exercise for knee pain

How To Exercise With Knee Pain

Knee pain is one of the biggest problems that people have when it comes to barriers to exercise.

It is one of the most deflating feelings to have pain when you are trying to work out. Hope is not lost though, as there are many ways that you can overcome this challenge and reap the benefits of exercise.

In this article we have four ways to exercise with knee pain:

Best Exercise For Knee Pain

1. Avoid Excessive Knee Bending

Avoid any exercise that involves bending your knee

Exercises like squats, lunges, leg press and leg extensions all place strain on the knee and are best done cautiously, if not avoided. Whilst that seems incredibly limiting, there are many other ways to train your legs in a safer and more pain-free way. Most gyms have custom equipment for low impact leg exercises and Personal Trainers have dozens of different low-impact leg exercises for you!

2. Train With Resistance Bands:

Train with resistance bands

Resistance bands allow you to apply resistance to any area you light, without an impact. When it comes to exercising the legs, this can be done by looping a resistance band around your ankles, keeping one foot as an anchor point and either pushing forward (to target the quads) or pushing backwards (to target the hamstrings) with the alternate leg.

3. Consider Water

Another issue with knee problems is that it becomes very difficult to get in cardio activity such as HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or running, as it will illicit pain. Therefore, some light resistance training in a pool can be very effective in raising your heart rate and improving your cardiovascular fitness, without further irritating your knee. You can do this by doing water aerobics. Or even just swimming a few laps!

4. Consider Daily Walks

Consider going for daily walks

Walking is an excellent way to improve your fitness and it is low impact enough to not affect your knee badly. Walking can also help rehabilitate a knee injury by lightly compressing the knee capsule to keep the synovial fluid flowing – often the stiffness associated with ongoing knee issues is one of the worst factors.

Conclusion:

Having knee problems is a huge bummer when it comes to exercise. However, the tips mentioned in this article should help you overcome its challenges and take back control of your workout regime. It is important to note that visiting a physiotherapist is probably a great option to get yourself properly assessed and rehabilitated if your injury is chronic. And of course, fitness trainers at your local gym or health club are specialists in exercise for all types of issues. There’s always a form of exercise that can be done, no matter what your limitations may be!

 

When starting any new diet or nutritional program, we recommend that you seek the advice and support of a qualified professional to ensure that it is suitable for you and your individual circumstances.