It’s essential to let your knees healthy and strong so that your movement does not decrease as when you get elder. We often neglect of our knees, not paying attention to the problem until we feel pain when doing daily activities such as lifting heavy boxes or down declining streets. The following steps to strengthen our both knees and to ensure that you will stay mobility for the rest of your life.
Understanding your Knee Health
Know about knee injuries. One of the largely commonly used joints in our body; the knee is an area of frequent injury. The more information you know, is better for you to prepare yourself to avoid the conditions that can cause or aggravate the injury.
• And IT band or known as Iliotibial band is an area of thick tissue that extends from pelvis to knee. IT bands help stabilize our knee when performing daily physical activity. Iliotibial band can be painful and inflamed if used excessively, which can cause Iliotibial band syndrome. Hiker, runners and other activity experience this injury.
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) a kind of ligament usually torn when performing some activities such as jumping and running. Other ligaments can also tear.
• A type shock absorber known as Meniscus is to protect the knee joint from impact that can tear easily when performing activities such as pivoting, twisting or when slowing down movement.
Understand how the foot affect the knee. The knee is supported by other types of muscles in the legs, especially the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps. With good maintaining these muscles as strong as possible so that you have strong knees and prevent injury.
Doing Exercises to Strengthen the Knees
Slowly stretch your Iliotibial Band.
Spend some time warming up and stretching the IT band when doing heavy activities is a best way to keep your knees stronger to prevent injury.
• Stand up slowly with your left foot in front of your right foot and slowly stretch your arms over your head. Tilt your upper part body as wide as possible to left without pliant your knees. Repeat this step with your right foot in front of your left foot, by tilting your body down the way to the right.
• Then you will sit on the floor slowly with your both legs spread out in front of you. Cross any one of your leg over and pull it as near as you can toward your own chest, keeping this position for a few moments. Repeat for the other legs.
• Take a quick walk before doing more complicated exercises to relax your Iliotibial band.
Practice your quadriceps (quadriceps), hamstring (thighs), and glute (your butt muscles).
• Your quadriceps can be trained, do you know that? Stand upright and put your hands slowly on your hips. Then one big step toward with your right foot and you need to lower your body slowly toward the floor until your right foot bends at the correct angle. The knee of your right foot will go down almost to the floor. Repeat this exercise a few times, and then replace it with the other foot.
• Strengthen your hamstring by doing a step-up. Stand in front of the elevated surface and step on the surface with one leg, then replace it with the other foot. Repeat with left and right legs in turn.
• Do a squat to get a strong glute. Stand up straight and squat down to the floor, with your knees bent and your back straight. For a lighter version of the exercise, does it by standing in front of a chair, standing and sitting, repeat this step a few times?
Learn to jump
Jumping is a good exercise, and if done right, it can help strengthen the knee. Try skipping the rope in front of the big mirror; you can learn the shape of your practice. Did you land with your knees straight, or bent? Landing with a straight knee gives too much pressure on your joints, which can ultimately injure your knee. To get a stronger knee, practice landing in a semi-squat position with bent knees.
Try doing a relaxing activity that can build muscle strength throughout the body.
When your leg muscles are not strong enough, your knees will not be strong either.
• Yoga is well known as a low-impact activity that tightens your leg muscles. Many yoga positions engage warming up and stretching on your knees.
• Another best way to build flexibility and strength of the feet and knees is swimming.
• Walking and cycling can keep your knees and legs strong and healthy to perform more severe activities.
Remember to do exercise regularly and do not force yourself if you’re not fit to do so.