05 Jan Meniscal Injury Exercises
These are some of my favourite early stage exercises for those diagnosed with a meniscal injury.
These exercises focus on strengthening the thigh muscles (the quadriceps and hamstrings) and the muscles around the hip to then support and unload the healing knee joint.
1. Straight leg raise: Laying on your back, straighten your knee by tensing your front thigh muscles and raise your leg to 45 degrees at the hip, pause then slowly lower. Repeat 10-15x, then do a similar action while laying on your opposite side, bending your bottom leg for extra stability.
2. Heel digs: Laying on your back, rest with your heels on the couch with your knees bent in a position that is comfortable (depending on your injury). Push/dig your heels into the couch without moving your hips or knees. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 8-10x
3. Wall sit: Stand with your back against the wall, with hips and knees in line. Slowly lower down in a sitting action roughly 1/4 of the range (picturing full range to be 90 degrees at your hips & knees). Pause and hold for 10 seconds, repeat 8-10x
Repeating 2 sets of each exercise with 2-3 mins rest in between sets.
I recommend you see a physio so they can assess your knee and recommend more specific exercises for your stage of recovery. To find a physio in your area of Australia or New Zealand click here. Make sure you check out my earlier post for more info on the overall management of meniscal injuries here.
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