HOLISTIC THERAPIES

Relieve Arthritic Pain in the Knees

Arthritis refers to joint pain that affects millions of people globally. It causes severe pain and inflammation in the joints. The most commonly known types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The pain may be mild to severe and may even progress and get worse over time. Arthritis can result in symptoms such as pain, swelling, stiffness, and decrease the range of motion in the joints.

Knee arthritis can cause extreme difficulty in performing everyday activities, such as climbing stairs and walking. The knee joint is usually covered by a thin lining known as the synovial membrane that releases fluid to lubricate the cartilage and reduce friction between the bones.

Exercising helps to lessen and relieve arthritic pain as well as symptoms, such as swelling and stiffness. Low-impact exercising is known to be best for knee arthritis. Apart from minimizing the stress on the joint, regular exercise can improve the strength and flexibility of the joints.

Benefits of exercising to relieve arthritic knee pain:

Helps to maintain a range of motion in the joints.
Improves muscle strength that helps joint absorb shock.
Strengthens the muscles that provide support to the joint.

The following are some of the stretching exercises that help to manage arthritis pain in the knee and helps you stay active:

HAMSTRING STRECTH

Lie down on the floor or bed and slowly lift one leg. Now bend your leg and bring the knee back towards your chest.
Lock your hands behind your thigh and stretch your leg. Hold on this position for 10 seconds and bend your knee back to the floor. Repeat this with both the legs.

LEG RISE

Lie on your back flat on the floor with your arms beside your sides and toes facing upward direction.
By keeping your legs straight, tighten your leg muscles as well as your stomach muscles and slowly lift your leg for several inches.
Count up to 5 and slowly place your leg back on to the floor. Repeat this with the other leg as well.

HALF SQUAT

Stand straight on your feet by maintaining a shoulder-distance gap between your feet.
Stretch your arms straight forward and bend your knees up to the half-sitting position. While performing this exercise, keep your chest lifted and back straight without leaning forward.
Hold on the position for 5 seconds and do 10 repetitions of it.

LEG STRETCH

Sit straight in the floor and stabilize yourself by keeping your hands in either side of the hips.
Now, slowly bend one knee to some extent until you feel the stretch. Hold on the position for 5 seconds and switch legs when done with one leg.

Quad Stretch

Stand straight and hold the back of a chair. Step backward with feet flat on the floor and knees bent.
Tighten your buttocks until you feel the stretch in the hip of your back leg and thigh. Hold the position for nearly 10 seconds and repeat the same with other leg.

Seated hip march

Sit straight in a chair and move your left foot backward with toes resting on the floor.
Lift your right foot away from the floor and slowly bend the knee.
Hold your right leg off the floor for 3 seconds. Perform two sets of 10 repetitions by switching your legs.

Knee strengthener

Sit straight on a chair with a resistance band tied around both the legs above the ankles.
Place a foot firmly on the floor, and lift the other leg forward and retain the position for 6 seconds. Repeat this with each leg.

Heel raise

Stand straight by holding the back of the chair and lift your heels away from the ground.
By taking the support of your toes, raise them up and hold for 3 seconds.

Leg balance

Stand behind support and without hold anything.
Now, slowly lift the either of the foot off the floor and balance it for up to 20 seconds without grabbing any support.
Switch the legs and repeat this number of times to gain enough balance for a longer time.

Initially, one may experience mild muscle soreness while performing these exercises. But, practicing these simple exercises every day for 10 minutes can help you to ease the knee pain and relieve muscle stiffness.