Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis

Exercises for OA of the Knee
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/knee-pain-14/slideshow-knee-exercises

1. Exercises for
Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA)
YASHAR HABIBYAR
Phdcandidate of Biomechanics
SahandUniversity of Technology
Tabriz -IRAN

2. Cautioun:
THISTOOLDOESNOTPROVIDEVETERINARYADVICE.Itis
intendedforgeneralinformationalpurposesonlyanddoes
notaddressindividualcircumstances.Itisnotasubstitutefor
professionalveterinaryadvice,diagnosisortreatmentand
shouldnotbereliedontomakedecisionsaboutyourpet’s
health.Neverignoreprofessionalveterinaryadviceinseeking
treatmentbecauseofsomethingyouhavereadonthe
WebMDSite.Ifyouthinkyourpetmayhaveaveterinary
emergency,immediatelycallyourveterinarian.

3. HamstringStretch
Stretchingkeepsyou
flexibleandimprovesyour
rangeofmotion,orhowfar
youcanmoveyourjointsin
certaindirections.Italso
helpsyouloweryourodds
ofpainandinjuries.
Alwayswarmupwitha5-
minutewalkfirst.Liedown
whenyou'rereadyto
stretchyourhamstring.
Loopabedsheetaround
yourrightfoot.Usethe
sheettohelppullthe
straightlegup.Holdfor20
seconds,thenlowertheleg.
Repeattwice.Then,switch
legs.

4. CalfStretch
Holdontoachairfor
balance.Bendyourright
leg.Stepbackwithyourleft
leg,andslowlystraightenit
behindyou.Pressyourleft
heeltowardthefloor.You
shouldfeelthestretchin
thecalfofyourbackleg.
Holdfor20seconds.Repeat
twice,thenswitchlegs.
Formoreofastretch,lean
forwardandbendtheright
kneedeeper--butdon’tlet
itgopastyourtoes.

5. StraightLegRaise
Buildmusclestrengthto
helpsupportweakjoints.
Lieonthefloor,upperbody
supportedbyyourelbows.
Bendyourleftknee,footon
thefloor.Keeptherightleg
straight,toespointedup.
Tightenyourthighmuscles
andraiseyourrightleg.
Pause,asshown,for
3seconds.Keepyourthigh
musclestightandslowly
loweryourlegtothe
ground.Touchandraise
again.Dotwosetsof10
repetitions.Switchlegs
aftereachset.

6. QuadSet
Isthestraightlegraise
tootough?Doquadsets
instead.Withtheseyou
don’traiseyourleg.
Simplytightenthethigh
muscles,alsocalledthe
quadriceps,ofonelegat
atime.
Startbylyingonthefloor.
Keepbothlegsonground,
relaxed(leftphoto).Flex
andholdleftlegtensefor
5seconds(rightphoto).
Relax.Dotwosetsof10
repetitions.Switchlegs
aftereachset.

7. SeatedHipMarch
Strengthenyourhipsand
thighmuscles.Itcanhelp
withdailyactivitieslike
walkingorstandingup.
Situpstraightinachair.
Kickyourleftfootback
slightly,butkeepyourtoes
onthefloor.Liftyourright
footoffthefloor,kneebent.
Holdtherightlegintheair
3seconds.Slowlylower
yourfoottotheground.Do
twosetsof10repetitions.
Switchlegsaftereachset.
Toohard?Useyourhands
tohelpliftyourleg.

8. PillowSqueeze
Thismovehelpsstrengthen
theinsideofyourlegsto
helpsupportyourknees.Lie
onyourback,bothknees
bent.Placeapillow
betweentheknees.
Squeezeyourknees
together,squishingthe
pillowbetweenthem.Hold
for5seconds.Relax.Dotwo
setsof10repetitions.
Switchlegsaftereachset.
Tootough?Youcanalsodo
thisexercisewhileseated.

9. HeelRaise
Standtallandholdthe
backofachairfor
support.Liftyourheels
offthegroundandriseup
onthetoesofbothfeet.
Holdfor3seconds.Slowly
lowerbothheelstothe
ground.Dotwosetsof10
repetitions.
Tootricky?Dothesame
exercisewhilesittingina
chair.

10. SideLegRaise
Standandholdthebackof
achairforbalance.Place
yourweightonyourleftleg.
Standtallandlifttheright
legouttotheside--keep
therightlegstraightand
outer leg muscles
tensed.Hold3seconds,
thenslowlylowertheleg.
Dotwosetsof10
repetitions.Switchlegs
aftereachset.
Toohard?Increaseleg
heightovertime.Aftera
fewworkouts,you’llbeable
toraiseithigher.

11. SittoStand
Practicethismovetomake
standingeasier.Placetwo
pillowsonachair.Sitontop,
withyourbackstraight,feet
flatonthefloor(seeleft
photo).Useyourlegmuscles
toslowlyandsmoothlystand
uptall.Thenloweragainto
sit.Besureyourbentknees
don’tmoveaheadofyour
toes.Trywithyourarms
crossedorlooseatyour
sides.
Tootoughtodo?Add
pillows.Oruseachairwith
armrestsandhelppushup
withyourarms

12. OneLegBalance
Thismovehelpsyoubend
overorgetinandoutof
cars.
Standbehindyourkitchen
counterwithoutholdingon,
andslowlyliftonefootoff
thefloor.Thegoalistostay
balancedfor20seconds
withoutgrabbingthe
counter.Dothismove
twice,thenswitchsides.
Tooeasy?Balancefora
longertime.Ortryitwith
youreyesclosed.

13. StepUps
Dothistostrengthenyour
legsforclimbingsteps.
Standinfrontofstairs,and
holdontothebanisterfor
balance.Thenplaceyour
leftfootonastep.Tighten
yourleftthighmuscleand
stepup,touchingyourright
footontothestep.Keep
yourmusclestightasyou
slowlyloweryourright
foot.Touchthefloorandlift
again.Dotwosetsof10
repetitions.Switchlegs
aftereachset.

14. Walking
Evenifyouhavestifforsore
knees,walkingmaybea
greatexercise.Startslow,
standtall,andkeepatit.
Youcaneasejointpain,
strengthenyourleg
muscles,improveyour
posture,andimproveyour
flexibility.It'salsogoodfor
yourheart.
Ifyou'renotactivenow,
checkinwithyourdoctor
beforeyoustartanew
exerciseprogram.

15. Low-ImpactActivities
Otherexercisesthatare
easyonthekneesinclude
biking,swimming,and
wateraerobics.Water
exercisetakesweightoff
painfuljoints.Many
communityandhospital
wellnesscenters,gyms,and
poolsofferclassesfor
peoplewitharthritis.
Beingactivemayalsohelp
youloseweight,which
takespressureoffyour
joints.

16. HowMuchExercise?
Thirtyminutesadayisagood
goal.Startsmall,likewith10
minuteseveryotherday.If
youdon'thavepain,exercise
moretomeetthegoal.
Somemildmusclesorenessis
normalatfirst.It'sOKtowork
throughit.
Checkwithyourdoctorifyou
wanttotryover-the-counter
pain relieverslike
acetaminophen,ibuprofen,or
naproxentoeasethe
soreness.Icecanalsohelp.
Don'tignorepaininyour
joints,though.Letyourdoctor
knowifyouhaveany.

17. Reference:
Living With Knee Pain
Exercises for OA of the Knee
http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/knee-pain-14/slideshow-knee-
exercises