Knee pain and exercise

By DAVID TEPERA | Posted: Wednesday, March 4, 2015

There have been many readers contacting me in regards to knee pain. Most of them are no longer exercising due to the onset of osteoarthritis.

There are many reasons for knee pain which should be checked by an orthopedic surgeon.

This article will focus on osteoarthritis (OA) only.

We will all eventually develop different levels of this disease. There are four grade levels with four being the worst.

Don’t use the excuse of knee pain as a reason to not exercise. Really, the best way to slow the progression of OA is to strengthen the muscles around the joint. This gives it better stability and support.

Typically, knee joints are at their most vulnerable point during 60 degrees of flexion. You experience this climbing stairs and getting up from a chair or toilet.

There are a variety of exercises for you to choose from that are not demanding on your knees.

Pool exercises are a great choice because water is buoyant which prevents extra weight forces on knees and hips. Use a kickboard to move up and down the pool. Try sitting on the steps of the pool, flutter kick to feel quadricep muscles burning.

You can grab the edge of a pool, in the shallow end, and perform deep knee bends. It’s important to maintain a full range of motion as you strengthen leg muscles.

Another non-weight bearing exercise that helps build leg muscles is bicycling. You can enjoy the outdoors or use a stationary bike. Either one, will produce blood flow and increase flexibility.

Don’t let knee pain stop you from exercising, but let it be a motivator. Besides, most orthopedists will start you off with physical therapy anyway.