Knee extension sounds pretty dodgy, doesn’t it? However, the term doesn’t refer to any surgical procedure as some people may think.
In fact, it’s just a category of different exercises that strengthen your knees and other parts of your legs. Knee extension exercises are highly recommended for conditioning knee pains from which the seniors often suffer.
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But they also work wonderfully for younger people in general leg development.
For people with good health, knee extension exercises can certainly help preventing injuries, while boosting your flexibility as well as overall lower body strength for better performance.
If you’re suffering knee pain, some of these basic exercises will be a good start towards rehabilitation, and gradually onto full recovery. Once the pain is gone, you can try more difficult exercises without worries.
The cause of your knee problems varies between over-extend, under-use or even muscular imbalance. Good news is that those are not completely incurable; however, it does require some patience and a lot of works.
The key to make the most of these exercises is that you have to be able to listen to your own body and how it reacts to each exercise.
For example, one of the following knee extension exercise irritates you by causing even more pain, then just skip it and proceed to the next one. You can always get back to it later when the pain is gone.
On the other hand, consistency is another major factor. With this kind of training, frequency should always be your priority rather than intensity. Try to challenge yourself to maximize your potentials without overstepping the limits and risking injuries is a lot harder than it seems.
What Are Knee Extension Exercises?
It’s reported that knee pain is the second most-widely-recognized physical pain for adults, only after low-back condition.
Knee extension (also known as knee strengthening) exercise is proved to be one of the most effective way to get rid of knee discomfort.
According to many people who suffer knee problems, these exercises significantly reduce the amount of pain while improve the capacity of their knees.
Furthermore, the possibility of pain recurring afterwards also decreases exponentially.
Here are some other tips regarding knee extension for you:
- You should start out slowly. Developing muscle strength is definitely time-consuming, especially with lower body.
- Be mindful of the pains, they are good indicators of whether you’re pushing your body too hard.
- Once you notice any discomfort in your body, you should stop exercising immediately, it’s time for recovery.
There are so many strengthening exercises out there for your knees that it can be very confusing sometimes, especially for beginners. In general, you should avoid exercises that might cause more problems such as the deep knee bends or deep squats.
Instead, try to focus on developing the front-thigh muscles (quadriceps) and the back-thigh (hamstring) as well.
There are exercises that only focus on specific parts of your leg like quads, hamstring, glutes and calf; and then there are also combined and balanced exercises for you to choose from.
Their difficulties vary from easy to intermediate and finally, advanced. Isometric exercises, balance exercises and stretches are also highly recommended.
These knee extension exercises are suitable for people with and without knee conditions alike; though how many repetitions and how frequent you should do is entirely up to you.
4 Easy Knee Extension Exercises At Home
1. Ankle Band Detraction
You might not know that your ankles are very crucial to your body’s mobility; they act as hinges to allow your knees and hip to work together to move your lower body.
So the relationship between ankles and knees is closer than you think.
Exercises like the band distractions relax your muscles at stiff joints for better mobility, while lessening the pain.
This following video will show you how to execute this exercise step-by-step.
While performing and driving your knees back and forth, you’re free to revolve your ankles sideways. However, the banded foot must remain on the ground at all time.The exercise should be carried out on both sides for at least 45 seconds each.
2. Straight Leg Raise
The straight leg raise exercise aim to develop your quadriceps without having to bend your knees. It is ideal for people with knee discomfort; however, do not attempt this exercise if you have a history of back pain.
If you feel the most effects from this exercise on your front thighs, you’re doing it correctly.
- Remember to contract your quads while lifting your legs off the ground and maintain that position for about 5 seconds before lowering, then switch sides and repeat.
During the exercise, you’re advised to keep your lower back flat on the floor by relaxing your upper body and engaging your abs. Also avoid raising your legs in sudden movements or lifting too high.
3. Hamstring Curl
The hamstring curl is perfect for home workout because it doesn’t require any special equipments in particular. It focuses on the muscles of the back-thigh.
Standing hamstring curl is one variation of the exercise.
- You can start by gripping the back of a chair to remain balanced.
- Then shift your body weight onto one leg while bringing the other one upwards as close as possible to your hind and hold that position for 5 seconds.
Your knees should be close together during the exercise. You should also avoid locking the supporting knee or raising your heel too high past the right angle.
4. Wall Squats
This final exercise, the wall squats, is categorized as an intermediate exercise by putting a twist on original squats. What makes it great is that it helps building your quads and protecting your knees simultaneously.
The wall squats constantly ranks among my personal top exercises for knee strengthening. In fact, it’s highly recommended for after-injury workouts or for people suffering continuous knee problems.
You can try another variation of the exercise with a training ball between your thighs.
The next step is trying to squeeze the ball with your inner thighs. You can check out this tutorial video below for more information.
Remember to keep your knees not too far in or out. Your second toe should mark the straight line to your knee, so your big toe is always in sight.
Conclusion
There are tons of other knee extension exercises; those fours mentioned above merely scratch the surface. You can find out more by clicking on this link.
Remember: patience is a virtue, especially for those with history of knee problems. Take it slow at first; you’ll feel the difference typically after a week or two.
Finally, I hope that you find some useful information in this article. If you are experiencing discomfort in your knees, then you should consider using a knee sleeve or wrap. These will help the blood circulation in your knees and keep them warm, while providing support and reducing risk of injury.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment in the discussion below to let me know what you think and share it on so more people will know of knee extension exercises.
