There are a lot of injuries and pains such as ligament tears, minuscule tears, etc. But there are some things to keep in check if you are experiencing some level of knee pain. Exercises are the first thing you have to pay attention to because it plays a major role in increasing and causing knee pain. So, let’s go through some exercises to avoid with knee pain.
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Exercises to avoid with knee pain
Squats
Squats is something that can be avoided during any knee pain because squats involve rotation of knees and put pressure on knees when you push yourself up.
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Front squats
Front squats is an exercise where the barbell loaded with weight is in front, on your shoulders.
Front squats are a very dangerous exercise during knee pain and can increase your problems if keep doing it. Although this is the best exercise to build quads, but at the same time the whole weight pressure is on your knees and there is very little support from your glutes and hamstrings.
So, even if you have minor pain your knees avoid this exercise. And if think you are healing from pain, still avoid front squats with weights, just do simple squats.
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Deep squats
Deep squats is something that rotates the whole knee and puts an excessive amount of tension on the knee cap.
Going all the way down with or without weights may result in making minor knee pain into major knee pain.
So, if you do squats every week once or twice, remove it from your workout routine. Instead, you can do some other exercises for example-
Hip thrust
The hip thrust is a very good exercise to train your glutes and hamstrings at the same time, fulfill all your needs during knee pain. If you don’t know how to do hip thrust read –squeezing buttocks make it bigger
Lunges
Lunges is another leg exercise that puts a lot of tension on your knee when you go down and lift yourself up, because in lunges the most of the weight of the upper body is on your front leg, and if your quadricep muscles are weak the load is shifted from it to your knee and can cause major pain or injury as well. So, avoid lunges during knee pain.
Jumping exercises
Whether you have arthritis or weak glutes and quads muscles, jumping is one exercise you have to avoid at any cost. Jumping includes high jumps, jumping squats, etc.
Jumping is one movement that demands the powerful thrust from your legs, which also includes knees also when you push yourself hard on the floor to lift yourself in air. The other reason behind it is regular jacks, which cause knee injury most of the time.
Leg extension
The leg extension is another normal exercise, performed in gym with weights and at home also.
The main reason this exercise is so harmful during knee pain is its movement. Means when the leg is bent and comes straight, a lot of joint compression occurs, which leads to further harmful injuries and Pain.
When it is done with weight on your ankles, it becomes more harmful. So, avoid this exercise with or without weights.
Kicking
Kicking is one movement that puts a lot of tension on your hip joint when you push your leg with force. Doing kicking regularly for months or years can cause a chronic knee injury.
Avoid kicking or any exercise that involves kicking or throwing your legs in the air, to prevent knee pain.
High knee jumps
High knee jumps are a great warmup for your leg, also done by runners to increase or generate the greater force or push from the leg.
There is no doubt high jumps are very effective but can turn into a reason for your knee pain or injury. So, avoid high jumps during any knee injury or pain.
Instead, do high knees without any jump
Well, instead do high knees gently without any jump. Also, avoid this if you have regular pain in your knees for days because it’s time to give total rest to your knee muscles.
To perform this exercise, lift your one knee up gently while the other foot remains on the floor. Now bring the knee down and lift the opposite knee up. Avoid doing any jump during this exercise.
Treadmill or running
The treadmill is the worst cardio if you are suffering through knee injury or knee pain. Moving your legs continuously at pace, takes a lot of hard work of your knee, which can lead to critical injury or sometimes surgery is needed. So, avoid a treadmill or running if have knee pain, even a slight one.
Instead, do cycling
Cycling is the best cardio exercise during knee pain. An elliptical machine is also a good option in the gym.
Cycling involves a movement of your legs and hands sometimes, but due to circular motion, the tension on the knee is reduced because it creates a new range of motion for knee, hip flexion, and extension.
Reasons for knee pain
Overtraining or overuse of knees
Overuse of muscles or knee while doing heavy squats, lungs regularly for years and months can cause a serious knee injury.
To avoid this, you can use different variations and skip quats and do other bodyweight exercises instead.
Weak thighs and hips
Majority of knee pain issue occurs due to weak thighs or glute muscles. Because when you have weak glutes or thigh muscles, the whole pressure is shifted on your knee joint. Especially, when you push yourself up from the floor.
So, if have weak glutes or thighs, first train them properly by doing hip thrusts and other normal exercises.
Unbalanced alignment
Out of alignment is the big issue if you have. The common issue found and cause behind knee pain is the wrong alignment of your leg, which means the one feet is pointing outward than the other. You can check your alignment by standing straight on your feet. And if one foot is pointing outwards or away then that means you have an alignment problem.
The main cause of the wrong alignment is squatting. Yes, doing squats while pointing your feet outwards or inwards put a lot of pressure on your joints, thus leads to knee pain and out of alignment problem.
Running on a hard surface is also bad for joints. Especially if you do running on a concrete surface, instead run on ground or sand.
Sudden accident
Any accident such as fall down or something hits your knee is a cause of knee injury. And in this case, you can’t do anything, you need proper rest and a doctor guide to heal the pain.
Treatment for knee pain
Knee rest
If it is the beginning of your knee pain, it is best to give your knee rest for 1 or 2 weeks, means avoid lunges, squats, and any other exercises that involve knee, this will reduce the inflammation that is created.
But you can do other bodyweight exercises, there is no harm.
Do icing
Icing is a great way to reduce inflammation or pain in any bone.
Do 7 to 8 times icing on your knee in a day for 3 days regular. This will definitely give you relief from pain.
Exercise
Exercise is slow, yet one of the solid solution to heel knee pain.
There are several doctor-recommended exercises that helps in a cure of knee injury and pain.
Use protection guard
Always use a protection guard for your knees, if you experience pain only during exercise.
Wrapping your knees is the best way to tighten the joint and reduce the tension.
