The knee is the largest joint found in the human body. It joins the thigh with the leg and is categorized as a pivotal hinge joint that not only allows flexion and extension but also slight medial and lateral rotation. It performs the very difficult job of supporting almost the entire weight of the body. Because of its vulnerability to acute injury and osteoarthritis, specific knee exercises have been developed to protect and strengthen them.
Disorders in the knee can be caused by age, trauma and misalignment. While most of the minor knee pain cases can be resolved through simple home remedies, surgery may be required for more serious cases. The proper knee exercise can provide a way to delay, if not stop possible knee problems. Any knee exercise should begin with a warm up of a few minutes of walking to allow knee joints and thigh muscles to stretch. Knee exercises are not rushed and are thus done slowly and at a controlled pace. Bouncing is not included in a knee exercise routine which mainly consists of slow and steady movements starting in a small number of repetitions, gradually increasing as strength is gained.
Everyday activities such as running, going up the stairs or engaging in sports activities can severely punish the knees if the thigh muscles are not sufficiently strengthened. This can be accomplished through a suitable knee exercise. Some of these exercises include the bent-leg rises, straight-leg raises, lying leg left, wall sit, bridge, calf-raise, calf-stretch, upper hamstring and lower back stretch, knee stretch, quadriceps stretch and hamstring stretch.
