Exercising with Knee Pain

When your knee is in pain, the last thing you want is to engage in physical exercises due to fear of aggravating it. However, staying motionless or inactive won’t make your knee ache any less. Here are some exercise tips to reduce your knee pain and strengthen your knee joints and tendons.

Exercising with Knee Pain

Go for a swim

If you are worried that jogging, running or climbing the stairs will worsen your knee pain, try going for a swim or immerse your feet in the water first. Water has buoyancy properties that absorb the load of your knees, allowing you to exercise without experiencing intense knee pain or subjecting your joints to more tension. If swimming seems more rigorous, sit at the edge of the swimming pool and make paddle-like movements with your legs in the water to strengthen your knee joints.

Low-Impact Exercising

If you were once into athletics or high-impact sports before suffering a knee injury, things might never be the same. Sports activities like football, steeple-chase or a marathon require your knees to make sudden starts, stops and turns, which might worsen your knee pain. Only engage in them once your knee pain subsides completely. Alternatively, you can go for low-impact exercises like stretching or half squats to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings or quadriceps without putting pressure on your knees.

Use Knee-Support Exercise Equipment

Exercising while having knee pain does not have to involve an all-gym workout. As long as you have a stationary bike or elliptical machine, you can achieve a knee-pain-relieving workout routine without aggravating your knee pain. A stationary knee bike puts you in a better ergonomic position to exercise without adding more weight to your knee joints. If you feel any pain during the exercise, consult your pain management specialist for further advice.

Avoid Bending the Knee Excessively

While doing full squats might seem like a full-body workout routine, the worst time to engage in that form of exercise is when you have a knee injury. Please, if you have to exercise, avoid subjecting your knees beyond the 90-degrees routine. That will only put so much pressure on your knees, worsening your pain. Instead of bending your knees when lifting an item, look for supportive aids.

Apply Ice Pack After Exercising

Apply ice to your joints between 20-30 minutes to avoid knee joint inflammation or swelling after exercise. Do this every time you engage in low-impact exercise to prevent your knee pain from getting any worse.

We strive to help you exercise with caution to relieve your knee pain. Besides offering comprehensive knee pain management, we also provide consultation services for people with chronic knee pain. We look forward to addressing your pain and offering exercising tips regarding knee pain. Contact North Lakes Pain for knee pain prevention and strategies for managing pain while exercising.