raises. Begin by standing in front of a stable surface. Gently lift both heels off the ground and push up onto your toes keeping your knees straight. When fully lifted, slowly lower your heels back to the ground. Repeat 3 sets of 10.
- Standing Hip Abduction. Begin standing on flat ground. Place one hand on a railing or piece of stable furniture for stabilization. Lift the leg to be exercised out to the side while keeping the knee straight and toes pointed forward. Be sure to keep the trunk and pelvis pointed forward. Slowly lower back to starting position. Perform 2 sets of 10 for each leg.
- Standing Hip Extension. Begin standing on flat ground. Place one hand on a railing or piece of stable furniture for stabilization. Lift the leg to be exercised backward while keeping the knee straight. Do not lean forward or arch your back. Slowly lower back to starting position. Repeat as directed.
- Wall sits. Begin standing against the wall with feet shoulder width apart. Step an equally large step forward with both feet while keeping back pressed against the wall. Slide down the wall until your hips and knees are at 90 degrees. Hold that position. Hold for 30 seconds 4 times.
Improve patellar tracking!
- What do we mean by this? Your kneecap has a certain pattern that it slides up and down. It creates a “C” pattern when your knee bends.
- How to treat this? Leg lifts with external rotation to strengthen your adductors (the inside of your thighs) and musculature around the knee. Gliding your kneecap back and forth with aid with this too. Below is a description of a Leg lift with external rotation. Starting position is lying on your back, legs straight and arms to your side. Begin exercise by tightening abdominals and sliding your heel back until your knee is full bent. Then slowly rotate your hip to the side while lifting your foot off the floor and until the knee is pointing away from you. Keeping your leg in that position slowly straightens your knee out. Keeping your leg up and straight pulls your leg to the midline of your body and rotating your foot and leg in as it comes across. Then go back across to the side of your body rotating your foot and leg out. Return to the starting position in reverse by bending knee, rotating hip in, lowering foot to floor and sliding foot away from you until leg is straight. Keep abdominals tight through the entire movement. Perform 2 sets of 10 with each leg.
Maintain and increase flexibility!
- Powerful muscles become tighter, THIS IS IMPORTANT!
- It is useful that you refer back to the proper warmup/cool down provided earlier.
- The most common powerful muscle that becomes tighter is the Iliotibial Band aka the IT band.
Coordination and Balance Improvement
- Balance exercises to increase proprioception (sense of where you are in space) can help with the way you run and help with avoiding pain
Improve Agility!
- What is agility? Agility is the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness.
- Most runners casually run through their routines, so let’s mix it up a bit!
In conclusion
- Some questions you might still have are about what type of shoes to wear. Improper footwear can affect your running and actually cause pain symptoms. Unfortunately there is no perfect answer for what type of shoes you should get to run in, but there are footwear specialists that can help. Check out some of your local shoe stores! Shoes can change a runner’s life!
- If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at Pittman Physical Therapy. If you have any difficulty or sudden pain with these exercises STOP and speak with your physical therapist. It may just be time to come see us! Keep in mind we are constantly sanitizing our clinic and will keep you safe! Contact us at 901-614-3197.
