Best Knee Arthritis Exercises
1. Sitting Heel Slide
Sit on a chair. Move to the edge slightly, and place your arthritic leg at least one step ahead of the good leg (or the leg that you are not exercising right now). Now, keeping the foot flat on the floor, slide it back slowly and move past the other leg. Raise your heels slightly when your foot moves past the good leg. Get your foot back to the starting position and repeat.
2. Quad Contractions
Sit on a mat or the bed with both your legs extended forward. Place your hands behind you, palms flat on the mat/bed, and lean back slightly. Squeeze your quads. You will see your kneecaps move up. Hold this pose for 3 seconds. Release.
3. Ankle Flexion And Extension
Sit on a mat or bed with both your legs extended forward. Keep your hands behind you, palms flat on the mat, and back straight. Place a small rolled towel right where the shin bone ends, and the ankle starts. Flex your foot so that your toes point toward you. Hold this pose for 2 seconds. Extend your foot so that your toes point toward the floor. Hold this pose for 2 seconds.
4. Assisted Double Heel Raises
Stand behind a chair and hold the back support of the chair with both hands. Raise both heels and hold the pose for a second. Lower your heels gently back to the ground.
5. Lying Hamstring Curls
Loop your ankle around one end of a resistance band and hold the other end of the band with both your hands. Lie down on your belly. Keep your elbows flexed and supporting your upper body, head up, and look straight ahead. This is your starting position. Bend your knee and bring your lower leg up so that it is perpendicular to the thigh. Pull the resistance band (as far and as long as you want without hurting your knee) and feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Hold it for 2 seconds and release. Lower your leg on the floor.
