Knee pain is something a lot of people struggle with when they come to see us at Full Strength Physical Therapy. We understand how frustrating it can be to have pain going up and down stairs, running, or squatting.
Knee pain is often caused by tight quad muscles and weak quad and hip muscles. As the quads get weak, they get tight because they don’t have the strength to do the work they need to.
When the hips are weak, more force goes through the knee instead of being controlled by your muscles. The result is knee pain.
Here are 3 simple exercises you can do to improve your strength and flexibility and get out of knee pain.
Quad Foam Rolling
Your quad muscles are located on the front and outside of you thigh. Foam rolling can help to loosen these muscles, improving flexibility and making it less painful to 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 3 times a week.
Split Squats
This is a great exercise to develop quad strength and flexibility. 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.
Side Step Down
The goal of this exercise is to control the position of your hips and your knee. Your hips and pelvis should stay parallel to each other.
The knee of your foot that is on the step should stay lined up with the middle of that same foot. Start by using a lower step or a curb and progress to a higher step as it gets easier.
Start with 2 sets of 10 every other day. As it gets easier, increase the number of reps and then the height of the step. You should feel it working in the front of your thigh and in the side of your butt.
None of the exercises above should make you hurt more.
If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Full Strength Physical Therapy, our physical therapists in Alexandria and Springfield, VA are experts at treating knee pain and will develop a plan to help you stop it.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request and appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t have a plan for knee pain relief?
- You avoid playing with your kids because you’re afraid of hurting your knee
- You get surgery and end up in even more pain
- You get out of shape and are more likely to get other diseases and injuries
But WITH a plan for knee pain relief you can live the life you want again.
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a lot 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 Full Strength Physical Therapy physical therapist will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to get out of knee pain and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and start your path to healing.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Full Strength Physical Therapy Team
