What are a few workouts that benefit knee injuries?
Suffering through a knee injury can be a terrible feeling. In some cases, it may be something as simple as hearing a concerning pop or crack in your knee every time you walk downstairs or get up from a seated position. In more serious cases, you might have trouble walking without severe pain.
Personal trainers are well-versed in helping clients get over a variety of injuries. Today, we’re going to look at some of the best knee injury workouts that a personal trainer will be able to assist you with to alleviate both injuries and chronic knee pain.
Squats
Squats are one of the most common and effective exercises for a knee injury workout. It’s basically the act of sitting down and standing up, but without a chair involved. This is a great exercise for your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and other lower body muscles.
In addition to stabilizing the knee joint, doing squats will help improve their flexibility and range of motion. This is a great exercise to use with a barbell and weights, but you want to start out light so that you don’t further injure yourself.
Straight Leg Raises
Straight leg raises are very helpful in strengthening your quadriceps, improving your range of motion, and preventing your knee joint from becoming misaligned. Your holistic fitness trainer or physical therapist will help you modify your straight leg raises to target either your inner or outer thigh muscles, as needed.
To perform this exercise, lie on your back with one leg straight and the other bent. Lift the straight leg up, keeping it straight and at the same level as the bent leg. Switch legs and repeat.
Hamstring Stretch
Another common exercise to help with knee function is the hamstring stretch. This exercise stretches the muscles of the back of your thigh that are attached to the knee joint. If your knee has been experiencing pain and stiffness, this might be due to tight hamstrings.
With certain types of injuries, a hamstring stretch may not be feasible. Your personal trainer will discuss this with you and decide whether or not to add it to your workout.
Glute Bridges
Glute bridges are another exercise that will strengthen the muscles around your knee joints, in addition to those around your hips. This exercise will help strengthen your gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and lower back muscles.
They’re one of the most important knee injury workout exercises that you’ll want to add to your repertoire. To perform this exercise, lay on your back, knees slightly bent and your feet flat on the floor. Lift your hip toward the ceiling while squeezing your glute muscles.
Wall Sits
Not only is this exercise one of the easiest to perform on this list, but it’s also one of the most effective. All you have to do is stand with your back against the wall and then slide down so that your knees reach a 90-degree angle, thighs parallel to the floor.
Then, hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds before returning to your original standing position. Just keep in mind that this exercise does place stress on the knee joint, so ask your personal trainer if it’s right for you.
Donkey Kicks
Like the glute bridges, this exercise will strengthen your gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. Donkey kicks also improve hip mobility and flexibility to reduce strain on your knees. They’re also effective in improving your knee joint’s alignment and functionality, which will reduce your risk of further injury and pain.
To perform a donkey kick, first get on your hands and knees. Next, lift one of your legs up and back, holding it at a 90 degree angle.
Leg Extensions
With this exercise, you’re actually going to need a leg extension machine. Sit on the machine, set your desired weight, and extend your legs in front of you. Leg extensions are very effective in strengthening your quadriceps and preventing your knee joint from becoming misaligned.
As with other exercises on this list, it will also assist you with reducing stiffness and pain while improving range of motion. This is another exercise that some may need to skip, so check with your personal trainer.
Contact Dunedin Fitness and Motion for a Great Knee Injury Workout
Dunedin Fitness and Motion can assist you with developing a knee injury workout that will target all the right muscles, help heal your current injury, reduce chronic pain, and prevent further injury. If you have any questions about any of the exercises we’ve listed here or are interested in learning why our personal trainer in Dunedin is the best in the area, call us at (727) 755-3485 today.
