I was experimenting with different exercises in the clinic around the time I started seeing John.
John is middle aged and average in every way shape and form. One thing that sticks out, though, is this large, gnarly scar on his right was knee.
John had gotten run over by a snowmobile about two years prior to seeing me. He walked with a cane in an attempt to offset the pain he felt in his knee due to early onset of severe osteoarthritis in his knee. There was nothing left of his meniscus or cartilage. It was bone on bone.
He was prescribe physical therapy for the pain and was looking into getting the knee replaced if physical therapy didn’t work.
John never got that knee replacement. He instead got adjustable ankle weights.
When I was experimenting with different exercises, I poured over research about ways people were able to reduce their symptoms and improve their function.
QUADRICEPS STRENGTHENING
When knee osteoarthritis worsens, people tend to keep their knees bent while walking to avoid having to straighten or bend it repeatedly. When the knee isn’t constantly flexed it becomes painful to walk on.
Patients are found in a tough spot because they can’t bend or straighten their knee without experiencing pain.
In physical therapy, we try to get patients to strengthen their quadriceps muscles to help with their pain from knee osteoarthritis. Some exercises work better than others, and you’d have to be sure you’re matched with a great physical therapist who’s going to make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly.
So, instead of you having to go out and find a physical therapist who, hopefully, knows how to best treat your knee, I’m giving it to you here.
The best three exercises for getting rid of pain and preventing you from getting a total knee replacement are the Straight Leg Raise, Seated Knee Extension, and Supine Knee Extension.
These three exercises will strengthen your quadriceps at your hip and at your knee. By strengthening in these two regions, you can take a lot of pressure off of your knees and alleviate any pain you have.
You’ll just want to use ankle weights because you’ll need to progress the exercises to make sure the muscle is being properly stimulated; the exercises should be moderately difficult. So, for that reason, I recommend using adjustable ankle weights. Keep this in mind for how many sets and reps you’ll have to perform. That’s 3 sets of 8 reps.
Straight Leg Raise – Lie on your back with your opposite knee bent. Raise your leg, keeping it straight against the weight of the ankle weight. Return to starting position.
Seated Knee Extension – Extend your knee against the ankle weight and hold it straight for 10 seconds before slowly lowering your leg to the starting position.
Supine Knee Extension – Lie on your back with both knees extended. Extend your leg against the ankle weight, keeping your thighs parallel, for four seconds. Slowly lower the leg to the starting position, again, keeping your thighs parallel.
For a video demonstration of the exercises, check out Better With Brando on YouTube, or check out the video here:
Knee Arthritis: You Don’t Need Surgery, You Need These 3 Exercises – Physical Therapy Recommended
https://youtu.be/cr7-WFPXeTI
Enjoy!