Quads Exercises with Knee Issues
MoreBean13
Posts: 8,701 Member
Just wanted to share some exercises I found for strengthening leg muscles with little to no knee involvement. My mom has no cartilage in one of her knees and an ACL problem, and has pretty severe weakness in her quadriceps (I'm not sure which caused which) but she's getting close to a total knee replacement, and is trying to rehab the quad issue but can't use her knee almost at all. Here's some of the prescribed exercises:
Sit in chair.
Move forward so that you are sitting at edge of chair.
Extend legs, heels to floor.
Keep knees straight (or as straight as possible if you have arthritis.)
Tighten thigh muscles.
Hold for count of 10.
Relax for count of 3.
Do 10 repetitions.
You can do this several times throughout the day. You can build up to 2 or 3 sets of 10 repetitions at a time
Sit or lie on floor. Place a rolled up towel under knee for support. Straighten leg, lifting heel off floor. Keep your leg straight with foot raised off floor (about six inches off the floor - height will vary according to the size of the towel). Hold for 5 seconds. Slowly lower your heel to the floor, bending your knee. Do 10 repetitions. Switch sides and repeat.
Lie flat on back. Bend left knee at 90-degree angle, keeping foot flat on floor.
Keep the right leg straight and slowly lift it until right foot is about the height of the left knee (about 10 inches off floor). Hold for a count of 3. Repeat 10 times. Switch sides.
Work up to 10 sets of 10 over several weeks.
Alternately, the leg may be lifted until the knees are at the same height.
Safety Tip:
Leg lifts: Lifting both legs at the same time causes excessive stress on your lower back so only lift one leg at a time; the opposite leg should be kept bent with foot on floor.
WALL SQUATS: Stand with back against wall, feet about 18 inches away from wall.
Slowly slide down the wall, until your thighs are parallel with the floor (knees at 90 degrees) - or as far as you can go without causing knee pain.
Hold position for a count of 5. Slowly slide back up the wall, pushing yourself up with your heels.
Repeat ten times.
Alternately, hold position for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat.
Note: Your knees should be lined up over your ankles when thighs are parallel to floor- you may have to adjust how close your feet are to the wall.
All this info comes from http://www.bigkneepain.com/knee-exercises.html#kneestrengtheningexercises
See the website for more exercise options, stretches, hamstring exercises, etc. I only provided a selection of quad exercises. It's best to rehab all injuries with a Doctor and/or Physical Therapist who can help you find safe options for your specific injury and give you an appropriate training plan. This is in no way intended to be medical advice of any sort.
Sit in chair.
Move forward so that you are sitting at edge of chair.
Extend legs, heels to floor.
Keep knees straight (or as straight as possible if you have arthritis.)
Tighten thigh muscles.
Hold for count of 10.
Relax for count of 3.
Do 10 repetitions.
You can do this several times throughout the day. You can build up to 2 or 3 sets of 10 repetitions at a time
Sit or lie on floor. Place a rolled up towel under knee for support. Straighten leg, lifting heel off floor. Keep your leg straight with foot raised off floor (about six inches off the floor - height will vary according to the size of the towel). Hold for 5 seconds. Slowly lower your heel to the floor, bending your knee. Do 10 repetitions. Switch sides and repeat.
Lie flat on back. Bend left knee at 90-degree angle, keeping foot flat on floor.
Keep the right leg straight and slowly lift it until right foot is about the height of the left knee (about 10 inches off floor). Hold for a count of 3. Repeat 10 times. Switch sides.
Work up to 10 sets of 10 over several weeks.
Alternately, the leg may be lifted until the knees are at the same height.
Safety Tip:
Leg lifts: Lifting both legs at the same time causes excessive stress on your lower back so only lift one leg at a time; the opposite leg should be kept bent with foot on floor.
WALL SQUATS: Stand with back against wall, feet about 18 inches away from wall.
Slowly slide down the wall, until your thighs are parallel with the floor (knees at 90 degrees) - or as far as you can go without causing knee pain.
Hold position for a count of 5. Slowly slide back up the wall, pushing yourself up with your heels.
Repeat ten times.
Alternately, hold position for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat.
Note: Your knees should be lined up over your ankles when thighs are parallel to floor- you may have to adjust how close your feet are to the wall.
All this info comes from http://www.bigkneepain.com/knee-exercises.html#kneestrengtheningexercises
See the website for more exercise options, stretches, hamstring exercises, etc. I only provided a selection of quad exercises. It's best to rehab all injuries with a Doctor and/or Physical Therapist who can help you find safe options for your specific injury and give you an appropriate training plan. This is in no way intended to be medical advice of any sort.
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Replies
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Great info Bean!!! Thank you for taking the time to post!0
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bump for later. Thank you!0
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Sad bump on my own thread. :sad:0
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BUMP!0
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I remember my Mom doing some of these after her knee replacements.
I also remember her (about 70 years old) rolling her eyes at the men at the rehab center who were literally crying while doing the same exercises.
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Wall Squats appear in P90X; harder than they look - quite a burn!0
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Thanks for sharing. Always looking for exercises that protect my knees.0
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Wall Squats appear in P90X; harder than they look - quite a burn!
Yeah, I started doing them in HS as part of our winter track strength training routine. They can be BRUTAL!0 -
Super post! These are perfect for me since I have been having knee issues off and on. I pretty much quit doing squats for the last month because they hurt my knees so much.0
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These look like great exercises even if you don't have knee issues. (I used to do lots of leg lifts and holds easily... silly me, I listened to a doctor who told me they weren't good exercises and could hurt your hips. My abdominal muscles used to be so strong.... :sad: gotta start doing those again!)
Thanks, MoreBean13!0 -
I'm saving these for sore knee days. :happy:
Mine get really sore when it gets cold out. I think I'm too young for arthritis, but my knees and hands don't seem to agree. :frown:0 -
Thank you. Dealing with knee issues right now0
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Brilliant thread- thanks for sharing0
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Great post! Thanks!0
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