Exercises to Relieve Arthritis Knee Pain by Dallas Knee Doctor

Exercises to Relieve Arthritis Knee Pain by Dallas Knee Doctor

Unfortunately, knee osteoarthritis causes stiffness and pain in the knee joints.  In order to help relieve arthritis knee pain it is important that you get moving.  Motion helps increase synovial fluid which helps the natural lubrication in your knees.  In addition, exercises strengthen the muscles around the knee which alleviates the pressure on the cartilage.

Unfortunately, not all exercises will help relieve knee pain.  As a matter of fact some exercises may aggravate your condition.  Here are some guidelines to follow:

Cycling is always the best option to help relieve knee pain:

Walking, cycling, and swimming will all help relieve mild osteoarthritis pain, and stiffness in the knees.  However, cycling or using a recumbent bike, in my opinion, is the best choice of activity for the knee joint.  A recumbent bike allows the thigh muscles to get strengthened without wearing down the cartilage in the knee joint.  Start by cycling for 5 minutes daily for one week, and every week thereafter increase your time by 5 minutes until you reach 20 minutes.  In the beginning, only use a resistance of 1 or 2,  and then continue to increase the resistance by one notch every three weeks until you reach a 5. Finally, make sure that the seat on the bike is adjusted properly so that you don’t further injure your knee joints.

Exercise done correctly should not cause any knee pain:

You should never experience any knee pain during or after exercise,  and if you do- STOP.  Please remember there is a significant difference between PAIN and soreness.  Experiencing muscle soreness after exercising is normal and is a good thing! It means you’re actually using and working out the muscles!!

Low weight, more repetitions:

If you’re doing leg extensions or leg curls at the gym make sure that you are using very light weight and completing more repetitions.  When performing a leg extension never stretch out the knee completely.  You should stop the extension right before the leg becomes fully extended, so the joint never locks.

Avoid doing squats and lunges:

Individuals with mild to severe osteoarthritis should not be doing squats or lunges; especially if you have been diagnosed with chondromalacia patella.  (This is a condition where the cartilage behind the knee cap has thinned and worn down.)

Avoid exercises that force the knee joint to ‘twist’.

Any activity where an individual is planting their foot on the ground, and twisting their upper body should be avoided.  This type of movement will aggravate an arthritic knee and may cause meniscus or cartilage tears in the knee.  The more arthritic the knee joint, the drier the cartilage becomes and any sort of twisting on the joint can cause meniscus tearing.  Individuals with moderate to severe arthritis should avoid playing golf and tennis because these activities will aggravate an arthritic knee.

Finally, keep in mind, ‘rest, will make you rust.’

(I read this quote in a newsletter recently, and I thought it was appropriate for this blog.)

If you suffer with moderate to severe osteoarthritis you will not feel like walking, cycling OR swimming.  However, it is vital that you get moving otherwise your condition will worsen. Doing five minutes of SOMETHING is better than doing NOTHING.  Once you start exercising, it will eventually become addictive because ALL of your joints will feel stronger and more flexible.

In conclusion:

Again, exercising the knee joint should not be torture! Your knee should feel good during and after any activity.  If it doesn’t then you’re doing the wrong exercise or you’re not doing the exercise correctly.

Dr. Alexandra Schnee, D.C. is a leading cold laser therapy Dallas-Fort Worth knee doctor.  She has been practicing at the DFW Spine & Joint Center in Irving, Texas since 2001.  She has developed specialized knee protocols and procedures that are used in Dr. Schnee’s Cold Laser Knee Program™.  She is also an author, and researcher on the topic of cold laser therapy for the treatment of knee pain.  Dr. Alexandra Schnee can be reached at 214-596-1051 or you can visit her website for more information at http://www.Helpmykneepain.com

Exercises to Relieve Arthritis Knee Pain Dallas-Fort Worth Texas

Cold laser Dallas knee doctor shares tips about which exercises to avoid, and which exercises help relieve arthritis knee pain Dallas-Fort Worth, TX.