Editor’s note: Consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Stop immediately if you feel pain.
CNN
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Knee pain is surprisingly common. If one or both knees hurt, you may be tempted to lounge on the couch, but exercise, especially Pilates, may be a much better option. Everything depends on the cause of the pain.
According to one study, approximately 25% of adults experience knee pain. 2018 survey Published in American Family Physician magazine. The report also found that the prevalence of knee pain has increased by 65% over the past 20 years.
osteoarthritis According to , it is a common cause of knee pain, especially for women and the elderly. arthritis foundation. However, knee pain can also be caused by injuries, weak or tight muscles, obesity, overuse, muscle imbalances, and more.
“Establishing the correct diagnosis is very important,” says Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internist at Rheumatology Medical Center in Tarzana, California. “You want to know if the pain is due to a broken bone, for example. meniscal tearosteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis”
Knee pain caused by poverty biomechanics Shari Berkowitz, a biomechanist and founder of Vertical Workshop, a studio in Westchester County, New York, that provides continuing education to Pilates instructors. This problem is believed to be the cause of many knee problems.
“People have misaligned teeth and then feel irritated and nervous,” Berkowitz says. “Over the years, it can worsen and cause potentially fatal injuries, such as a muscle tear, or it can affect the cartilage and cause osteoarthritis.”
If you experience sudden knee pain, it’s probably best to rest your knee first, says Kreitenberg. However, it is not advisable to remain stationary for too long. “In the long term, it leads to weakness and muscle atrophy,” he said. “Working on strengthening the knee’s supporting structures, especially the surrounding muscles, can often reduce stress at the injury site and reduce flexibility and pain.”
Pilates exercises are effective in preventing knee pain. This therapy was deemed to be significantly effective in reducing pain, back pain, and neck pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in a systematic review published in the March 2022 issue of the journal I did. musculoskeletal care.
Even people without knee pain can benefit from strengthening the structures that support the knee, as it is the largest and most complex joint in the body. It is also very powerful and absorbs a lot of power from everyday activities. knee load.
When you walk on flat ground, your knees bear a load approximately 1.5 times your body weight. According to one study, when you go up the stairs you take 316% of your body weight, and when you go down the stairs your body weight jumps to 346%. August 2010 Survey Published in Journal of Biomechanics.
Strong force is mainly needed to prevent knee pain quadriceps femorishamstrings, glutes and calves, Kreitenberg said. Having strong hip muscles also helps. “Everything is connected,” he said. “Weaknesses anywhere in your body can cause poor alignment and cause too much force to be applied to areas you don’t want.”
The low-impact, simple movements of Pilates have been found to improve people’s mobility, gait, and postural stability. September 2021 Meta-Analysis.
Here are five easy exercises to try.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Make sure your feet are parallel and about a fist apart, Berkowitz says. Breathe through your diaphragm to engage your core and lift your pelvis and spine off the floor. Hold for five breaths, then sit back down.
Attention: Do you have tight hamstrings? Breathing Bridge can help
For this Pilates exercise, start by sitting upright on your mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your knees, extend your elbows to your sides, and slightly round your spine, Berkowitz says. Inhale and rotate your pelvis and spine away from your legs until your arms are straight. Then, as you exhale, rotate your pelvis and spine back up.
Stand with your feet parallel to each other and shoulder-width apart. Sit down as if you were sitting in a chair and try to press your heels into the floor.
It is also important to keep the center of your knee in line with the center of your foot (the space between your second and third toe joints). Hold and then stand up.
“It requires proper knee and foot alignment,” Berkowitz says. “This is a big factor in the development of knee problems.”
Lie on your back with your right knee bent.
Engage your abdominal muscles, keep your chest open, and tighten your left thigh muscles to raise your left leg to the same level as your bent right knee. Hold it there and lower it slowly. Repeat with the opposite leg.
standing hamstring curl
Stand straight with your knees 1 to 2 inches apart. Hold onto a stable chair or countertop and slowly bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower your leg to the floor. Repeat with the other leg.
These exercises can be done up to three sets of 10 to 15 reps, but Berkowitz says Pilates exercises are typically done in three sets of three to five reps.
The most effective Pilates experience to reduce knee pain also includes exercises on the Reformer, a Pilates machine that facilitates precise movements, muscle work and body alignment, and additional mat exercises.
Experts agree that these five exercises should help reduce knee pain, but they’re not a cure-all.
“It’s impossible to say how much they will help a particular person, but incorporating these exercises may reduce knee pain by about 20% to 30%,” says Kreitenberg. said.
Berkowitz agreed. “If you have a serious problem, like a joint injury or a disease like osteoarthritis, five exercises won’t fix it,” she said. “Those are just a few supplements. You should also only wear shoes that fit snugly to your feet and avoid flip-flops, slides, and backless shoes, as they require muscles to support your joints. Get some protein. And keep moving. You have to keep moving.”
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Melanie Rajicki McManus I’m a freelance writer specializing in hiking, travel, and fitness.
