People might think that exercising is something they should avoid altogether after developing knee arthritis. However, moving your knee daily can help reduce the pain and other symptoms of this condition. With that being said, there are some exercises that can increase the severity of your symptoms. Four exercises, in particular, should be avoided when you have knee arthritis.
Four exercises knee arthritis sufferers should avoid
Knee arthritis wears out the cartilage in your knee. The worn-out cartilage can make it harder and more painful to move this joint. Arthritis in the knee can also lead to stiffness, inflammation and swelling. Because of symptoms like these, people with arthritis in the knees need to avoid these four exercises:
- Deep lunges — Doing a deep lunge often means you’re bending your knee past 90 degrees. Also, this activity puts most of your weight on the bent knee. Both of these factors increase the stress on the knee joint, making deep lunges an exercise you shouldn’t do.
- Deep squats — Deep squats are activities that involve a lot of bending of the knees that can be done with added weight or with bodyweight alone. Many people with knee arthritis can find deep squats painful. However, you might still be able to gain some of the advantages of squats by doing partial squats or wall squats instead.
- Running — Running places a high level of stress on the knees, hips and legs. The stress can be increased by poor running posture or technique and unsupportive or worn-out shoes.Running with knee arthritis should be avoided for most people. Instead, you can try cardio exercises like stationary biking or treadmill walking that place less strain on your knees.
- Jumping — For most people, exercises that incorporate jumping can help increase strength and stability. Yet, the impact of landing from a jump places a lot of stress on the knee joint, which means many people with knee arthritis should avoid exercises that include jumping.
Excel Sports & Physical Therapy can help treat knee arthritis
Are you living with arthritis in your knee? Our physical therapy specialists at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy are here to help you. You can start getting our help by coming in for a free screening, and we’ll use the information gathered from this screening to build you an individualized therapy plan that may include therapy methods like:
- Joint mobilization
- ASTYM® therapy
- Aquatic therapy
- Therapeutic exercises
Contact our team today for more information about how we can help with knee arthritis or to schedule an initial appointment.
