If you’re dealing with knee pain, the first treatments that come to mind are probably the classic combination of rest, ice, compression and elevation. While these are effective techniques and an important part of the healing process, it’s also important to remain active.
This is often very surprising, since knee pain is so commonly caused by sports or exercise-related injury. Even if knee pain is caused by a degenerative condition like arthritis, the thought of exercise may seem too difficult to attempt. However, exercising properly can play an important role in the therapeutic process by helping improve strength, stability and flexibility for the knee.
To help you learn more about your condition and the treatment options available, read the following guide on how to exercise with knee pain. If you want to learn more about how we can help, please get in touch the team at Border Therapy Services today.
Best types of exercise for knee pain
When exercising with knee pain, it is important to avoid high-impact exercises that put excessive strain on the knees. Although it may be tempting to try and “work through the pain,” activities like running, tennis or weightlifting increase the risk of worsening your knee pain.
Instead, doctors and physical therapists generally recommend exercises for knee pain that are lower impact and decrease the strain on the knees. Examples include:
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- Walking — Taking a short walk can loosen up stiff joints and get the blood flowing. Only walk as much as you feel comfortable with. Even starting with a five minute walk and slowly increasing the distance can be very helpful.
- Swimming — Swimming is a great activity because it provides cardiovascular and strengthening benefits while the buoyancy of the water reduces strain on the knees.
- Water Aerobics — Similarly to swimming, performing exercises while standing in shallow water offers a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise while decreasing the weight placed on the knees and other joints.
Don’t engage in any form of exercise for knee pain without first consulting with your doctor or another qualified professional, like a physical therapist.
Physical therapy exercise for knee pain
Physical therapy sessions with a licensed and trained therapist are among the most effective forms of exercise you can do for knee pain. After performing a physical evaluation and reviewing the causes of your pain, the caring experts at Border Therapy Services can help you with active and passive therapeutic exercises to target knee pain at the source.
To learn more, contact one of our representatives today. We can schedule you for your initial appointment.