If you suffer from knee problems, you probably find it difficult to participate in high-impact exercise activities. Exercises that involve sudden movements such as jumping, landing and abrupt turning can hurt knee joints even more and cause severe pain. Choosing the right types of exercise is very important for those who have knee problems and want to stay fit. You should select exercises that will build your leg muscles and improve joint mobility while also providing good strength or cardiovascular conditioning with minimal pain.
Low Impact Exercises for Those with Knee Problems
Walking
Walking is a low-impact activity that will help you keep from straining your knee joints. When you begin, walk on flat, smooth, even surfaces wearing firm, comfortable and supportive shoes. Walk at a moderate pace for 15 to 20 minutes every day. As your legs build strength, increase the length of your workouts by one minute each day, building up to at least 30 minutes. You can increase the intensity of your workouts by swinging your arms and walking on an incline.
Cycling can be done indoors on a stationary bike or outside on a bicycle. The repetitive motion of cycling works your quadriceps and hamstrings, which are the muscles that support your knee joints. However, cycling doesn’t put direct strain on knees, making it a great exercise choice for those with knee problems. Individuals with knee problems can increase leg strength and cardiovascular fitness by cycling at least three or four times each week for 30 minutes.
Swimming and Water Aerobics
Swimming puts no strain on your knees, so you can take part in this activity for as long as you’d like. Water’s buoyancy supports the body’s weight, regardless of its size. This allows you to get an aerobic and resistance workout without putting stress on your knee joints. Because swimming and water aerobics don’t impact joints, you can jump, twist, turn and flip in water without any pain. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends water-based exercises to people with knee problems and to those who suffer from arthritis, osteoporosis and fibromyalgia.
Elliptical Training
Elliptical training puts about the same amount of pressure on the knees as walking. However, it provides a cardiovascular workout that is much more intense. If you are aiming to build leg strength while enhancing your cardiovascular fitness, elliptical training will help you accomplish this. Start with 15 to 20 minutes of training to get your legs used to the motion. As your legs strengthen, increase your pace on the elliptical machine and the duration of your workout.
Related articles
No responses yet