Exercise Equipment With No Stress On The Knees

Exercise can help keep your joints mobile as well as improve your overall health -- including your heart health. For individuals with knee pain, exercise can become somewhat troublesome. However, just because you have knee pain or a knee injury, does not mean you cannot reap all the rewards that exercise has to offer. There is plenty of no-stress or low-impact exercise equipment available. Always contact your doctor before beginning exercises with a knee ailment.

Rowing Machine

Rowing machines allow you to reap the rewards of a cardiovascular exercise by exercising your upper and lower body simultaneously. Since you are seated during this exercise, minimal to no stress is placed on your knees. The seat you will be sitting on glides back and forth. Place your feet on a platform and grasp a handle in each hand. Make a rowing motion that will exercise your arms and legs with little effect on your joints. The rowing movement also qualifies as a cardiovascular workout, which elevates your heart rate and causes you to break a sweat.

Stationary Bikes

A stationary bike provides you with the same benefits as cycling outdoors. However, a stationary bike is used indoors -- at home or in a gym -- and allows you to adjust the resistances on your bike in order to increase or decrease the intensities of your workouts. Stationary bikes allow for movements of the knee, which can increase range of motion and flexibility without having to bear weight on your knees.

Elliptical

An elliptical machine gives you a total-body workout as you move your arms and legs back and forth in a motion that is similar to that of cross-country skiing. The smooth gliding motion exercises your legs without hurting your knees -- since your feet never leave the pedals. You can also use the arm poles to engage in a total-body workout. Some elliptical machines allow you to forgo the use of your arms and just focus on your lower-body workout.

Stepper Machines

Stepper machines allow you to practice functional fitness for your knees. Functional-fitness exercises can help you to improve your ability to perform daily tasks, such as stair climbing. Stepper machines look like a small step stool with two or three stairs. They also have handles that allow you to maintain your balance as you exercise. You can adjust the resistance on a stepper to make walking up and down easier or more difficult.