Reasons You May Experience Knee Pain
Poor movement patterning Decreased strength in lower limb musculature Poor flexibility A prior history of hip,knee, ankle injury
Poor movement patterning as well as a decrease in strength in lower limb muscles, can cause you to overload certain muscle groups and structures in the knee thus predisposing you to injuries and pain either in the front, middle, outer or back of the knee especially during HIIT where it is fast paced with minimal rest time.
An example would be landing with varus or valgus knee where the knee falls outwards or inwards during dynamic activities, often secondary to poor movement patterning as well as decreased strength in the hip stabilizers, namely the gluteus medius. With repetitive loading during your HIIT workout, landing with a varus/valgus in combination with other factors that have been mentioned above puts excessive stress over the muscles, as well as the structures in the knee, thus driving the knee pain.
Although poor mechanics doesnt predict that you would get knee pain, but often this is what patients with knee pain do present in clinic with. However it is also worth noting that people with perfect mechanics may also experience knee pain due to the above factors mentioned.
Can you spot the difference?
Best Glute Exercises For People With Bad Knees
Just because you have bad knees doesnt mean you cant work that booty.
If youre someone who wants a comprehensive, full-body fitness routine, then you dont want to sacrifice one muscle area just because you have bad knees. Knee pain can be frustrating. But, it doesnt mean you cant target certain areas such as your glutes. Theres a number of glute exercises that work your butt without putting strain on your knees. They just require some thinking beyond the typical squat.
Most people think of squats or lunges as the only exercises to work glutes. Although these are both great exercises, they can also put a lot of pressure on your knee joints, says Aaptiv Trainer Kenta Seki. If you have any type of knee injury or just have sensitive knees, its important to avoid overdoing exercises that can put a lot of strain on your knees.
The knee is the largest joint in the body and one of the most vulnerable to injury. This makes maintaining proper form and technique during any exercise crucial to knee health. Optimal organization of the entire body is required for knee function to remain excellent, says personal trainer Becky Behling, M.S., G.C.F.P., C.P.T. .
Its important to pay attention to your knee health and avoid any glute exercises that could cause harm. But there are alternative options to work that behind. Here are six of the best glute exercises for people with bad knees.
Best Cardio Exercises If You Have Knee Pain
Once you know what’s going on with your knee and have clearance from your doctor, you can start exercising. Cardio exercise is a great place to start and one of the best choices for strengthening the lower body, getting your heart rate up, and losing weight.
If you have access to a gym, there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to cardio, including the below types of workouts.
Recommended Reading: What Causes Water On The Knee
The Best Cardio Exercises For Bad Knees
When we think about doing cardio, most of us assume that it will involve walking, jumping, or running options that may be hard for someone with bad knees. Thankfully, there are some great cardio exercise options for people with bad knees. Some great workouts include:
1. Swimming. Swimming reduces symptoms of depression and cust the risk of chronic diseases, but it is also effective in reducing knee joint stiffness, strengthening muscles around the knee, strengthening your bones, and improving your overall fitness .
2. Rowing. Injuries such as the autologous chondrocyte implantation or ACI can be effectively rehabilitated by rowing . Not only does rowing strengthen the knees, but it also works out the quads and hamstrings. However, since this workout relies heavily on knee movement, you should first speak to your doctor and see if this is a good option for you.
3. Elliptical workouts. These are considered low-impact aerobic exercises, and they are a good alternative to running or jogging for someone who has joint pain due to arthritis. When compared to using a treadmill, using an elliptical machine can be less stressful on your knees, hips, and back .
Why Does One Experience Knee Pain After A Hiit Session
During ballistic movements, aside from the meniscus that acts as a built in shock absorber, the muscles also take on the role to absorb shock especially during the landing phase of any jumping exercise. They help in decelerating the movement for shock absorption to reduce the amount of force that goes directly to the knee joint.
Also Check: How To Make Knees Stronger
Double Side Step With Back Row
Tip
Increase the intensity of this move by widening the steps or increasing the pace.
Best And Worst Leg Exercises For Bad Knees
WARNING: unbalanced footnote start tag short code found.
If this warning is irrelevant, please disable the syntax validation feature in the dashboard under General settings > Footnote start and end short codes > Check for balanced shortcodes.
Unbalanced start tag short code found before:
Folks with bad knees cant just do any leg exercise.
Doing the wrong leg exercises will put extra strain on the knees and increase knee pain.A Complete List Of Bodyweight Leg Exercises , FocusFitness
The exercises Im about to share with you arent for treating knee pain theyre low-impact exercises which wont make your knee problem worse. That said, these exercises are known to strengthen the knees and even reduce pain.
Note that all knee problems are not the same some are more severe than others. So listen to your body and stick to exercises youre comfortable with. The worst thing you can do is to train through pain. Stop whenever you feel unusual sharp pain.
In this article, I will share exercises that can strengthen your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and calf muscles.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Treat Tendon Pain Behind The Knee
How To Make Your Hiit Workout Easy On The Knees
If you deal with knee pain or discomfort, you might be a little hesitant to jump into HIIT and rightly so. The high-intensity, high-impact exercise method has the potential to stress out sensitive joints.
But, depending on your knee issue, you might not have to totally ditch the calorie-burning workout. We reached out to a personal trainer for tips on making HIIT easier on the knees from simple modifications to the importance of warming up.
Quad Exercises To Fix Knee Pain
Tendons love load. In fact, the worst thing you can do when you suffer from knee tendon pain is to rest and do nothing. The tendon remains in the same painful state. You need load to remodel the tendon.
Based on Dr. Keith Barrs research, to enhance the healing process of your tendon during these exercises, take 15 g of collagen before exercise. This is the best quality collagen you can get by Paleo Pro which has collagen from beef, marine, chicken, and eggshell.
You May Like: What Muscles Are Cut During Total Knee Replacement
Prone Straight Leg Raises
Lie on your stomach with your legs straight. Tighten the muscles in your bottom and the hamstring of one leg, and lift toward the ceiling. Hold 3-5 seconds, lower, and repeat. Do 10-15 lifts and switch sides. You can add ankle weights as you gain strength. You shouldnt feel back pain. If you do, limit how high you lift up. If it still hurts, stop and talk to your doctor.
Also Check: How To Whiten Knees And Elbows
What Exercises Should People With Bad Knees Avoid
As with any joint problem, some exercises will exacerbate your pain and stiffness rather than alleviate it. Some of these are simply not good for people of advanced age. Others depend on the surface where you are performing the exercise, the worn footwear.
- Hurdler Stretches: This stretching exercise put a considerable amount of torque pressure on the knees and hips and ankles. Older folks should avoid this stretch.
- Full-arc Knee Extensions: This exercise puts immense pressure on the knees and should only be performed by younger people or those already in good shape.
- Lunges: Lunges also put a lot of pressure on the knee and, if you have a lot of pain or inflammation, should be avoided.
- Deep Squats: Older people or those with severe osteoarthritis should avoid deep squats because they put immense pressure on the knees and make them worse.
You May Like: How To Take Care Of Knees After 40
Knee Lifts With Punches
This move does require some coordination, so give yourself a little extra time to get the move down.
Walking In The Swimming Pool
Target Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and knee extensors.
Pool Condition Warm water pool
How To Do
Sets And Reps
Do 2-3 sets of 15 reps of forwarding and back steps each. Practice this once per day under the supervision of your physical therapist.
Don’t Miss: How To Avoid Knee Replacement With Osteoarthritis
Which Is The Best Knee Strengthening Exercise For Seniors
4 Best Knee Strengthening Exercises For Seniors. 1 Mobility And Strength. Not only is it important to have strength in these muscles but its also important that the strength between the muscle groups 2 Exercise 1: Leg Extension. 3 Exercise 2: Leg Curls. 4 Exercise 3: Assisted Squat. 5 Exercise 4: Romanian Deadlift.
Read Also: Can Knee Cartilage Be Rebuilt
Bridge The Gap With Bridges
Yes, you are lying on your back. No, you are not getting a break. A Glute Bridge is like a laser beam for your butt! If your knees keep you from squats or lunges, or you just need some variety in your lower body moves, the glute bridge is a killer. So
Try: Glute Bridges
Glute bridges target and strengthen the glutes, hamstrings, core, lower back and hip muscles and uses your stabilizers to keep your body strong. Performing a glute bridge will give you amazing results for lifting the backside, without all the consequences to your joints.
Glute bridges
Tip: Try single leg glute bridges too! Isolating one leg will target the hamstrings and give you an extra challenge once youve mastered traditional glute bridges.
Also Check: What To Do For Sore Knees
Don’t Skip The Warmup Or The Cooldown
As tempting as it might be to press snooze one more time and skip a warmup, push yourself to roll out of bed.
“It’s extremely important for those with knee pain to warm up and cool down properly,” Kevin Piccirillo, a NASM-certified personal trainer at Crunch Fitness, confirms.
To warm up, Piccirillo suggests dynamic stretching, or using active movements to allow the joints and muscles to go through a full range of motion. “These can include tube walking , or a five- to 10-minute light exercise on a cardio machine.”
At the end of your class, you might feel the urge to close out of your workout app quickly. But again, you’ll want to hold still through that cooldown.
“Gentle stretching of the lower body is a good way to cool down after HITT training for those with knee issues,” Piccirillo notes.
Squat Alternatives For Bad Knees
The big daddy of all leg moves, squats are a must-do! But youre right to wonder can I still do squats with bad knees? If you have knee pain you might have taken squats totally out of your routine.
Dont worry, there are many squat alternatives for bad knees. First up, we love these stability ball wall squats.
Try: Stability Ball Wall Squats
Instead of a traditional squat, grab a stability ball, place it between your mid-back and the wall. These squats for bad knees will still help you work your lower body without putting pressure on your joints.
- Lean slightly back against the ball with your feet shoulder-width apart in front of you and begin your squat.
- Not only will this take some pressure off your knees, but youll also be able to adjust the move on the fly to suit your own strengths and weaknesses.
- Get a feel for this and then add some dumbbells in your hand to make it harder.this for later
Stability ball wall squat
Tip: Choose your range of motiongo lower if you can, but stay higher if your knee pain kicks in. The key is to sit back as you squat, keep legs hip width apart, and focus your weight in your heels!
Also Check: Will Medicare Pay For Knee Replacement Surgery
Min Booty Workout Low Impact Knee Friendly No Squats No Jumps / No Equipment I Pamela Reif
Video taken from the channel: Pamela Reif
Join me for a 20 Minute Seated Strength & Cardio Workout | For lower Body Injuries | Follow Along!Whether youre injured, recovering, wheelchair-bound, stuck at your desk this workout is for you!20 secs of work followed by 10 secs of rest..***This workout does not include a cool-down..*** Level: Beginner.Equipment: Dumbbells.Intensity: Low.Interested in a customized workout program just for you? Click the link below for information on my online training packages. Send me a message today and lets discuss how we can work together to help you reach your goals. Visit www.puzfit.com.Note: All information provided by Puzzle Fit is of a general nature and is furnished only for educational/entertainment purposes only. No information is to be taken as medical or other health advice pertaining to any individual specific health or medical condition. You agree that use of this information is at your own risk and hold Puzzle Fit harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, injuries or damages resulting from any and all claims..**Stay Connected with Me**.
Video taken from the channel: Puzzle Fit
Video taken from the channel: blogilates
Video taken from the channel: Criticalbench
Video taken from the channel: jessicasmithtv
Cardio exercises for bad knees 1. Swimming. If youre on the search for cardio exercises for bad knees, head to the pool. Swimming provides a great workout that is low impact, versatile and burns.
Tips You Must Follow:
-
Keeping Your Posture Right:
One of the most crucial factors, if you want to make exercising beneficial for your knees, is to keep your posture right. Exercising with the wrong posture can increase knee pain, so you must avoid it.
-
Wear The Right Shoes:
Exercising with ill-fitted or uncomfortable shoes can increase complications for you. While exercising, you must be wearing shoes that offer enough support, cushioning, and maneuverability.
Besides, if you have flat feet, then we have made a list of the best fitness shoes for you .
-
Warm up Before Exercising:
You must have seen fitness enthusiasts and professionals warm up before exercise because it promotes blood circulation and increases your body temperature. In this way, you can exercise better because warming up makes your joints prepare for any physical activity.
You May Like: What Helps Pain After Total Knee Replacement
Best Cardio Exercises And Exercises For Bad Knees
Sign up for the free MADE TO MOVE IT CHALLENGE: http://madetomoveit.theteamplans.com/made-to-move-it.Warm up https://youtu.be/CzDqieXDMYg.THEN do this workout .If this feels like too much, do your best and aim to get 60 minutes of movement today..Welcome to DAY 20! Today Im taking you through No Squats, Knee-Friendly HIIT Workout. The goal of 20 MINUTE HIIT IT is endurance & speed moving your body fast over a short period of time, then maintaining that speed over the course of the workout..Today weve got a bunch of low impact high intensity exercises so you can still get in a great workout without knee pain. Because the truth isYOUR KNEES DONT NEED TO HURT or wobbleor crackleor feel sore for days on end after your workout..Working out should be about honoring your body. Not breaking yourself down, not hurting yourself, or pushing yourself to the point of injury. So todays workout will not only burn calories, but more importantly it will help you move and feel better in your everyday life!..I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear what youre doing to stay moving! Tag @abby and #MadeToMoveIt on Insta, so we can see what youre up to, and scroll the tag so you can learn more about your team..insta: https://www.instagram.com/abby/.the team plans support:
Video taken from the channel: Abby Pollock
Squat And Curl With Alternating Knee Lifts
How to do squat and curl with alternating knee lifts:
Targets: biceps, glutes, quads
How to do an army crawl:
Go forearm forearm hand hand for 30 seconds, moving at an intense pace. Transition to next exercise in 15 seconds.
Also Check: What Causes Baker’s Cyst On Back Of Knee