Knee Exercises Level 1
Quad sets
Place a pillow lengthwise under your knee. Pull your toes back and push your leg down to squash the pillow. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat up to 20 times. You should feel your thigh and gluteus muscles during this exercise. Begin with moderate effortand then increase your effort gradually. This exercise can be done lying flat as shown, sitting in a recliner, or leaning against a wall.
Hamstring sets
Lie on your back with knees bent and toes up. Dig your heels into the ground and pull back without sliding your heels. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat up to 20 times. You should feel the back of your thigh, the hamstrings, during this exercise. As with quad sets, start with a moderate effort and increase your effort gradually.
Adductor Sets
Lie on your back with knees bent. Put a pillow or ball in between your legs and squeeze. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 20 times. As with the others, start with a moderate effort and increase your effort gradually.
Straight Leg Raise
Tighten your thigh and pull your toes back just as you do for the quad set, then maintain the muscle tightness as you slowly raise your leg 18 inches. Lower slowly, relax your muscles briefly, then tighten your thigh, pull your toes back and repeat 20 times.
Note: These first 3 knee exercises are the least stressful on the knee joint as they require little to no movement of the knee itself.
Heel Slides
After you’ve mastered the quad and hamstring sets, progress to this exercises. Lie on your back. With your bad knee elevated. Point your toes toward the ceiling, push your heel into the ground, and slowly slide your heel towards your butt, then return to your extended position. Gradually increase the bend in your legs over time, in surgical cases shoot for 15 degrees of added flexion each week till you have normal knee motion. Repeat 20 times.
Tip: In the early phase of rehab, you might find it useful to use a towel to help assist the bending motion.
Bridging
After you’ve mastered the adductor set above, progress to this exercise. Knees bent and feet flat on the floor as above with your heels spaced comfortably from your bottom. Fold a bed pillow in half, and place it between your knees. Squeeze the pillow and hold on to it tightly. Raise your bottom upward slowly lifting one vertebra at a time from your exercise mat. Continue lifting your bottom upward until there is a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold this position 5-10 seconds. Repeat 6-8 times. Think of reaching your knees forward over your ankles.
Heel raises
Hold onto a chair or countertop only as much as you need to for safety. Go up on your toes as high as possible without leaning your body weight forward. Stay up and maintain your balance for 2-3 seconds. Repeat up to 25 times.Keep your weight over your big toes as you go up and down.Once you can easily do 25 repetitions, try lowering back down on one foot. Then progress to single leg heel raises.