How Exercise Can Help With Knee Pain

Science has proven that exercise, along with proper sleep and diet, benefits one’s health. Some benefits of effective exercise are reducing weight, improving mental health, strengthening muscles and bones, and limiting the risk of diseases.

Likewise, it may also help with knee pain. Knee pain affects millions of people every year. Tendinitis, meniscus tears, osteoarthritis, sprained knee ligaments, etc., cause some knee pain most people experience. And so whether you are a serious athlete, a daily walker, or a gym enthusiast, it’s vital to know how exercises might address knee pain. 

Knowing the potential advantages of exercise on knee pain is crucial. This helps you to become more prepared to treat this kind of ailment. Therefore, you can read this article which will tackle these possible advantages precisely.

Exercises That Help With Knee Pain

Before knowing how this type of physical activity helps with knee pain, it can be beneficial to know some exercises that specifically target this issue. Here are some of them:

• Stretching Exercises

 Here are some stretching exercises that may address knee pain. You can add them to your daily routine.

• Heel and calf stretch
• Hamstring stretch
• Quadriceps stretch
• Straight leg raise

You may do them, especially in the morning, to see potential results.

• Strength Exercises

Here are some types of strength exercises that could help your knee pain:

• Wall squat
• Calf raise
• Half squat
• Standing hamstring curl
• Single-leg dip
• Step exercise

As always, it’s still advisable to ask your doctor. They may refer you to a physiotherapist who could offer you specialized treatments. Some treatments they might recommend are acupuncture, massage, low-level laser, and Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS). These medical professionals may also ask you to perform specific physiotherapy exercises for knee pain, like the ones above.

How Exercise Can Help With Knee Pain

As said earlier, exercise might be ideal for knee pain. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons stated that having lower body stretching exercises can assist in having more flexibility in your knee joint. These exercises can improve your range of motion, which might lead to easier knee movement.

Here are other exercises that may help with knee pain.

• Strength Exercises 

Strength exercises can improve muscle strength, which may protect your knee joints. Two strength exercises that may aid this issue are resistance and muscular training. You may concentrate on strengthening your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip muscles.

Though there may be benefits to performing knee-strengthening exercises, it’s still best to take precautions. Ideally, it’s good to warm your body with gentle exercises before doing such strength exercises.

Examples of light exercises are cycling, walking, and using an elliptical machine. These physical activities exert less stress on your knees. Also, they can make your muscles more flexible and improve blood flow.

• Tai Chi Exercises

In addition, tai chi exercises may also alleviate knee pain. In one study, patients reported reduced pain regarding their osteoarthritis. Patients’ self-evaluations were made, along with physician assessments and various physical function tests.

But what may be the reason for such outcomes? Firstly, tai chi may improve muscular strength, cardiovascular health, coordination, balance, and strength. These factors are believed to break the pain associated with one’s knee.

Secondly, the evidence in the study explains the potential benefits of tai chi on endocrine, immune, autonomic, and neurochemical functioning. This may be possible through the mind and body connection.

Thirdly, controlled movements and breathing offer a tranquil state and calm mind. These two factors are likely to lessen the worries associated with knee pain, which may improve physical and mental health.

Final Thoughts 

Daily exercises contribute to a healthier lifestyle, along with sleep and a proper diet. For instance, it can improve mental health and aid in weight loss. Likewise, it may also address knee pain. With so many people experiencing knee pain, it’s potentially good news that such activity may help.

Various studies and research have shown that these physical activities can significantly improve or relieve knee pain. These activities provide an opportunity for you to create an active lifestyle, helping not just your joints but your overall physique. But it’s always best to proceed cautiously, as you don’t want to worsen the situation.

With all that said, one exercise you can engage in is strength exercises. Strength exercises can improve knee pain by improving knee muscles’ strength. Likewise, there are many reasons why tai chi exercises may help with knee pain. One example is that it improves coordination, balance, cardiovascular health, and strength. It’s believed that such improvement reduces the pain tied to knee pain. 

Ultimately, do not hesitate to consult your doctor if your knees require a further medical assessment and other treatments.