Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is a kind of joint disease that results from the breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bones. People suffering from this ailment think that exercise will make their knees hurt more. But practically exercise helps ease the symptoms of knee OA.
Exercises are no doubt helpful for people suffering from osteoarthritis, but before you start or plan an exercise routine talking to the doctor or physical therapist who have been looking after you is extremely necessary. The doctor would also recommend the type of exercise you should do for your knee osteoarthritis.
Opting for an experienced personal trainer who know how to treat patients with knee osteoarthritis would also be a good idea. Different specific exercises and stretches would be shown to you by the trainers helping you manage the problem.
There are several benefits of exercising for those who are suffering with knee osteoarthritis, some of the best ones are stated below:
1. Proper exercising can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy physique, this would in turn reduce the extra body weight on your knees avoiding extra pressure on the knee joints.
2. Exercise supports in building up muscles that surround the knee joint.
3. It may also reduce the amount of other treatments and medications that you were taking for your knees.
4. Regular exercise also improves strength, mobility and functionality of the knees.
After knowing about the key benefits, now it’s time to learn about the main and popular types of exercises that can be practiced for osteoarthritis knee in Melbourne.
1. Strengthening exercises- This type of exercises helps build muscles around your knees, which acts as shock absorbers for the joints. This results in the reduction of painful impact on your knee joints. It is a fact that for walking, bending, climbing and lifting you need strong muscles in your legs.
So step by step practice of the strengthening exercises in your workout routine can do wonders. Start slowly and do around 15 minutes a day. Avoid using weights when you just start, your own body weight can act as your resistance. Gradually, as you get acquainted with the moves you may add some light weights.
2. Flexibility exercises- These forms of exercising excellently eases your way into an exercise program for the knees. This is best for people who haven't been active for years. Knee joints are stubborn and gets stiff and rigid when not in use on a regular basis.
So try out different forms of flexible exercises like Pilates, Yoga, and other kind of stretches. This exercise should also be done for about 15 minutes every day and can be increased gradually with time and practice.
3. Aerobic exercises- Another type of workout that can be practiced by patients suffering from osteoarthritis knee can be, the aerobic form, it includes walking and water aerobics.
Working out in the water can be much easier to do for your joints than doing them normally out of water. Aerobics are particularly essential for people having knee OA as they make your heart pump properly and help keep you at a healthy weight.
Steve Jo has visited many pain relief therapy centers around Australia. During his visits he interviewed many healthcare professionals, who ascertained that osteoarthritis knee in Melbourne can be treated with proper exercising routine and other non-invasive treatments.