Archive for the ‘Stretching’ Category
Stretching For Your Knee Osteoarthritis – Seated Wall Stretch
Keeping your hamstrings flexible will help both your back and knees feel better. A wall stretch is a great way to stretch the back of your legs and manage your lumbar and osteoarthritis pain. Stretching should be part of your treatment program for your knee OA.
Seated Wall Stretch
Seated Hamstring Wall Stretch:
1. Find a wall with a corner.
2. Lie on your back with your butt up against the wall.
3. Straighten one leg, and place your heel against the wall.
4. Push the back of your leg towards the wall until you feel a gentle stretch.
5. Hold the stretch for ten seconds.
6. Switch legs.
7. Stretch each leg five times.
Stretching For Your Knee Osteoarthritis – Standing Wall Stretch
A safe and effective way to stretch the hamstrings is with a standing wall hamstring stretch. If you suffer from back pain as well as knee osteoarthritis, this stretch can help loosen your hamstrings and spare your back. This is one article in a series about stretching to conservatively treat knee OA.
Standing Wall Stretch
Standing Wall Hamstring Stretch:
1. Place your hands on a wall – shoulder height, shoulder width apart.
2. Step back with one leg and push against the wall.
3. Press your heels into the floor while keeping your back straight – until you feel a gentle stretch.
4. Hold the stretch for ten seconds.
5. Repeat with the other leg.
6. Stretch each leg five times.
Happy New Year
Everyone at Heritage Medical and Osteoarthritis Blog wants to wish you a happy and healthy New Year. If you are looking for a resolution in 2011, how about using more conservative treatments to treat your knee osteoarthritis?
Stop the medications, co-pays, trips to the pharmacy, postpone surgery – maybe even avoid going under the knife altogether. This blog will provide you with information on diet, exercise, stretching, knee braces, joint health supplements, and other conservative treatment options. Visit us once in a while to learn how to help your knees without the dangers of medications and without risking surgery.
Three individual muscles makes up the hamstrings: the biceps femoris, seimetendinosus, and semimembranosus. Keeping the hamstrings flexible is a great conservative treatment option for your knee osteoarthritis. Think about it, if you can ease your pain by stretching, no co-pays, no trips to the pharmacy, no side effects from drugs, no surgery…
This is one article in a series of blog posts describing different stretches to help your knees.
Standing Cross Leg Hamstring Stretch
Standing Cross Leg Hamstring Stretch
1. Stand, and cross your legs
2. Slowly bend at the waist, keeping your knees straight
3. Once you feel a gentle stretch, hold the position for ten seconds
4. Stand up
5. Repeat five times.
Stretching For Your Knee Osteoarthritis – Standing Hamstring Stretch
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Stretching the hamstrings is easy and doesn’t take much time. It is also important if you want to treat your knee osteoarthritis conservatively. Medications and surgery can be dangerous. Try this – a standing hamstring stretch:
1. Stand up
2. Bend forward, keeping your knees straight – until you feel a gentle stretch
3. Hold the position for ten seconds
4. Return to the position you started in
5. Repeat five times
This post is part of a series about how stretching can play an important role in a conservative treatment plan for knee osteoarthritis.
Stretching For Your Knee Osteoarthritis – Seated Hamstring Stretch
Living a more limber lifestyle can help ease the pain of the osteoarthritis in your knees. Stretching can be an effective, conservative treatment option.
Here is another seated stretch:
Seated Hamstring Stretch
1. Sit down, straighten one leg
2. Bend the other leg so that the sole of your foot is against your inner thigh
3. Bend at the waist and reach forward until you feel a gentle stretch.
4. Hold the stretch for ten seconds
5. Relax the stretch
6. Repeat five times.
Stretching For Your Knee Osteoarthritis – Seated Hamstring Stretch
Seated Hamstring Stretch
Your hamstrings are located on the back of your leg behind your thigh. It is a large muscle group that helps bend the knee and extend the hip. Tight hamstrings are common in people that spend a lot of time sitting. Effective hamstring stretching should be part of the treatment program for your knee osteoarthritis.
The seated hamstring stretch is simple:
1. Sit on the floor
2. Put your legs straight out in front of you.
3. Lean forward, keeping your knees straight – until you feel a gentle stretch.
4. Hold the stretch for ten seconds.
5. Return to where you started.
6. Repeat five times.
Stretching
Stretching is important if you want your knees to feel better. It doesn’t cost anything, you don’t need a prescription, and you can do it right now!
The muscles surrounding your knees play a role in how your knees move and feel. This series of blog posts will explain several stretches to help ease the pain associated with your knee osteoarthritis. In particular we will examine stretches for the hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexors.
Hamstring Stretch
Quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip flexors all play a role in how your knees feel. The tighter these muscles are the more your arthritis can hurt.
Remember that stretching should never be painful, and that anyone can stretch. Stretching is an important part of exercising and should be an important part of the treatment plan for your knee osteoarthritis.
Along with exercise, weight loss, and a thorough working knowledge of how osteoarthritis effects your knees, stretching can be an important part of your daily routine.
Stretching Helps OA
This is a continuation of our series of articles from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ Full Guideline for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis.
Recommendation 5 – Range of motion and flexibility exercises should be considered as a treatment option for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Knee OA is often accompanied by joint stiffness and limited muscle flexibility. Stretching is inexpensive, has limited negative side effects, and is beneficial for the overall health of the patient.