What easy and effective exercises exist to treat an existing runners knee injury?
Runners knee often occurs when quadriceps are too weak to support the knees. Thigh-strengthening exercises are needed. Some exercises, such as lunges, might not be appropriate for existing knee injuries since it might cause pain and make it worse.
So far in my research I came across CoolRunning, suggesting
- Standing Leg Lifts: Stand with your back against the wall. Lift one leg up as high as you can with the knee straight. Hold for five seconds, then bend your knee to relax, hold for five seconds. Straighten your leg again, and do five of these before switching to the other leg. Over time, see if you can build up to ten seconds.
- Foot Turns: Lie down or sit in a chair and stretch both legs out, knees straight and feet pointed up toward the knees. Tighten your thigh muscles and turn your feet out as far as you can, holding for ten seconds. Now turn your feet in as far as you can and hold for ten seconds, keeping your thigh muscles tight for the entire exercise. Do three of these sets.
- Foot Press: Either sitting or lying down, put one foot on top of the other and pull up with your lower foot as you push down with the upper foot. Hold that for ten seconds, and then switch feet and repeat. Try five sets of these.
Do you agree with these suggestions?