How to Rehab a Knee Injury

Stretch It Out

Rehab programs begin with stretches. When you think of stretching, static stretches likely come to mind. This is the most common type of stretching. You hold a pose for a set period to stretch your muscles. Static stretches are useful in some circumstances, but they aren’t’ the right choice for rehabbing a knee injury. Instead of doing static stretches, you need to do proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretches. This advanced stretching technique contracts and stretches the targeted muscle group. It does an excellent job of improving range of motion and flexibility.

The lying hamstring stretch is a great place to start. You will lie on the floor with your legs straight. Have a partner pick up your leg, ensuring it remains straight. Your partner will raise the leg until you feel your hamstring tighten. You will hold the position for 10 seconds and then begin flexing your hamstrings while

Make Your Knee Joints Stronger

After you stretch it out, it will be time to make your joints stronger. Your hamstrings and quadriceps are responsible for making your knee extend and flex. Strong hamstrings and quadriceps will protect your knee joint and make it stronger. This will allow you to heal faster from your knee injury.

Wall squats will work your quad muscles. Don’t feel that you have to go into a full squat right after an injury. Even a half squat will work your muscles. Then move to a hamstring curl using your bodyweight. When doing these exercises, don’t push yourself too hard. While it is normal to feel some pain, don’t overdo it and make your injury worse.

Make Your Knee Stable

When you have a knee injury, your knee loses stability. This makes it difficult to perform regular activities. You likely think you need to build up the muscles around your knee to stabilize it. However, you need to focus on your hip joint. When your hips are strong, the joint has more control over the function of your knee. Strong hips keep the knee in place and prevent it from moving laterally. Do the pointing dog yoga pose and a lying leg raise to strengthen your hips.

Get Help Rehabbing From a Knee injury

If you have a serious knee injury, don’t try to rehab it by yourself. Go to a New York knee injury doctor for a proper evaluation. Then your doctor will create a treatment plan just for you. This is a critical part of successfully recovering from a knee injury.