Exercises to Help Delay a Knee Replacement

There are exercises that you can use to help delay a knee replacement by building stronger muscles that surround the knee and will absorb the impact of walking and other stress related movements. What exercise will not do is regenerate the damaged or missing cartilage inside the knee.

The following are several exercises I personally used to delay my knee replacement and keep the surrounding muscles strong. By maintaining strength and flexibility around the affected knee you can buy yourself some time and become better prepared before you have your knee replaced.

1. Seated Leg Extensions. During this time I was a member of a local gym and had access to a seated leg extension machine. By using this machine you are able to isolate your quadriceps while seated. You simply select a weight you can comfortably use, and complete 10-15 repetitions. The key is to be sure you are seated properly in the machine with your back against the back rest and, your knee aligned to the axis of the machine.

Gentley extend your knee and slowly lower it. This will keep your thighs strong and also help maintain you range of motion with your knee.

2. Seated or Prone Hamstring Curls. This device works like the seated leg extensions but just work the opposite muscle group. Keep your movements slow and controlled. You are targeting the hamstrings here. Fast or partial repetitions take the workload off the hamstrings onto other muscle groups. By maintaining strong hamstrings you help in building support for your knee also. I would recommend that you also work on stretching this muscle group to avoid a knee flexion contracture which will make it more difficult to walk if allowed to develop.

3. Calf Raises. There are several ways you can complete this exercise. You will have the option of either working on this exercise standing or seated. Seated may be the better option if your knee is giving you considerable trouble. By maintaining strong calves you help in developing more support underneath your knee and, and help with your standing balance by building stronger feet and ankles.

These exercises also can be done easily at home without going to a gym. All you need is a chair and some ankle weights. Hamstring curls and calve raises can be done at the kitchen counter for 12-15 repetitions as well.

There are other options you can consider. It will depend again on your age, and current physical condition.

Stationary biking is wonderful for building lower extremity endurance and maintaining your range of motion with your knee, It also helps with the blood flow and bringing nutrients to the area.

One of the most popular forms of exercise for older adults with knee or hip problems is pool therapy. Water is great when it comes to adding resistance to your exercise program and keeping excess weight off the arthritic joints. This to will help in building a stronger framework around your knee and delaying a knee replacement

One of the big benefits of completing these exercises along with overall body conditioning is losing weight which may be the best option you have at delaying the knee replacement process.

Stretching your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves will be important also in maintaining your mobility after exercise. The important thing to remember is to work on building equal or close to it a possible strength around the knee. Unequal strength or muscle imbalance can cause its share of problems and even speed up the arthritic process.

This is just a small sample of several types of exercises you can use to postpone your knee replacement and these type of exercises will not exacerbate your arthritic problems. They will also come in handy when the day comes that you need your surgery. You will be better prepared and will rehabilitate much faster after surgery as well.