Strengthening Your Knees for Pain Relief

Knee Strengthening Tips by Kimberlee Dekrey - Valor Fitness

Kimberlee DeKrey is a Valor Fitness employee who is an 8-year crossfit athlete and 3-year grid league athlete. She has been through 3 ACL surgeries on the same knee. The last ACL surgery turned into an infection and she had to take IV antibiotics while on bed rest for over a month. One year later, she has qualified on a team to compete at the Crossfit Games. Her story assures that the right rehab and strengthening exercises can cure anything your body has had to undergo.

Struggling with knee issues?

Whether you have had ACL surgery, exercised your whole life, or had a lot of high impact on your day-to-day, knee pain can be a very common issue amongst a lot of us. It can interfere with more than just exercise and sports, but even our daily lives.

The best way to strengthen your knees is to strengthen the muscles that are around your knees which support them. We want to make them as strong as they can be and keep them flexible. When the muscles around your knees become stronger, they will be able to stabilize the knee joint and absorb high impact during weight-bearing activities like standing and walking.

1. Leg Raises

There are many ways to do straight leg raises. Whether you are using hip bands, ankle weights or no weights at all, straight leg raises are a great basic way to strengthen your quadriceps, which is the muscle right above the knee, and require hardly any weight or strain on the joints.

2. Hamstring Curls & Extensions

The best way to maximize ultimate strength in your leg and knee muscles is to use a leg curl extension machine to add actual weights. This will allow you to put on the right amount of weight your muscles can handle to get them to their max strength.

3. Lunges

Lunges strengthen both the hamstrings and the quadriceps. They also work the balance and coordination muscles, which are all very significant in knee strength. These can be done with bodyweight or if you want to increase the intensity a little, use hip bands for a great workout.

4. Step-Ups

Just like lunges, step ups work the balance and coordination muscles, which are all very significant in knee strength. You can use an adjustable aerobic platform to set the right height for your step ups.

5. Squats

There is no better movement for mobility and overall lower body strength then performing squats. Sometimes this can add pressure to your knees – if so, try using a squat box for added support. That way you can still perform the movement but with less strain on your joints. If you do not experience high pressure or knee pain when squatting, grab a barbell and plates or do higher reps with no weight.

Conclusion

Strength is key.

When your body needs reparations, strengthen it. Just as if you were getting sick a lot, you would find ways to strengthen your immune system - same with your joints. Strengthen the muscles around it and the results will shock you.

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Wellness

by Valor Fitness