If knee pain is preventing you from doing everything you want in your life, you’re not alone. Many of the patients we see at Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine have this problem and are struggling just like you. Running and exercise may hurt you, but everyday tasks like going up and down stairs or walking may hurt too.
To understand the solution, your first need to understand the cause. One of the causes is overuse of your quad muscles. If the quad muscles aren’t strong enough to handle the activity you’re trying to do, they can get overworked and tight.
When quad muscles get tight, they can cause knee pain by putting pressure on your knee cap. The muscles themselves can also cause referred pain directly at the knee.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. Here are 3 easy exercises you can do to get rid of knee pain and live your active life again.
Quad Foam Rolling
Your quad muscles are located on the front and outside of you thigh. Foam rolling can help to loosen these muscles, making them easier to stretch less painful to use when you do strengthening exercises.
Target the rolling to the most tender areas of the muscle. Use your arms to help control the amount of pressure through the quad muscles. You should apply enough pressure so that it feels sore, but it shouldn’t be excruciating.
Roll back and forth over the affected area for 1-2 minutes once a day.
Pretzel Stretch
This a great stretch for tight and overworked quads. Foam rolling before this can make it even more effective. Try to pull your knees as far apart form each other as possible.
Hold for 30 secs and do 2-3 times. Do this 1-2 x’s a day if you’re having pain.
Split Squat
This is a great exercise to develop quad strength. It makes you use your quads in way that helps you keep the flexibility you just gained with foam rolling and stretching.
Make sure the hip and knee of your back leg stay in a straight line the whole way down. Your knee should not come in front of your hip. If you can’t do that, only go as low as you can while keeping that line straight. Try to go lower each time you do them.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps and hold for 5 seconds at the bottom. Do these 2-3 days a week. Try to work up to 3 sets of 10.
If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, our physical therapists are experts at treating knee pain and will develop a plan to help you stop it.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or request an appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an evaluation with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t try have a plan to get rid of knee pain?
- You can’t keep up with your kids or grandkids because your knee hurts
- Your knee hurts at night and you wake up tired because you aren’t sleeping well
- You you stop working out, leading to other diseases and injuries
But WITH a plan to get rid of knee pain you can live the life you want again.
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a ton of time and are pretty easy to do correctly.
But if you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to get rid of knee pain and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or request an appointment and start your path to healing.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
