Saturday, April 30, 2011

Knee Strengthening Exercises for Torn Meniscus

A tear in the meniscus, simply put, is when there is a tear in the cartilage of the knee. This occurrence is oft seen when there is a sudden stop and jerking action applied to that area. Stopping suddenly on the spot while in full motion or jerking and twisting the part can lead to a tear in the meniscus and lead to a lot of knee pain and agony. A meniscus tear is a common occurrence in athletes who make a lot of use of their knees, but it can affect any of us if there is ever an occurrence that involves applying a sudden jerk to the knees like an accident or a fall. That is why knee strengthening exercises, and in particular knee strengthening exercises for torn meniscus become extremely important so that you do not cause further harm to the knee and help it to recuperate faster by aiding it through exercises. In the following article we will look into some of the most effective knee strengthening exercises that there are.

Meniscus Knee Strengthening Exercises

It becomes important that you take immediate steps when it comes to a torn meniscus and a sore knee or else the pain will just build up and the injury might turn into a permanent one. In order to avoid that, try doing some of the knee strengthening exercises for torn meniscus and help it recover faster. Here are some of the basic knee exercises for torn meniscus given below.

Knee Circles
This knee exercise is a light one as it should be after an injury, because you should not be putting any pressure on it in any way initially. Take it slow and make sure that there is no pain while doing them. Here's how you go about it:

   1. Stand with your feet together and bend your knees so that they do not cross the toes. Cover your kneecaps with your palms and keep your peripheral vision to the ground.
   2. With a slow, gentle motion, move your knees in a circle. First in the clockwise direction and then in the opposite direction.
   3. Make absolutely sure that the circles are not too wide.
   4. Do about 20-30 circles in both directions.

Chair Balance
This simple exercise to strengthen knees allows for building strength in the knees and thighs, such that it can support the knees better. Here is how you go about it:

   1. Take a sturdy chair and place it firmly against the ground.
   2. Now stand behind it and place both your hands on it.
   3. Lift one leg and keep it suspended so that the weight is on the other foot.
   4. Make sure that there is no pressure though. If you feel any pain, you should stop immediately.
   5. Stand in this position for a count of 15 and then shift legs to repeat on the other side.
   6. When you start feeling that you're regaining your strength, try and place only one hand on the chair, while the other is placed on your waist.

Leg Curls
This is one other effective knee and leg exercise that'll help to regain the strength once again and help you recuperate:

   1. Sleep on your stomach with your legs extended straight out.
   2. Now bend your knees and try to get them as far back as possible.
   3. Hold for a count of 15 and lower.
   4. You can add ankle weights to introduce intensity to the exercise.

Straight Leg Raises
This knee pain exercise will help in strengthening both the knees and the thighs. Here is how you go about it:

   1. Lie on your back with your legs extended straight out.
   2. Now bend one leg at the knee while the other one remains straight.
   3. Slowly lift the leg (which is not bent) from the hips into the air.
   4. The leg should be about 5 inches above the ground. The lower to the ground, the better.
   5. Hold for 6-8 seconds and slowly lower it.
   6. Alternate the leg and repeat on both sides 10 times.

All these are simple knee strengthening exercises that will not exert the knee in any way. When you feel like the strength of the knee has regained a little, you can move on to the more intense exercises like squats, hamstring curls, lunges and leg extensions.

These were some of the knee strengthening exercises for torn meniscus that you can start including in your routine as soon as possible. This will allow for the knees to regain their flexibility and strength and thereby be able to carry forth all the normal actions and sports activities without any hindrance.

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