Dr. Slava Shut

Knees are a major part of how we move around on our feet. As the only naturally bipedal creatures, we are very dependent on our knees, our feet, and our backs. 

If there’s a problem with any of these, it can have some serious effects on the entire body. I’ve seen people really struggle to do things that come naturally and easily to some, and it’s very humbling.

Knee injuries are fairly common among physical therapy patients. It’s at a part of the body that requires a lot of coordinated load distribution. With every step you take, all of your weight gets transferred from one knee to the other.

Today, we’re going to talk about some good exercises for anyone recovering from an injury to a knee.

1. Leg Extension

At Back 2 Health Physical Therapy, we use a wide array of exercises and machines with our patients. It all depends on what each individual needs to get to recovery as completely as possible. 

There are all kinds of ways to engage the knee joint. Depending on the patient, there’s a right exercise for them that focuses on the right things.

Since the knee is a hinge that bears lots of weight, the muscles and tendons connecting to it need to be efficient at opening the hinge. The seated leg extension stabilizes the rest of the leg while putting a load specifically on the knee joint. There’s no possibility that the knee could somehow take weight at a dangerous angle because the entire lower body is stabilized into a safe position.

The quadriceps femoris is the main muscle worked using the seated leg extension, but the entire thigh, all the way up to the hip flexors, see some secondary work as well.

2. Leg Curls

Strength without balance is an injury waiting to happen. When you’re strengthening your quadriceps at the front of the thigh, it’s just as important to work the back of the leg as well.

The biceps femoris, or hamstring, is like the bicep of the leg. It pulls the knee and bends the leg. It works in tandem with the quadriceps to extend and bend the knee. This is crucial for walking, running, climbing, squating, and standing. Both the quads and hamstrings connect to the knee and are important for maintaining healthy balance and gait.

3. Exercise Bike

Depending on your recovery needs, it might be less feasible to go outside, climb on a bike, and take a long ride. While this might be perfectly fine for many people, those of us who are recovering from a knee injury need to be a little more cautious. 

Falls could cause a lot of damage to an already vulnerable knee, even if you don’t fall directly onto it. Catching your balance when attempting to break your fall could cause intense shock and shear forces in the joints. And to top all that off, it might happen when you’re far away from home. A simple bike ride, for a knee injury patient, could quickly turn serious.

Instead, you can get a lot of the same benefits of riding the bike without all the adventure if you opt to use a stationary bike. Not only does this allow patients to integrate the motion of all the muscles in the leg simultaneously, but they can get off of it immediately if necessary and not be stranded.

Are you recovering from a knee injury and need physical therapy? Contact my team to schedule a 1-on-1 with me and let’s get you back on track. Don’t let knee pain and limited mobility limit you. The time is now!