Anyone who has suffered a serious knee injury will know how debilitating it can be, not just on your knee, but on your entire physical fitness. From the initial stages of not being able to walk without support, to the fact that you have to spend months, and sometimes years making sure you don’t aggravate the knee injury further. All the body’s joints are especially susceptible to injury, and are often the most difficult parts of the body to fully heal. Even a small injury to your knee joint can lead to knee arthritis later on in life, and one of the most important things you can do following an injury is to fully rehabilitate your knee, and your leg as a whole.
The good news is that to successfully rehabilitate an injury knee you won’t have to spend so much money that you max out your credit limit and end up frantically searching for a credit card transfer. Read on for some tips and ideas on how to get your knee back into shape as quickly as possible.
What to remember when rehabilitating your knee
An injury to your knee, whether it is ligament damage or tearing your cartilage, is serious and can take a very long time to heal properly. Sometimes it will not heal fully, and you will just have to make do with it as best as you can. Even though your joint is a difficult area of the body to heal, there is a way that you can take the strain off your knee and protect it from future injuries. The muscles the leg support the knee joint, and having strong leg muscles will go a long way in protecting your knee.
For the time that you are out of action after knee surgery, or for however long you are told to rest your knee, your leg muscles are not being used. They will deplete rapidly, and this leaves your injured joint more susceptible more damage. Your thigh above your affected knee may well become visibly smaller, and this is one of the most important areas to work on one your rehabilitation regime begins.
Lots of it and regularly
When it comes to rehabilitation, no matter what joint or muscle you have damaged, the last thing you want to do is put the injured body part under too much strain. It is important to start off small, and carry out regular exercises often. Whatever you do, don’t try lifting any weight or flexing to any angle that causes you pain, because your injury is still in the healing process, and you could cause yourself more damage.
Great exercises with bands
Getting your knee back into shape is no easy job, but it can be made a little simpler with the help of rehab bands. Stretchy elastic bands give you the opportunity to exercise your weakened knee joint at anytime and anywhere. While you’re relaxing on the sofa, or soaking up some rays in the garden, you should keep trying to exercise your knee.
The hamstring curl is a great rehab exercise for a damaged knee. This exercise can be done lying down on your front, in any space that is big enough for you to lie down in. Tie one end of the therapy band to a sturdy object and loop the other end around the back of your ankle on the leg of your damaged knee. Now lie on the floor face down so that the resistance band is directed away from your body. Slowly bend your knee to tighten the muscle at the back of your thigh. If the resistance on the band is too strong then move closer to the object the band is tied to. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can, provided it does not put your knee joint in any pain.
The sitting knee extension is another useful exercise for strengthening the thigh muscles to protect your knee. Tie one end of the therapy band to the leg of a chair, and tie the other around the ankle on the leg of your affected knee. Sit in the chair with your back straight, your hands on your hips, and your knees bent so your feet are at or near the floor. Slowly straighten out your damaged knee so that your leg is stretched out before you, and then bend you knee back so your foot is at the floor. Repeat this exercise as many times as you can, as long as it doesn’t cause you knee any pain.
A speedy recovery
Keeping all this in mind will help you to recover from a knee injury quickly, so that you can get back to all the activities that you enjoy doing. Make sure that you wait until your knee is completely healed and your muscles are strong before doing anything too strenuous though, or you might end up back at square one.
