Flexing the knee following surgery or an injury should be performed slowly, gradually building up to your previous physical activity. Your doctor or physical therapist should provide exercises designed to increase knee flexion following any treatment. It's important to follow the prescribed regimen to prevent a new injury that could slow down your recovery. According to doctors at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, knee flexion exercises should be performed in sets of 10 repetitions three times a day.
Bed Exercises
Rest is an integral part of the recovery process following a knee replacement or when recovering from a knee injury. At the same time, to avoid atrophy and begin rebuilding the muscles and stretching the knee tendons, exercises can be done while you're still in bed. Initial exercises to begin knee recovery include ankle pumps and heel slides. While lying with legs outstretched, you should move your toes away from your body and then move them towards your chest. Repeat 10 times on each foot. With your foot flat on the bed, slide your foot slowly towards your buttocks to perform a heel slide. Doctors at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth advise patients to stop when they feel pain and try to increase the stretch during exercise a little at a time.
Backwards Knee Flexion
Lying on your stomach, you can perform a backwards knee flexion that will stretch the front of your leg and help return your knee to its full flexibility. Lie flat with both legs outstretched and raise one knee as far as you can. Hold for a few seconds and release. Repeat 10 times and then bend the other leg. To increase the stretch, you can place a therapeutic rubber band or a belt around your ankle and hold the other ends in your hands over your shoulders. Tug on the belt lightly to give your knee additional flexing. Be careful not to bounce, but pull gently and evenly to prevent additional injury.
Weight Machines
In most gyms and fitness centers, knee flexion exercises are performed with weights. Start with light weights about one pound and stand over the weight machine, with the padded bar behind your ankle. Slowly lift your foot towards your thigh and lower it. Repeat 10 times on each side.
Standing Exercises
Once you've been released from bed rest, you can initiate standing exercises while holding on to the back of a chair or a table. Stand erect and hold your back straight as you bend one knee backwards, holding on to the chair for balance. According to the National Institutes on Aging, the exercise should be performed slowly and deliberately to be most effective and prevent injury. Repeat 10 times on each side. You can add ankle weights as your knee becomes stronger.
Member Comments