080313 Strengthen your leg muscles and avoid potential knee pain-part two

Strengthen your leg muscles and avoid potential knee pain-part two

Dr. Michael J Bronson M.D., the chief of joint replacement surgery at Mount Sinai, is quick to add that not all knee pain in middle-aged to older adults results from osteoarthritis. Pain may result from ligament and tendon injuries or other forms of arthritis, such as gout, along with other diseases such as fibromyalgia.

Since the origins of the pain may be varied, it is best to get an evaluation from your physician as to the specific causes of your knee pain.

Three strength-training exercises that will increase the strength of your thighs include

1. a seated quad set and vastus medialis obliquus stretch,
2. a quad stretch and
3. Chair squat.

The first exercise, seated quad set, is done while sitting in a chair. Start out with your feet flat on the floor and raise one leg straight out in front. Keep your toes pointed toward the ceiling and outward. Hold this static contraction for 5 to 10 seconds. After holding this position for 5 to 10 seconds, straighten your foot out and then lower back to the floor. Do this exercise 10 to 15 times on each leg several times a day.

Exercise number two, the quad stretch, also done a sitting position begins in the same position as a seated quad set. However, instead of raising the leg, you will take one leg and cross it behind the other until the top part of this foot is behind the calf of the other leg. From this position, start gently pressing forward on the other leg as if trying to straighten it out. In order to prevent this from happening you must push back with the bent leg as hard as possible for 5 to 10 seconds. After this time has elapsed slowly lift the top leg straight out, then slowly lower it back to the floor. Repeat this exercise 10 to 15 times several times a day.

Exercise number three is the chair squat. Start with a chair secured against the wall so it won’t move or fall over backwards when you sit it. While sitting in the chair cross your arms across your chest and then stand up. Putting your arms across your chest like this prevents you from pushing on your thighs to stand up, which negates the benefits of the exercise. Do as many of these as you can in one minute. As in the previous two exercises, do this multiple times a day. Gradually add more repetitions during the 60 seconds of exercise.