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Leg Strengthening Exercises
I'm a younger woman and in my early teens had to have multiple surgical procedures done on both my knees. My left is significantly stronger than my right but both are still quite weak. my inability to squat, climb stairs, etc. due to medical restrictions makes it difficult to exercise. Does anyone here have any advice or exercises that could help me get my legs stronger? I am not yet stronger enough for running or jumping but am willing to do whatever it takes to get stronger. All comments are welcome and thank you for taking the time to listen to my rambling. :)
Well for me, having had three knee surgeries, what helped most was walking as far as i could on a treadmill at about 3mph everyday for a few weeks, then I started walking with a five pound weight in each hand for two weeks before Istarted trying to jog on a treadmill. Then did I few extension and flexing exercises, as well as hip exercises, and now im able to run, took about a year to get results, Iknow its frustrating but hang in there and keep at it.
Flexing the joint and coordinating the supportive muscles. Slowly bending your knee while lying in a bed or siting in a chair gets the joint used to movement. Hold the bend for a few seconds, and make the entire movement fluid. Straight leg raises and ankle pumps strengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons that support your knee, and can help reduce swelling by increasing blood flow and drainage.
Practice walking and climbing stairs with the help of a walker or crutches. It is helpful to have someone with you in the early stages in case you fall. Support your weight evenly, and use the walker or crutches until you are no longer putting weight on them. At this stage, you can switch to using a single crutch or cane on the opposite side but stand up straight. Once you are no longer putting weight on the crutch or cane, you may begin walking unassisted.
Once you are able to walk short distances unassisted, it is important to regain the strength in your leg muscles with resistance exercises. You can do the early rehab exercises with light ankle weights or resistance bands, and you can ride a stationary bike at varying degrees of resistance to strengthen your muscles and work on your range of motion at the same time.
Consider taking yoga or tai chi classes. Both are recommended by the Arthritis Foundation as effective range-of-motion exercises, and both focus on slow, controlled movements. Yoga postures have variations to accommodate injuries or varying skill levels, and tai chi has been shown to reduce pain and impairment in people with knee problems. It is important to learn from a professional though, as injury can result from improper form.
The squat involves flexing your ankles, knees and hips together to lower your body to the ground from a standing position to a crouching position. As you squat, your abdominal and deep spinal muscles brace your torso to protect your organs and spine, and to keep your body upright.
Stand with your legs hip-width apart with your feet pointing forward. Hold your arms in front of you chest with your palms facing up. Lower your hips as low as can to the ground while keeping your torso upright. Keep your feet and knees facing forward. Exhale and stand back up without hunching forward. Change your arm positions to adjust the exercise intensity, such as reaching across your body or raising one or two arms above your head.
Step-up exercise, you raise your body to a higher elevation by stepping one leg onto a platform and pushing yourself up. Stack a set of aerobic steps between two and three feet high. Step onto the step with your left leg and brace your spine and abdominal muscles to keep your torso from hunching forward. Exhale and push off the ground with your right foot. At the same time, push your left foot against the step to lift your body onto the step. When your body is at the top of the step and your left leg is straight, extend your right leg behind you without touching the step. Lower your body back down to the ground, and repeat the exercise beginning with the left foot. The lunge is lowering your body to the ground from a standing position by stepping forward with one leg and bending both legs. Like the previous exercises, keep your torso upright and your knees and feet pointing forward. Gray Cook, who is a physical therapist and founder of Functional Movement Systems in Danville, Virginia, recommends that you hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand to challenge your body's stability. For example, do a set of lunges with you left leg forward while holding a dumbbell in your right hand. In the second set, lunge with your right leg with the dumbbell in the same hand.
Before doing anything get the OK from your doctor!!
Practice walking and climbing stairs with the help of a walker or crutches. It is helpful to have someone with you in the early stages in case you fall. Support your weight evenly, and use the walker or crutches until you are no longer putting weight on them. At this stage, you can switch to using a single crutch or cane on the opposite side but stand up straight. Once you are no longer putting weight on the crutch or cane, you may begin walking unassisted.
Once you are able to walk short distances unassisted, it is important to regain the strength in your leg muscles with resistance exercises. You can do the early rehab exercises with light ankle weights or resistance bands, and you can ride a stationary bike at varying degrees of resistance to strengthen your muscles and work on your range of motion at the same time.
Consider taking yoga or tai chi classes. Both are recommended by the Arthritis Foundation as effective range-of-motion exercises, and both focus on slow, controlled movements. Yoga postures have variations to accommodate injuries or varying skill levels, and tai chi has been shown to reduce pain and impairment in people with knee problems. It is important to learn from a professional though, as injury can result from improper form.
The squat involves flexing your ankles, knees and hips together to lower your body to the ground from a standing position to a crouching position. As you squat, your abdominal and deep spinal muscles brace your torso to protect your organs and spine, and to keep your body upright.
Stand with your legs hip-width apart with your feet pointing forward. Hold your arms in front of you chest with your palms facing up. Lower your hips as low as can to the ground while keeping your torso upright. Keep your feet and knees facing forward. Exhale and stand back up without hunching forward. Change your arm positions to adjust the exercise intensity, such as reaching across your body or raising one or two arms above your head.
Step-up exercise, you raise your body to a higher elevation by stepping one leg onto a platform and pushing yourself up. Stack a set of aerobic steps between two and three feet high. Step onto the step with your left leg and brace your spine and abdominal muscles to keep your torso from hunching forward. Exhale and push off the ground with your right foot. At the same time, push your left foot against the step to lift your body onto the step. When your body is at the top of the step and your left leg is straight, extend your right leg behind you without touching the step. Lower your body back down to the ground, and repeat the exercise beginning with the left foot. The lunge is lowering your body to the ground from a standing position by stepping forward with one leg and bending both legs. Like the previous exercises, keep your torso upright and your knees and feet pointing forward. Gray Cook, who is a physical therapist and founder of Functional Movement Systems in Danville, Virginia, recommends that you hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand to challenge your body's stability. For example, do a set of lunges with you left leg forward while holding a dumbbell in your right hand. In the second set, lunge with your right leg with the dumbbell in the same hand.
Before doing anything get the OK from your doctor!!
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