Knee Help

[carmstr4]

So, I was supposed to go to the physical therapist to help with my knee caps tilting inwards. But I didn't go because I didn't want to have to pay my $350 deductible first.....

I know I need to strengthen my quads and also he said specifically the muscles on the outside of my kneecaps to help pull them back to center.

Does anyone have any good exercises I can do for that?

Thanks!

[161803398874989]

Squats.

[notanartmajor]

He's right.

[maegs]

I have the same kind of thing going in with my knees, my physiotherapist said to do squats (and a couple other things, but mostly squats) and stretch my quads out really well so they're not pulling on my kneecaps as much

[Georges]

Partly, your choices depend on what you're starting with.

When I started rehabbing my knees, I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without pretty high pain levels. Squats, even without weight, were not an option for me.

So, where are you starting at?

[carmstr4]

I have the same kind of thing going in with my knees, my physiotherapist said to do squats (and a couple other things, but mostly squats) and stretch my quads out really well so they're not pulling on my kneecaps as much

Yes! Mine either!

@Georges I'm starting from a similar spot. I can squat maybe twice without weight before the pain starts. And like Maegs said, its still not exactly what I need to pull them back to normal.

[maegs]

Just remembered - I also foam roll the outside of my thighs for my IT band (hurts like a mofo while doing it but feels so good after), and my pt also recommended hamstring raises, since I've got loose/weak hamstrings, and so they don't balance my quads as well as they should.

[BarefootDawsy]

I'd go one further and suggest Bulgarian squats. And consider some well-controlled lunges.

[Georges]

Here's one of the first exercise sets my PT gave me:

1. Isometric: Sitting on the floor, with legs straight in front of me, tense up each quad. and hold for 10 seconds. I actually struggled to work up to 10 reps.

2. Stair: Stand at the bottom (yeah, he had to tell me that after I reported that I was nervous about falling...). Left foot up, right foot up, left foot down, right foot down. All the boredom of a step aerobics class, with none of the catchy techno music.

3. Leg lifts: To strengthen the adductors (outside of leg). Or use a theraband-type elastic band.

4. I don't know a name for this one, but start in a position like you're going to do some crunches. Lift your hips up, tightening your glutes (butt). Hold 10 seconds. This is another one I couldn't start with 10 reps.

5. Stretch. Quads and calves, but more importantly, make sure you stretch your IT band & piriformis.

EDITED TO ADD: I almost forgot (because it didn't work out for me) that we also tried tape. He used medical/surgical tape to kind of "push" the kneecap toward where it was suppose to track, because it wasn't tracking right when I bent my knee. I had a bad reaction to the tape, but that was before Kinesio tape was on the market, so there's probably more choices out there now.

[161803398874989]

4. I don't know a name for this one, but start in a position like you're going to do some crunches. Lift your hips up, tightening your glutes (butt). Hold 10 seconds. This is another one I couldn't start with 10 reps.

Glute bridge or short bridge.

[Yoshi]

I would suggest biking to get some baseline strength. Then maybe stair master for more direct strengthening to work up to squats/ lunges. [Hope this helps a little.]

[SirEarl]

squats, "stepping"(using stairs or something small, weightless lunges, and light leg extensions

don't forget to work the hamstrings equally as well

[epaleocookbooks]

I have a friend who can't do much of anything because she has bad knee and ankle joints. She was told to try jogging in a pool. The resistance from the water pressure will help strengthen the muscles around your joints without putting too much stress on them.

[SirEarl]

why didn't I think of that before? haha.

Yes! Seconding in-water rehab

[Georges]

If you have access to water, definitely give in-water rehab a try!

I didn't have regular pool access, and when I finally got a chance to go to a pool for fun, I found it aggravated my knee pain. (Swimming, not water jogging.) But if it feels like exercise instead of pain, go for it!

Same with biking - just make sure that everything is adjusted to fit your body, otherwise biking = repetitive motion injury. Biking was only an option when I could meet with a PT regularly, so I didn't do it at the beginning of my rehab, and when I started, I had to start at about 3 minutes, and progress was slow. But there was progress.

It took time, and more mental/emotional strength than anything I've ever done, but sticking with rehab exercises is worth it!