Knee injuries are most times caused by the weak knee joint components, therefore strengthening the knee joint through engaging in knee strengthening exercises is one of the best ways to make a weak knee stronger and to keep the knee joint healthy.
The best knee strengthening exercises will not only make a weak knee stronger, but it will also help reduce knee pain significantly if you are already dealing with one injury or the other.
Therefore, knee exercises are not only suitable for active folks like the runners, basketball players, and other athletes, it is also good physiotherapy for folks who work on their feet all day, putting excess pressure on their feet and ultimately on the knee joint.
In this article, we write about some exercises you can engage in to help strengthen weak knees. This will keep you less prone to injuries or make you recover faster from any knee injuries.
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Why you need to strengthen your knee joint
The knee joint is the most used joint in the body and the largest joint. It is used for many activities like running, walking, hiking, and climbing, and so on. You cannot stand correctly without your knee joint, therefore, we can refer to the knee joint as one of the most important joints in the body system.
Due to these activities, knee components like the ligament, tendon, cartilage, and other parts making up the knee joint are always at risk. The ACL and meniscus can get torn and some other unfortunate incidence can happen to the knee joint.
Strengthening the knee joint ensures that the knee joint is strong and tough enough to withstand much pressure and stress put on it.
Note: Ensure you check in with your doctor if you feel much pain in the knee. This will help you ascertain what you needed most which in some cases might not be an exercise.
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What are the Benefits of Exercises to Knee Strengthening?
Osteoarthritis is a knee condition that could only be managed and the arthritis foundation already noted that knee exercise is one of the best and most effective ways to treat osteoarthritis without the use of surgery.
Benefits of Knee Exercises Include:
- Strength: The exercises will help strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint. When there are stronger supports around the knee joint, it adequately alleviates stress and pressure on the knee joint.
- Reduces Pain: Regular knee strengthening exercise can greatly reduce the pain in the knee joint. By strengthening the muscles around the knee joint, the knee will become more stable and bone get less impacted during non-weight bearing which results in lesser knee pain
- Increase Range of Motion: Regular knee exercises will increase the flexibility of the knee joint and reduce pain, thereby increasing how much you can use the knee. People who regularly exercise their knee have the advantages of the ability to bend their knee further, walking long distances and easily get out of a chair.
- Weight Loss: Exercising the Knee joint will help you burn some fats in the body to leave you with healthy body weight.
- Healthy Cartilage: The cartilage needs more exercise to squeeze out Synovial fluid that keeps the knee joint lubricated. When the knee joint is exercised, the cartilage is squeezed to release this fluid that delivers nutrients and lubrication to the rest of the knee joint.
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Top 6 Knee Strengthening Exercises for Weak Knees
Do you want to know the best ways to strengthen a weak knee? Here are the top six ways to strengthen a weak knee:
Best Exercise Bike (Stationary bike)
Exercise bikes can either be recumbent or upright exercise bike and the best exercise bike will be the one that suits your needs most. An exercise bike is good to warm up before starting other rigorous knee exercises.
The stationary bike does not only help the knee joints, but it is also a great gadget that strengthens the muscles that support the back, leg, thigh, and hamstring muscles.
See: Best exercise bike with moving arms
Leg Raises Lifts
If your knee is not at its best, you can start from simpler exercises. This exercise strengthens the quadriceps which is the muscles in the front of the thigh as it also puts little strain on the knee and ultimately strengthens the knee.
- How it is done: Lie on the floor or other flat surfaces through your back. Bend one knee at maximum angle 45-degrees with the other leg lying straight on the floor. Raise the straight leg up to the height of the opposite bent knee. Repeat for about 10-20 times. Interchange the leg and repeat the procedure.
- Safety Caution: Do not arch your back when performing this exercise and people with underlining back injuries like fracture should not engage in this exercise.
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Hamstrings Curl Exercise
This exercise targets the muscles at the back of your thigh and helps in strengthens them. This can be done in two ways – Standing and lying position.
- How it is done: Stand straight with your legs closely beside each other. You can get something to hold unto for extra balance to prevent falling. Keep the thighs together and bend one knee such that the heel almost tough your buttocks. Repeat this for about 10-20 times and then interchange the legs and repeat the procedure. For Lying Position: Lie on your stomach on a flat surface with your legs close together. Raise your heels by bending the knee such that your heel will almost touch your butts. Repeat for about 10-20 times and interchange the legs.
- Safety Cautions: On lying position, be careful not to forcefully hit your toes on the floor or against the other leg.
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Straight Leg Raise
This exercise helps you tighten and strengthen the butts and hamstring muscles.
- How it is done: Lie flat on your stomach. Tighten the muscles of your butt and hamstring of one leg. Lift the entire leg as high as you can for about 3 seconds. Lower the legs and repeat for about 10-15 times. Interchange the leg and repeat the procedures.
- Safety Caution: If you have back pain, try not to raise your legs too high during the exercise. If the back pain is much, please, refrain from the exercise.
Wall Squats
The exercise targets the Quadriceps and gluteal muscles and helps strengthen them
- How it is done: Stand against the wall with your head, shoulders, back and butts closely against the wall. Keep your feet together and move it forward from the wall, say about 20-24 inches. Slide your back down into a squatting position until your body is above sitting position. Hold on for about 4 seconds and slide up. Repeat this for as long as you can.
- Safety Caution: Gently engage in this and you should not be too fast. Also, ensure the squat is not too low.
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Final Words
Either you are an athlete or active person due to your working nature, the last thing you want is an excruciating knee pain resulting from knee injuries. Weak knees are more susceptible to injuries, leading to the non-weight bearing.
This is why you need to strengthen the muscle around the knee joint. The best way to this is to engage in some knee strengthening exercises. This will ensure that you are less susceptible to knee and even further help you recover faster from knee conditions such as osteoarthritis.