According to authors Daniel Arnheim and William Prentice, the knee joint is one of the most complex in the human body. It is also one of the most often traumatized during everyday activities and sports. Surgery is often needed to repair knee damage after injury. Following surgery, patients go to physical therapy to rehabilitate and return to activities of daily living. Exercising on your own following surgery is necessary to maintain knee health. Include exercises that strengthen all the muscles surrounding the knee.
Workout #1
This workout is great to perform at home following surgery. You'll need 2- to 5-lbs. ankle weights to perform all exercises. Lie on your side with your hips stacked on top of each other and perform hip abduction or leg lifts. Then try hip adduction by bending the top leg, lifting the bottom leg up and down. Roll onto the opposite side and repeat the same exercises. Hip adduction and abduction exercises strengthen the adductors and abductors of the leg.
Lie on your back with the ankle weights attached and perform straight leg raises. Straight leg raises are great for strengthening the hip flexors and quadriceps muscles at the front of the thighs.
Roll onto your stomach and perform hip extension or glute raises. This exercise strengthens the glutueal muscles. Be sure to perform exercises using both legs. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise for two sets.
Workout #2
Use a stability ball to perform the following leg workout. Place the stability ball up against the wall with the small of your back up against the ball. Bend the knees and roll down the wall until knees are parallel or within pain free range of motion. Return to starting position. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions. To make the exercise more challenging, hold free weights in each hand. This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, glute, and hamstring muscles.
Perform bridges using the stability ball to strengthen the glutes. Lie face-up on the floor with the heels on the stability ball. Lift the hips and hold the top position for two to five seconds then lower the body to the ground. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions.
Perform hamstring curls using the stability ball to strengthen muscles at the back of the thighs. With the heels on the ball, similar to the bridge position, lift the hips and roll the ball in toward the hips. Hold the top position for a few seconds then roll the ball out to starting position. The key is to not lower the hips during the exercise. Perform twelve to fifteen repetitions of exercise.
Workout #3
You'll need fitness machines to perform this leg workout. Select a challenging weight from the weight stack when using fitness machines. Use full range of motion and don't let the weight stack touch in between repetitions.
Locate the leg press machine on the gym floor. Place both feet on the footplate, hip distance apart. Be sure to keep the knees bent to 90 degrees at the starting position. Extend the legs out without locking the knees. Hold the position for two to three seconds then return to starting position. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions. This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings.
Perform the leg curl to strengthen the hamstring muscles at the back of the thighs. Use either the upright or lying leg curl machine to execute this exercise. Pull the roller back or up toward the glutes until you feel the contraction at the back of the thighs. Hold the top position for a few seconds before returning to starting position. Perform 10 to 12 repetition.
Perform leg extensions to strengthen the quadriceps muscle at the front of the thighs. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions and be sure to get clearance from your physician or physical therapist because it can be painful for some individuals. Use a pain-free range of motion when using the leg extension machine. Line your knee up with the axis of rotation on the machine. Place your shins behind the pad. Extend your legs without locking the knees. Hold the top position for a few seconds then return to starting position.
Perform calf raises to strengthen the calf muscles. Use either the rotary or standing calf machine to perform this exercise. Get full range of motion in the calves by pointing the foot fully. Hold the contraction for a few seconds then return to starting position. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions.
Safety
Begin leg exercise only after consulting your physican or physical therapist. If prescribed, wear a knee brace during sport activities. Begin all workouts with a five to 10 minute warm up to prepare the knee joint and surrounding muscles for exercise. Move through all exercises using pain free range of motion. Allow 48 hours of rest following leg workouts. If you're unsure of how to design a program on your own, enlist the help of a qualified fitness professional.
References
- "Arnheim's Principles of Athletic Training 12th edition; William E. Prentice; 2005
- "Strength Training Anatomy 2nd edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2006
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