Common Knee Injuries: Exercises for Rehab & Prevention

Knee injuries are common in athletes and people who exercise regularly, they can also occur due to overuse, age, or accidents.

If you’re experiencing knee pain, are recovering from a knee injury or knee surgery, or if you want to prevent knee issues in the future, keep reading!

There are simple exercises you can add to your workout routines to help bulletproof your knees. The goal is to strengthen the muscles and tendons around the knee, thereby helping to stabilize the joint. 

The knee is one of the largest joints in the body. It is made up of bones that provide the structure (femur, tibia, patella), ligaments that help stabilize the joint (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL), cartilage pads called the meniscus that provides cushion, tendons to connect muscles to bones (quadriceps and patellar tendons), and muscles that help support the joint (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calf muscles).

Some of the most common knee injuries include:

• Ligament tears, such as the ACL, are often caused by a sudden change of direction, planting, or landing in an awkward fashion.
• Meniscus tears can happen along with other knee injuries, or from sudden changes of direction or twisting.
• Runners’ Knee, or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, involves pain around or behind the patella. This is often caused by muscle imbalances.
• Jumpers’ Knee, which is a form of tendonitis, is caused by inflammation of the patellar tendon below the kneecap. 
• Pain around the outside of the knee can be caused by IT Band Syndrome, which is an overuse injury that results from a tight iliotibial band.

Exercises to Help Strengthen Your Knees

The purpose of these knee exercises is to strengthen the tendons around your knee and the quad muscle, which is key to knee recovery and injury prevention.

If you have an acute knee injury, have had knee surgery, or are recovering from a knee injury, you should consult your doctor before performing any new exercises. If your doctor clears you to begin these types of exercises, you can do these at home, but you can also reach out to Uno’s Fitness, and we’ll help customize a plan to help you strengthen the knee joint and return to activity safely.

Here are some exercises that you can perform to strengthen your knees to prevent injuries or recover from one after it happens.

Terminal Knee Extensions (TKEs)

Purpose: This exercise helps stabilize the knee joint by strengthening the vastus medialis oblique, or VMO.

Directions:

• Attach a resistance band to a post at knee height, step into the band, and place it behind your knee.
• Bend your knee as much as you can while keeping your toes on the ground.
• Contract the quad to extend the leg and fully straighten the knee.
• In a slow and controlled way, return to the starting position and repeat.

Notes: Squeeze your quad as much as you can at the top of the motion and make sure you’re moving in a smooth and controlled way.

Step Ups

Purpose: This exercise helps with knee tracking control and helps build strength.

Directions:

• Place one foot on a platform or a stair.
• Using only the muscles in the elevated leg, lift your body weight up, then come back down in a controlled way.
• Keep the knee tracking over the toe and control the body weight throughout the movement.

Notes: Don’t use the leg that is on the ground to help boost your body weight. Instead, squeeze the quad of the leg that is elevated to help control your body weight and move in a smooth fashion.

Terminal Knee Extensions (TKEs) with Step Ups

Purpose: This exercise combines TKEs and Step Ups to help stabilize the knee joint and help with knee tracking control.

Directions:

• Attach a resistance band to a post at knee height, step into the band, and place it behind your knee. This will be the leg that is elevated on a platform or a stair.
• Bend your knee while keeping your foot flat on the platform. 
• Using only the muscles in the elevated leg, lift your body vertically and squeeze the quad at the top.
• In a controlled way, lower your leg back to the ground as you bend your elevated knee.

Notes: Be careful to control the body weight and make sure your knee is tracking over your toe. You should control your weight on the way up and down.

Step Downs

Purpose: This exercise helps build eccentric strength as your lower body weight.

Directions:

• Stand parallel to a platform or a stair and put one foot on the platform while bending the knee. The knee should track over the toe when it is bent.
• Lift to the top as you extend your knee.
• Slowly and under control, lower your body weight until the heel of the opposite foot taps the ground, then immediately lift your body weight back up.

Notes: Tapping the heel ensures the off leg is not assisting in elevation.

Let Uno’s Fitness Help You

Whether you’re experiencing knee pain, are recovering from an injury or surgery, or just want to prevent injuries from happening in the future, Uno’s Fitness can help you.

Reach out to us today to set up a free consultation and we’ll develop a customized plan to address the issues you are facing with your knees.