Knee Exercises For Seniors And The Elderly
Standing Knee Flexion
Knee exercises for seniors and the elderly are an important part of strengthening your lower body. Try these exercises 3 times a week for a month to gain better balance and reduce the risk of falls.
All you need is a chair and a safe place to practice. The knee exercise below works on knee flexion or bending. This is the hamstring muscle.
It is vital that this muscle is strengthened for better standing and walking which leads to improved balance. Good balance is usually a prime motivator in beginning an exercise program for older adults.
Try this hamstring exercise, add it to your routine and see how much stronger you will become in a short while!
Purpose of this exercise
This exercise strengthens your hamstring muscles. Also helps with your standing balance.
Step 1
Stand using a chair to balance yourself.
Step 2
Bend your right knee backward as high as you can. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times. Continue with the left leg.
Breathing
Inhale during the upward movement phase. Exhale during the downward movement phase.
Tips
Do not bend at the hips. Try to stand as straight as you can. If you get a cramp in your hamstring, relax your leg, massage the muscle and try again when the pain is gone.
Try stretching out your hamstring muscle for 30 seconds before the exercise.
Take it up a notch
Try this exercise while holding on with only one hand, then one finger, then with no hands. Add 2 to 5 pound ankle weights to increase the workout.
How to do Standing Knee Flexion
More Lower Body Strengthening
- This exercise improves your ankle flexibility and ability to move your ankle upward and downward.
- This is a great warm up exercise for the lower leg and feet.
2. Hip Marching
- This exercise will strengthen your hip flexor and thighs.
- With correct seated posture it will also help your abdominal muscles.
- Strengthening your knees width knee strengthening exercises will improve your ability to stand and balance.
- This exercise will improve your available knee range of motion.
4. Calf Raises
- Strengthening your calf muscles with calf exercises will give your more power to step forward on level surfaces or carry you up hills on uneven terrain.
- Helps pump blood up from your legs to your upper-body and brain.
- These knee exercises strengthens your hamstring muscles.
- Also helps with your standing balance.
- Safely strengthens your side hip muscles to help with hip arthritis.
- Helps maintain your lower body endurance to better walk and side step around objects.
7. Sit to Stand
- Excellent hip exercises to maintain your leg and hip strength.
- One of the most important exercises used daily to keep your independence and confidence.
8. Heel Stand
- Strengthens the front part of the lower leg with ankle stretches.
- You will become better able to raise your toes to avoid tripping.
9. Lunges
- To strengthen your quadriceps and hips with leg toning exercises.
- Improve your ability to get out of a chair and balance.
- Help you with lifting chores around the house.
- To increase your quadriceps and hip flexor strength with this leg workout.
- To strengthen your abdominal muscles.
- Allow you to advance your leg during walking with greater ease.
11. Partial Squats
- Increase your hip flexibility, quadriceps strength and hip flexor strength.
- Improve your ability to get up from a chair and walk.
- Steady your body for better balance and safety.
12. Hip Extension
- This exercise will help with strengthening the hip joint and muscles.
- This will improve the ability to walk and propel yourself forward or up stairs.
Resources Family Caregivers https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-CaregiverBrochure.pdf