The Best Knee Rehab Exercises for a Healthy Strong Knee - Avoid the Seven Common Mistakes that Cause Chronic Pain!

From The Desk of Dr. Paul Anderson M.D.
Sports Medicine & Pain Management

Warning! Are You Making Any of These 3
Common Deadly Knee Treatment Mistakes?

"How to Get Rid of Your Knee Pain
Once and For All - The Right Way!

The Best Knee Rehab Exercises for Faster Recovery, Powerful Strength and Full Mobility!


By Dr. Paul Anderson, M.D.
Sports Medicine Expert

After a suffering a knee injury, surviving knee surgery or recovering from chronic knee pain, your next step is knee rehabilitation for better function and to help prevent future flare-ups. Unfortunately poor knee rehabilitation is a common in all knee problems especially in levels of athletics from amateurs and week end warriors to pro athletes.Let's discuss proper knee rehabilitation with a qualified physical therapist following an injury or surgery.

Rehabilitation Rule #1 - Return to activities and sports only when 100% pain free. The most important factor in returning to your pre-injury function is to be 100% knee pain free.

Attempting to return while in pain is detrimental and actually slows down your recovery because proper muscle contraction prevented by pain. You simply will be unable to effectively contract your quadriceps and hamstrings risking further knee injury.

Rehabilitation Rule #2 -- Return to activities and sports only when knee range of motion (ROM) is at least 100% or as close as possible Stretching and improve the your range of motion in both knee flexion and extension of with appropriate exercises.

Rehabilitation Rule #3 - Return to activities and sports only when knee strength is at least 80% or more Strengthen with appropriate exercises and loads until your strengthen all the joint muscles are more than 80 % of pre-injury levels or the other side. Strengthening exercises may include both close chain and open chain types.

Knee exercises for quadriceps, VMO (Vastus medialis obliqus), hamstrings and hip adductors. Your hip and calf muscles may need strengthening as well. After an injury, your joint goes into protect mode. Your muscles no longer fire in the correct pattern but instead fires in a protective one. This protective pattern helps splint your joint for recovery but does not reverse by itself. Your knee therapy must involve neuromuscular re-training back to the correct knee muscle firing pattern or you'll at risk for re-injury.

Rehabilitation Rule #4 - Proprioception Training After a knee injury, your joint may lose it's orientation in space called proprioception. Your physical therapist should check for this and provide special proprioception exercises if needed. These exercises are performed while your foot is unstable forcing you to balance.

Rehabilitation Rule #5 - Knee Brace If you had a knee sprain or surgery for ligament reconstruction you'll need to wear an proper protective knee brace for 12 months while the ligament heals back to full strength. It takes 12 months for the ligament fibers to strengthen properly.

Hope that helps you with your knee rehabilitation. Please always get your knee examined, diagnosed and treated by qualified medical professionalAfter a knee injury, knee surgery or recovering from knee pain, your next step is Knee Rehabilitation. Knee Rehab exercises help your with better knee mobility and strength while preventing future pain flare-ups

Unfortunately, poor knee injury rehabilitation is an all-too-common occurrence with knee problems - especially in athletes, from amateurs and week-end warriors, all the way up to the pros.

Let's discuss getting proper knee rehabilitation from a qualified physical therapist, following any injury or surgery ...

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #1 - Return to activities and sports only when you are 100% pain free.

The most important factor in returning to your level of pre-injury function is to be 100% knee pain free, first. Attempting to return while you're still in pain will be detrimental to your cause - it will actually slow down your recovery, because proper muscle contraction is prevented by pain. You simply will be unable to effectively contract your quadriceps and hamstrings, thereby risking further knee injury.

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #2 - Return to activities and sports only when your knee's range of motion (ROM) is at least 100%, or as close to that as possible.

Stretch and improve the your range of motion in both knee flexion and extension with appropriate knee rehab exercises.

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #3 - Return to activities and sports only when your knee strength is at least 80% (preferably more).

Strengthen with appropriate exercises and loads until your strength in all the joint muscles is more than 80 % of pre-injury levels.

Strengthening exercises may include both close chain and open chain types.

Knee exercises target the quadriceps, VMO (Vastus medialis obliquus), hamstrings and hip adductors. Your calf muscles may need strengthening as well.

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #4 - Don't forget about Neuromuscular Re-Training

After an injury, your joint goes into 'protect mode' - your muscles no longer fire in the correct pattern, but instead, in a protective one. That protective pattern helps splint your joint for recovery - but does not reverse by itself. Your knee therapy must therefore involve neuromuscular re-training in order to get back to the correct knee muscle firing pattern - or you'll be at risk for re-injury.

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #5 - Proprioception and Balance Training

After a knee injury, your joint may lose it's orientation in space (called proprioception). Your physical therapist should check for this and provide special proprioception exercises, if needed. Those exercises are performed while your foot is unstable, deliberately forcing you to balance.

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #6 - If required, wear a knee brace.

If you had a knee sprain or surgery for ligament reconstruction, you'll need to wear a proper protective knee brace for 12 months. It takes that long for the ligament fibers to strengthen properly and the entire ligament to heal back to full strength.

Hopefully, the above information will help you with your knee rehab exercises program for a stronger healthier knee.

Rehabilitation Deadly Mistake #7 - Please always get your knee examined, diagnosed and treated by qualified medical professional before starting a knee rehab program.

 
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