Read below for understanding, Scroll to bottom of page for a list of exercises and doing. Care for your joints like they’re packed with the finest weed.
Knee Limitations: The knee is a hinge joint. Hinge joints extend and flex, also known as bending forward and back. The knee as you can see below has very little bones. Some of the body’s strongest muscles pull on this joint in varying degrees.
Your knee is the only one you are born with. Surgery can help many, but it is not the only answer. Let’s first take a look at the knee’s location in the body: directly under the hips. Joints are stacked in an alternating mobile- immobile fashion, meaning that the hip is extremely mobile but the knee isn’t. There is a tiny bit of rotation allowed at flexion and extension, but bending are its main modes. There is synovial fluid in the knee, which is good as this lubricates all moving parts, and like all fluids of the body, synovial fluid brings all kinds of nutrients to the body.
Ligaments: These are a series of helpers that stabilize this very loaded and rather immobile joint. They do not have elasticity and will become loose overtime leaving them susceptible to tears when there are irregular patterns of movement particularly under consistent stress. PARTICULARLY FOR YOGI’S.
Beyond Ligaments, there is also a need to cushion the bones (all of the moving parts) of the knee from impact. Luckily, we have such a cushion called cartilage that mitigates impact, however we do not have an unlimited supply. Impact : long lasting result of gravity’s forces on the body in sports, running, jumping, etc.
The more we use it (cartilage), the more we lose it, like the spring in old sneakers. Where does it go? The good news: There are many great exercises that allow you to work your leg muscles (even those attached to the knee) without impact!
Exercises to strengthen leg muscles without impact> bridges, bridges with abduction, bridges with knee extension, bridges on ball, wall bridges, Cable column hip abduction, hip extension straight leg, hip extension bent knee,
Yoga leg strengthening on the wall> Exercises to use the wall so that there is limited impact but total muscle recruitment from the legs, restoring muscle balance and alignment>warrior three on the wall, half moon on wall
Exercises to create stability in the knee> Hip abduction with resistance band, Single leg squat, single leg squat on SB
FOR YOGIS: Impact-Exercises for overstretched ligaments> Scissor Legs, Jumping Squats, Jumping Lunges, Power Jacks, Jumping Jacks, Criss Cross Jacks, High Knees, High Kicks, Ladder work, Side shuffle.
The Mind Body Exchange 