“Knees top the list of common problem areas for pain, along with the legs, neck, and back, according to James Rippe, MD, a cardiologist, and joint pain specialist.”
Experiencing weak in the knees is only a good thing until the new Tinder date is over. Witnessing joint pain is an entirely different feeling — and one that isn’t quite as pleasant.
A variety of factors may cause knee pain, including a short-term injury, by bending the ankle in the wrong way during exercise. It may also be a sign of your joint cartilage weakening from high impact activities over time, such as running on cement.
After every workout, try to do these 6 stretches to keep your knees healthy now and in the long term.
1. Wall Calf Stretch –
Throughout our stretching practices, the calf muscles are often overlooked. Nevertheless, the calf stretches are essential for those who jog, perform high-impact exercises, or spend a lot of time on their feet. Calves can become extremely tight due to damage and need to be stretched to relieve the discomfort that may reach up to the knee. Find a wall against which you can lean. Facing the wall, pull your right foot, and put your heel right where the wall meets the floor. It would be best if you lifted your toes while your heel stays on the surface. Hold your feet as straight as possible on the floor, and your leg turned into your front side, keeping the stretch to its deepest point. Turn in at a time before releasing for 5 seconds and work to deepen the stretch.
2. Calf smash with lacrosse ball –
This stretching will enable you to work out tension in your calf and hamstring. Lie down on the floor and place your right foot toward your bottom so that your knee is bent. Tuck a lacrosse ball (or a yoga/massage ball) in the space between your right knee, sandwiching it between your hamstring and your calf. By bringing the shin towards you, establish a “compression pressure” and then rotate your foot in simultaneous circular motions to help create room inside your knee joint. Repeat until you experience relaxing tightness in these places, and then change the side.
3. Half-kneel hip and quad stretch –
Not only does this stretch feel awesome, but it also does double-duty for your hip and quad muscles. Kneel on one knee in front of you with your other foot firmly on the floor. Make an angle of 90 degrees with both legs. Face forward towards your front leg and extend out the front of your thigh facing down. First, take your back leg’s ankle and pull it up to your butt for a wide hamstring and hip stretch down your leg’s front to your knee. Based on your tightness level, step in and out of this cycle for 10–15 reps or more.
4. Quad foam roller stretch –
Stretching your quads is essential, as quads are adaptively short of every sitting that most of us do every day. Often, they are under constant tension. To get this large group of muscles are back to function at its best. Lay face down. Place a foam roller beneath the right leg, just below your quad. Put on most of your body mass on the leg, and rotate slowly. Instead of simply rolling up and down, it is better to move the leg from side to side, concentrating on the closer muscle areas. Switch the legs and Continue to roll until that feeling is not stressful anymore. If that’s unlikely (as some cyclists might have it), do it for at least 5 minutes.
5. Wall hamstring stretch –
The hamstring muscles have more impact on your knee than you might expect and can cause discomfort or pain. Lie face-up flat on the ground with your left leg, foot flexed. Take your right leg and hold it up straight on a wall or desk, or by using a band of resistance. This flex will begin in your knee and radiate down to the back of your leg. Once you have found the deepest point in the stretch, switch between contracting and relaxing your right foot in 5-second cycles. Grab your right ankle, then move it towards yourself, if your body is flexible. If you still feel stiff, aim for 10–15 rounds of 5-second stays and proceed. Repeat the same with your left leg.
6. Straight-leg raise –
Simple exercises like leg raise put very little strain on your knee but trigger and strengthen your quadriceps as well. Lay face-up in front of you with one knee bent and the other hip on the concrete. Lift your straight leg about 1 foot, turning it outwards (thus raising the toes on a diagonal instead of straight up to the roof). Do three sets of 10–15 reps, alternate legs. When you get stronger than before, carry up to 10 pounds of ankle weights.
Healthy Life 