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Knee-deep trouble

Design your own exercises for painful knees

Osteoarthritis in the knee is a problem that affects a lot of the elderly. Knee exercises help prevent joint stiffness and also strengthen muscles around the joint.

This makes movement less painful, lessens disability and improves quality of life.

Knee exercises that help are done sitting in a chair or lying on one's back.

They do not require a gym or specialised equipment either. For example, something as easy as sitting on a high stool with the legs dangling over the ground with a 5-kilo weight fastened to the ankles will pull the inflamed surfaces of the knee apart and stretch the muscles and tendons.

Allow the weights to unload your knees while you catch up on the news or listen to music. You will be done in 15 minutes.

A daily routine

Do this a couple of times daily.

The thigh muscles are among the most powerful in the body and developing them is crucial.

Exercises that work these muscles without involving weight bearing are safe. Sit on a chair and rest one foot on a stool of similar height.

Use your ankle to push the stool into the ground, using only your thigh muscles.

Repeated a few times, this exercise helps muscles bear the brunt of weight bearing. This exercise can be done lying down, with a folded towel under the heel. You can use your imagination to design your own exercises for the knee.

The ground rules are simple: avoid standing up and stop exercising if the movement is painful.

Swimming pool exercises are an exception to the standing-up rule. The buoyancy takes the load off the weight bearing joints.

Walking through knee-deep water is a great exercise for arthritic knees.

RAJIV M

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