Dr. Vijay Guleria, BPT MPT(Ortho) MSW. Physiotherapy advocate

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Super Easy Exercises for Knee Arthritis by Dr Vijay Guleria (PT Ortho)


Arthritis Osteoarthritis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), osteoarthritis commonly known as OA affects 25 million people in the United States.
Osteoarthritis is the second most common rheumatologic problem and it is the most frequent joint disease with a prevalence of 22% to 39% in India. 
OA is more common in women than men, but the prevalence increases dramatically with age. 

OA best known as the “wear-and-tear” form of arthritis, OA breaks down cartilage between the joints and eventually causing the bones to grind together causing pain. 
The most common type of arthritis, nearly one in two adults will develop knee OA during their lifetime.

Affected group

 India may become the osteoarthritis capital of the world with over 60 million cases by 2025, doctors say. Doctors say osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form of arthritis in India, affecting over 15 million adults every year.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the second most common type of arthritis, affecting around1.5 million Americans. 
A systemic autoimmune disease, it mainly attacks the synovial joints: the hands and wrists, shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, feet, and toes. RA may eventually deform or destroy the joints that it affects worst.

Who Gets Knee Arthritis commonly?
Anyone can get knee OA. It usually develops after the age of 40, but it can potentially occur earlier in some cases as early as 20s. OA mostly affects the knee, hands, hips, and lower back. 
Knee OA is seen in people commonly who are obese or overweight.
Two out of three obese adults are at risk of eventually developing this painful, potentially disabling condition known are arthritis.

How Exercise Helps Knee Arthritis

Exercising an arthritic knee may seem wrong, but regular exercise can actually lessen and even relieve arthritis pain and other symptoms, such as stiffness and swelling of the joint.

There are several reasons to exercise with knee arthritis:

1. Exercise maintains the joint’s full range of motion.
2. Strong muscles help the joint absorb shock.
3. Exercise strengthens the muscles that support the joint.
4. Exercise doesn’t have to be hard to be beneficial. In fact, gentle, low-impact exercises are best for knee arthritis. They minimize stress on the joint even as they increase its flexibility and strength.

If exercise elevate the OA pain?
Trend shows mild discomfort during exercise is normal initially. Condition may become a little bit sore the day after you exercise. Please note, in case if you experience severe pain, swelling, or stiffness, stop exercising the affected joint and visit your doctor for further help.
People with knee arthritis should do moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. 
*You can even break it down into three, 10-minute sessions each day. You should experience better mobility and less pain within three to six weeks time. 

What Types of Knee Exercise Work Best in OA?

Walking is an excellent form of exercise. Walking have low-impact, and because it’s a weight-bearing exercise, it helps strengthen the muscles and build bone. 
Prepare yourself before the walk, wear good, sturdy shoes. Start out slow, and gradually increase your pace and distance for best results.

Exercising at Home or Work
The very best knee exercises  for you may be the ones you can do at home or even during a  short break at the office. They’re easy, effective, and convenient, and don’t require any special equipment. Do them slowly, gradually increasing the number of repetitions as your muscles get stronger.
Isometric exercises:
There are three types of basic therapeutic exercise that may help strengthen the knee area
1. isotonic, 
2. isokinetic and 
3. isometric exercise. Of these three, isometric exercise might be the most appropriate and easy to understand by patients and can be easily and safely performed at home or when traveling because it requires no or minimal equipment. Further, isometric exercise causes the least inflammation and pressure. Isometric exercises are simple to perform and that rapidly improve strength. Isometric means no change in length of  the muscle, to perform this  place a roll of towel under your knee and push it down and hold for 5 seconds. same should be repeat to the both legs approx 10 min.Secondly hold the towel between your both knee and hold while try to take it out with hands.

Water exercise, or walking in the knee  immersed water: This activity is also superb for muscle strength, endurance and knee flexibility. Because the body is buoyant in water, it lessens impact to near zero as it makes you work a little harder to move. Look for hydrotherapy clinic in vicinity and do some water exercises. Now a days some gym also have the trend to keep hydrotherapy tubs.

Gentle stretching is very good in cases of knee OA:

Gentle stretching have very positive effect on soft tissues and muscles of knee joint so be sure to do a few gentle stretching exercises to help prevent your muscles from tightening up and keep the circulation at its best. 
PS: Consider exercising your knees every other day to give sore muscles a rest.
Aim of the exercises and stretching is to provide optimum conditions not to worsen the condition.


Super Easy Exercises for Knee Arthritis by Dr Vijay Guleria (PT Ortho) are here for you:

The Leg Raise in lying position: 

Firstly lie flat on your back on the hard surface with your arms at your sides, toes up. Keeping your leg straight, tighten your leg muscles and slowly lift it several inches so that you can see your foot toes tips. Meanwhile tighten your stomach muscles to push your lower back down. Hold and count slowly to five, then lower the leg as slowly as possible. Repeat it, then switch to the other leg. Start with one set of four for each leg. This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, which are the large muscles on the front of your thigh that also attach to your knee joint.

The Hamstring Stretch in lying position: 
Lie on the hard surface with both legs bent. Slowly lift one leg, still bent, and bring your knee back toward your chest (knee to chest). Link your hands behind your thigh (not your knee) and straighten your leg. Pull your straight leg back toward your head until you feel the stretch. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then slowly bend your knee and lower your leg back to the floor. This exercise stretches and strengthens your hamstrings, which are the muscles on the back of the thigh that attach to the knee.

The Half-Squat: 
Standing with your feet shoulder-distance apart, stretch your arms out in front of you (hold on to a chair for balance, if required), and slowly bend your knees until you’re in a half-sitting position. 
Keep your back straight and chest lifted and don’t lean forward during the exercise. 
Keeping  your feet flat on the floor, hold the position for five seconds, then slowly stand back up. Do 10 repetitions, and slowly work up to three sets of 10. This exercise strengthens the muscles in the front and back of your thighs, along with the gluteus muscle (buttocks).

The One-Leg Dip: 
Standing between two chairs, holding on to them for balance, lift one leg about 12 inches and hold it out in front of you. Slowly, keeping your back straight, bend the other leg and lower your body a few inches, as if you were about to sit in a chair. 
Don’t cross the lifted leg in front of the bent leg. Hold for five seconds and straighten back up. Repeat and switch legs. Start with one set of four leg dips for both legs, and slowly work up to three sets. This exercise strengthens the muscles in the front and back of your thighs, as well as your buttocks.

The Leg Stretch: 
Patient should sit on the floor with both legs out straight. Stabilizing with hands on either side of your hips, keeping your back straight. Slowly bend one knee until it feels stretched, but not until it becomes painful. Hold the leg in that position for five seconds, then slowly straighten your leg out as far as you can, again holding for five seconds. Repeat, switching legs whenever one begins to tire, 10 times. This exercise strengthens the quadriceps, which are the muscles on the front of the thigh.

Before doing the Exercises:
If you can, put a moist-heat pack on your arthritic knee for 20 minutes before you start exercising. Heat brings the blood up to the surface, decreasing stiffness and soothing or even relieving the pain. 

Patient on medication:
If you take pain medications, try taking them about 45 minutes before you exercise for increased pain control during your workout.

After Exercises:
After exercising, put an ice pack on the sore knee for 10 to 15 minutes. This will help to bring down any swelling that the exercise might have caused. It will also help to soothe and relieve pain.

It is strictly advised that these easy exercises can produce significant harm/ injury to you if not performed under the guidance and supervision of your physiotherapist/ physical therapist doctor initially.