The knee is the largest and perhaps the most delicate joint in your body. Complex, dense, and easily injured, it’s also one of the most common sports injuries, and once damaged, it can be incredibly hard to heal completely. Unfortunately, given how complex it is, there an almost infinite variety of ways to damage, wear out, tear or break it, ranging from slow and gradual wear and tear to a sudden vicious sideways twist. Your best bet against sustaining such an injury is to strengthen the joint first, to make it strong and better able to resist the trials of daily living and sports.
The anatomy of the knee is delightfully complex. It’s located where four main bones come together—the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (main shin bone), and the fibula (the slender side shin bone). Nestled on top of the end of the femur is the patella, the wobbly plat of bone you can jiggle with your hands. Each of these bones is covered with articular cartilage, an extremely hard, smooth patina that makes them slippery and decreases the frictional forces. The entire knee is surrounded by the joint capsule, inside of which is the synovial membrane which provides nourishment to all the surrounding structures. Then you have cushions like the infrapatellar fat bad and bursa, and a complex web of ligaments that connect everything to everything else. Finally you have the menisci, or knee cartilage which act as shock absorbers for the knee, and are incredibly important.
So yes, the knee is incredibly complex and delicate. Between the fat pads, the complex ligaments, and the menisci you have lots of things to injure. Luckily the entire joint is surrounded also by our muscles, ranging from our powerful quadriceps which connect to our knee by attaching to the patella to the hamstrings which cover the back of the knee and provide stability on either side of the joint. It’s by strengthening these powerful muscles that we gain protection for the joint, and that’s what we’re going to focus on next in this article.
A couple of tips: stretch your leg muscles slowly and carefully before exercising or doing these knee strengthening routines. Tightness in the muscles can pull your knee out of alignment. Strength must be built up gradually—don’t expect to develop tough, well balanced knees straight away. Have patience with yourself, and approach these routines carefully. Also, the goal is to prevent knee injury, not cause it, so be especially wary of overdoing any exercise or routine. And finally, be sure to rest well after exercising the knee, giving it time to recover and heal itself.
Quad Exercises
1)Sit in a chair. Extend legs, heels on the floor, and tighten your thigh muscles for 10 seconds. Relax for 3, and do 10 reps.
2)Lie flat on your back, bend your left knee at 90 degree angle, keeping foot flat on floor. Lift your straight right leg to the height of left knee, and hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.
3)Sit or lie on the floor. Use a towel under your thigh for support. Keep leg straight, slowly lift it about 6 inches from the floor, and hold for 5 seconds before lowering. Do 10 reps for each leg.
4)Stand with knees slightly bent. Point toes straight ahead. Lift one leg and balance on the other. Slowly raise and lower yourself a few inches, being sure to keep knees pointed forward. Do 10 dips and then switch sides.
Hamstring Exercises
1)Sit in a chair. Extend legs, heels on the floor. Don’t move heels but pull back on them until you feel tension in your hamstrings. Hold for 10 seconds, and to 10 reps.
2)Lie on stomach, and place left foot on back of right heel. Slowly pull your right heel toward your buttocks while pushing down with your left leg. Hold for 10 seconds, relax for 3, and do 10 reps.
Author Resource:
Philip Tucker is a Fitness Product Review specialist for Miami based Extreme Fitness Results LLC. He enjoys keeping his body in shape while on the run with the http://www.getmovingcatalog.com/10-minute-trainer.html 10 Minute Trainer, and loves to read http://www.getmovingcatalog.com/shaun-t-insanity-workout.html Insanity Workout Reviews.
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