Knee pain and problems can result from injury, overuse or age. Keeping our knee joints in proper working condition is necessary for ensuring the proper alignment of our bodies, including our hips, back and shoulders. Therefore, keeping our knees in good working condition is essential. Here are 3 exercises to help strengthen the knees.

Hamstring Curls

Hamstring Curls work the muscle group that is located in the upper quadrant of the back portion of your leg. These muscles connect your hips to your knees and are necessary for walking, climbing, biking, running and jumping. There are a number of ways to perform this exercise, including standing, seated, lying on your stomach or on your side. The key movement is to create a hinge motion in your knee with your legs hip-width apart as you raise your foot toward your buttocks. As you progress with this move, you can add resistance bands or ankle weights for more tension.

knees

Step Exercises

The simple motion of walking up and down a step, or step exercises, is essential to retaining and strengthening mobility the knee. This exercise can be performed in your home by walking up and down the bottom step of your stairs. Once this motion has been mastered, consider walking up by placing the side of your body toward the stairs and performing a lateral motion. Remember to always work both legs, and consider adding hand weights as you become more comfortable with this motion.

Squats

When people hear squats, they tend to shy away from this exercise, but squats can be performed in a variety of ways depending on your level of comfort. For beginners, it is suggested that they start with wall squats. Putting your back against the wall and your feet out in front of you, slide up and down the wall. To be sure you are performing the exercise correctly, be sure that your knees come out over your toes as you raise and lower yourself. Once you have mastered this technique, start to pull yourself away from the wall to perform this exercise. The final stage would be to perform this exercise with hand weights.

The process of rebuilding knee strength and mobility takes time. Find a few minutes a day to work on one or more of these exercises. Remember to be patient and add complexity and weight slowly.

If you’re already experiencing issues with your knees, we can help. Request an appointment at VCOM Sports and Osteopathic Medicine. We look forward to seeing you!