Your knees are joints that bear a lot of weight over your lifetime and often begin to wear down a little with age. Factors like weight gain and previous injuries play a role in knee problems. Conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis can wreak havoc on your knees, and it is important to keep them strong to help avoid problems. Check with your doctor before trying new exercises.
Significance
Whether you have an existing knee problem or not, strengthening the muscles that surround your knee can help it absorb shock and can lessen pain. Your quadriceps and hamstring muscles cause you knees to function and are among the largest in your body. They should be part of any knee-strengthening program.
Exercises in Water
Performing knee exercises in the water is an effective way to minimize joint stress. Water has an anti-gravity effect; your body only has to support only about 10 percent of its own weight while you are submerged. Seniors with knee troubles are able to perform exercises they may not be able to manage on land.
Stand in place in the shallow end, and move your leg forward, backward, inside and out. March in place, bringing your knees up as high as possible, and bend your heels to your buttocks to flex your hamstrings.
Knee Exercises
For gentle knee exercises that will strengthen your muscles without much stress, sit in a chair. Straighten your legs out to the front one at a time to work your quadriceps muscles. Add ankle weights if your doctor approves.
To work your hamstrings, stand beside your chair and hold onto it for balance if necessary. Raise your heels behind you, and contract your hamstrings at the top. For a slightly more vigorous workout, try stepping up and down on the bottom step of a staircase, or do slow squats with your back against a wall.
Important Stretches
Flexibility is also a factor in overall knee health, so if you are able, perform regular stretches for your quadriceps and hamstrings. Stand in front of a chair or step, and place your heel on it. Lean toward your foot to stretch your hamstrings. Pull your foot up behind you and grab it with your hand to stretch your quadriceps. You may have to do the quadriceps stretch lying down if mobility prevents you from grasping your ankle from a standing position. Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds with no bouncing.
