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Knee Strengthening Exercises Offer Considerable Protection against Arthritic Pain

Updated on May 28, 2012

Let's face it; everyone knows how important it is to engage in some regular physical exercise, but many people simply don't have enough spare time. On the other hand, many people just could not be bothered, and it is only once their health starts to deteriorate that they begin showing an interest. Of course it is never too late to start, but the sooner you do, the more you stand to gain, and this is particularly true when it comes to knee strengthening exercises for people who have been diagnosed with arthritis.

While exercising can benefit any and all joints affected by arthritis, we will focus primarily on the knees, since many people with osteoarthritis and/or rheumatoid arthritis frequently find the quality of their lives is seriously compromised because of painful knee joints. After all, the knees have to support a considerable amount of weight, and they are also subjected to a tremendous amount of strain every time you bend your legs, or when you stand up after you have been sitting.

Osteoarthritis is the single biggest cause of disability between people over the age of 55, and for many of them, their disability is due to painful knees. Now, when it comes to exercising one's knees, a certain amount of common sense must prevail. Doing the wrong sort of exercises can be disastrous for a person with arthritis, and they will invariably make the condition worse.

Squats are one of the most beneficial exercises for people who are hoping to strengthen their knees. Under normal circumstances, one would do these with weights, but this is not recommended if your knees are affected by arthritis. Instead, it is best if you do your squats in a swilling pool, and without any weights. The water provides a certain amount of buoyancy, thereby reducing the amount of stress being placed on the knees. Interestingly enough, regular swimming is also enormously beneficial, not only to your joints, but to your entire body.

Walking is yet another highly recommended exercise, and as with swimming, it will also improve your overall health, while at the same time helping you to maintain a suitable body weight. Generally speaking, jogging is not recommended for people with knee problems, but a brisk walk two or three times per week can do wonders. The secret is to keep the joints moving, in addition to strengthening the surrounding muscles.

Cycling is another good way to strengthen one's knees. If you don't have a bicycle, you can simply lie on a flat surface; raise your legs into the air, and then pedal as though you were on an actual bicycle.

As strange as it may seem, mini trampolines are also often recommended to those with knee problems. The knees are forced to work, but of course the springs of the trampoline ensure that impact stress is kept to a minimum, and as with swimming and walking, jumping on a trampoline is hugely beneficial to a person's overall health.

There are several other knee strengthening exercises which one can do, but those discussed above tend to be the most highly recommended ones because exercises benefit the entire body rather than only the knees.

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