If your knees hurt or hurt you at the gym, it could be because you sit there all day.
The best way to protect your knees is to do exercises that build and stretch your leg muscles.
To keep your joints healthy, try to move around a lot and improve your balance and stability.
A physical therapist says that doing some simple exercises can help keep you on track when you have knee pain.
As part of Operation Walk, physical therapist Andrey Simeonovski just got back from a week in Kathmandu helping people who had knee replacement surgeries get better.
He said that one of the most important things he learned from the experience is that doing the same things over and over again can hurt you, whether you’re sitting all day or doing physical chores over and over again.
“It’s a variety of movements that are important for your health in your body,” said Simeonovski.
Here are some workouts that will improve the muscles around your joints by giving them a range of motion. As always, it’s best to work out with a certified trainer or see a doctor first if you already have problems.
Lateral “monster walks” can relieve knee and back pain.
Resistance bands are a great way to build muscle that helps keep the knee joint stable.
Simeonovski said that the “monster walk,” which involves walking back and forth with a band around your legs or feet, is a popular exercise he does for his back, knees, and hips.
The strain in the band works the hips, which can become weak from sitting all day. Working them out helps to keep the body stable.
Simeonovski said, “It makes the low back less stressed.”
Quad stretches help take pressure off your knees.
To sum up, Simeonovski says that tight quads can cause knee pain because they pull on the knee and cause problems.
The hip flexors can be opened up and the quads can get longer with a couch stretch.
Simeonovski usually suggests a form of the stretch that is done with the knees raised:
Put one knee on a box or bench close to the wall. Move the shin and top of the foot to rest flat against the wall while bending that knee.
It’s best to take it easy on the stretch if it hurts, especially if you got hurt.
Simeonovski said that the best way to avoid getting hurt is to pay attention. If something hurts so much that it gets in the way, stop doing it, and don’t do it again.
“Pain that lingers is a red flag,” he stated.
Hamstring curls can protect your knees from injury.
Simeonovski said that people often forget to work out their hamstrings, which are the muscles on the back of the leg. We pay most attention to the quads on the front of the leg. But that can make it more likely to hurt knee ligaments because the quads can put too much pressure on the ACL without the hamstrings to protect it.
Nordic leg curls are a good way to build your hamstrings.
Get on your knees and hold your feet in place. You can use a special mat or bench, tuck them under a couch or other piece of furniture, or have someone hold them. As if you were doing a push-up, slowly lower yourself to the ground until you land on your hands. Make sure your waist, hips, and shoulders stay in a straight line.
It can be hard to do this workout. If you don’t feel like you’re in charge, put a resistance band behind you and use your body weight to help balance it out. That will make it easier to move.
Step-ups strengthen the knee and help fix imbalances.
The step-up is one of Simeonovski’s favorite ways to strengthen his lower body and keep his joints healthy.
Put one foot on a stool, bench, box, or set of stairs as you stand in front of them. Pressing through that foot, pull your body up onto the step. Then, go back to where you started. Do it again, switching which foot you started with.
As well as working the core, step-ups work the hips, legs, and quads without putting too much stress on the joints. Moving from side to side can also help you keep your balance.
Start out slowly and add more weight, height, or pressure as you get used to the workout. Both squats and lunges are good for you, but if you already have an injury, you may need to change how you do them.
Simeonovski said he likes these moves better than exercises like knee extensions, which might not be bad for your joints but don’t make you as stable.
Rotational exercise helps to offset damage from sitting.
Tightness in one place can lead to pain and other problems in other places.
For example, knee pain and strain can get worse when you have back problems.
So, Simeonovski tells people who have knee pain and spend a lot of time sitting to do the open book practice. It’s not directly for the knees, but it can help with movement in general.
Get on the floor or a mat and lie down with your arms out in front of you. Your knees and hips should be bent 90 degrees. Slowly move your upper arm up and across your body as far as you can without hurting yourself. This will slowly twist your spine. Go back to the starting position and do the practice again, making sure to do it on both sides.
From a half-kneeling pose, you can also do the same movement.
Take breaks for movement throughout the day.
Simeonovski says that regularity is the best way to protect and improve your joints, especially if you sit all day.
Regularly get up and move around. If you need to, set an alarm to remind yourself to stretch, go for a short walk, or do something else that will give your body a break from doing the same thing over and over.
“Staying in one position is a problem long-term,” he stated.