Regaining full performance after a knee injury is a painstaking and slow process. Getting started with knee rehab training is crucial, because it's the only way to lay the right foundation for your muscles and avoid injuries in the future. We have prepared five of the best exercises for knee rehab for you here.
Training for the knee - the right start to rehab
The most important thing when starting out after knee surgery is a gentle beginning; you'll probably even have to take it easy at first, so as not to go too fast and too hard. This is especially difficult because you naturally need your legs in everyday life as well and can hardly relieve them completely.
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But with these five rehab exercises, you'll slowly feel your way back to your best form:
- Tighten in a reclined position - in this exercise, you lie flat on your back with your legs flat on top of you. Now pull your leg towards you with the heel resting on the ground, the knee going in a perceived line to the ceiling. This works best (as with all exercises in this set) if you wear socks. This reduces friction and resistance.
- Sitting knee raises - first sit on a sturdy chair where you can comfortably touch the floor with your soles. Place your hands at the bottom of the seat, holding onto the seat if necessary. Lift your foot up to the extension of your leg and hold this position for a few seconds if you can.
- Shift weight while standing - set your legs slightly wider than hip-width and shift your center of gravity so that you are standing alternately on the balls of your feet. Your knee is slightly bent and your weight doesn't rest entirely on the balls of your feet, so you can still balance the load precisely.
- Leg raise on your side - lie on the side of your body opposite the operated or injured knee. Place the upper body slightly upright and lift the upper, stretched leg from the hip. When lowering, almost put it back down, but not completely.
- Extension against resistance - for this exercise you need a resistance band or a Deuserband or a fine pair of hands and a skipping rope. Tighten the band around your foot, just below your toes. While sitting, hold the band and now stretch your foot into the tension against the resistance. Try to hold this position for a few seconds and vary the resistance.
Fit and injury-free
These five exercises will get you off to a perfect start in your knee rehab training, and you can easily do the whole program at home. These exercises are not only suitable for rehab, but also for injury prevention in case of damaged and overstrained knees.
Editors fitnessmarkt.de (EA)
Photo Credit: #261553048-Andrey-Popov-AdobeStock
Published on: 27 September 2019