If you suffer from knee pain that limits or makes less enjoyable moving your body from the standing position, you have got to try this!
Full range of motion in your knees pretty much means being able to extend them straight, and flex them until your heels hit your bottom.
Knee injuries or surgeries can limit range of motion, and leave you more susceptible to pain and loss of normal knee function.
Today, we are going to briefly focus on the benefits of knee flexion and a couple methods by which you can increase this critical range of motion.
First, from the seated position… sit up tall and squeeze your abs. Now interlace your fingers and wrap them around the leg about halfway between your knee and your ankle. Slow and easy, pull your leg in so that your heel comes closer to your hips. You are going to add progressively to the amount of knee flexion as you work your way through 10–15 repetitions of this movement. You will never need to push beyond reasonable discomfort. Switch to the other side.
If you were able to perform this first knee flexion exercise from the seated position with reasonable discomfort, that is, avoiding sharp pain, you may be able to advance to our next and final knee flexion exercise. Make certain you feel better after this first exercise when you stand and walk. If you do, you can continue to the second knee flexion exercise.
From the all fours position, ideally on a mat… squeeze your abs and slowly bring your hips back toward your heels. Stop at any time you feel more than just a reasonable discomfort. Retreating off of the compression by going up, and then back down, up again, and then down a little further is the way to increase flexion.
You may not get your heels all the way to the hips on the first day… but be patient. Incremental improvement gets it done. When you are in the position of maximum flexion, hang out there for 60 seconds. Feel free to move up and down to smooth the pathways for that motion, and eventually land in the maximally flexed and compressed position for about 60 seconds.
That’s it! You now have a couple ways to add flexion range of motion to your knees… exercise that compresses the knee joints to squeeze out inflammation, making it more comfortable to stand and walk.
Remember, when your alignment is less than perfect and/or you have suffered recent injury, joints get stuck, soft tissues have memory for what doesn’t work, and we can help.
Contact us at New Back Chiropractic today. We can help you move better to feel better for life.
If you suffer from back pain and neck pain more than you would like, take these three simple steps to move better, feel better, and enjoy life better:
- Schedule: reserve a 30 minute consultation with the doctor.
- Discovery: receive an examination with any necessary digital x-rays to find a solution for lasting relief.
- Relief: start moving better and feeling better for life!
In addition to these exercises, chiropractic care from New Back Chiropractic in Santa Ana can help re-establish your middle back to a more flexible and stable place. The result is a body that moves better, feels better, and enjoys life better. Contact us today to set up your initial consultation and start feeling better today!
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