Knee Injury Exercises

The knee is a very important and the largest joint in our body. It is a connection between two important bones of our body, tibia and femur. Knee is also one of the most common injured joints of human body. There are two types of knee injuries, chronic and acute. Acute knee injury is a result of sudden blow or twist in the knee, this is a common reason for knee injuries in sports. While chronic injury is usually a result of overuse of the knee joint. Knee injury exercises are usually recommended for the recovery of the injured knee.

The initial treatment for injured knee is to take rest and stop all the activities that can bring stress on the knee. Get some ice, put it in a towel and wrap it above the injured region. Then consult a physician at the earliest and get an appropriate injured knee treatment. Knee injuries result into swelling of the knee joint, which persists for some days. Once the injury heals and swelling reduces, one should move on to perform knee exercises, if recommended by your physician.

Knee Injury Exercises
Exercises for injured knees are also known as rehabilitation exercises. The rehabilitation depends on the severity of the injured knee. These exercises are a must because they help to strengthen the weak muscles and ligaments of the injured knee and thereby, promote flexibility in the knee joint. Below listed are some of the exercises for knee injuries and pain.

NOTE: Some knee injury diagnosis may be serious and the person can be prohibited from performing any such knee exercises. Thus, these exercises should be performed only when the doctor has diagnosed the knee injury and recommended that it is safe to perform knee exercises for your injured knee. Knee exercises after injury should be performed only when the swelling has reduced completely.

Leg Raise
To perform leg raise follow the steps given below:

• Lie on a exercise mat and then keep your legs straight.
• Bend your left leg by keeping foot on the floor.
• Now, raise your right leg 4-5 inches above the floor and hold it for few seconds.
• Repeat the steps for 5-10 times for each leg.

Hip Strength
Here are the steps to perform hip strength exercise:

• Use an exercise mat and lay down on your left side, with your left arm supporting your head.
• Now, raise your right leg towards ceiling and keep left leg flat on the floor.
• Keep the toes of both the legs straight, pointed ahead.
• Repeat the steps with your right leg and do 5-10 repeats for each leg.

Inner Thigh Strength
Follow the steps given below to perform this knee exercise:

• Lie down on your back on an exercise mat.
• Raise both your legs in a straight manner, such that they make a right angle with the floor.
• Now place a rolled soft towel between your knees.
• Bring your thighs together to squeeze the towel and hold for five seconds.
• Repeat for 5-10 times.

Hamstring Strength
The steps required to perform hamstring strength are given below:

• Take an exercise mat and lay down on your stomach. Fold your arms for resting your head.
• Now, bend your left knee and reach towards your hips.
• Have a control on your thigh muscles and do not apply jerk while bending your leg.
• Repeat the steps for opposite leg. 5-10 repeats for each leg.

Knee injuries usually require a long time to recover and heal. You should not suddenly start with rehabilitation exercises, when your knee/knees are injured. The exercises should be done in a gradual manner by increasing the count. You should stop exercising if you experience any pain while performing knee exercises. Knee injury exercises help to recover the problems in the knee joint and help in making easy movements.