Strategies to prevent and recover from knee injuries
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If you want to prevent knee injuries or if you want to recover better from any existing knee injuries, it can be done better with a few strategies. Let's find out more about such strategies which will help you to prevent such injuries and recover better if any injury happens.
Improve range of motion by stretching
You can improve your range of motion by stretching. There are four main types of stretching-static, dynamic, ballistic and PNF. PNF stretching is the most important one in rehabilitation. You will need a partner to perform this type of stretching. A simple example will help you to understand it better.
Let's take lying hamstring stretch as an example here. You live on the flow while the partner straightens your legs and raises it up in the air until your hamstring feels tight. Stay there for 10 seconds and then flacks your hamstrings to create force against your partner and keep pushing for 10 more seconds. As you relax while still keeping your legs straight, your partner will move your leg into a deeper stretch. This is possible by taking advantage of the stretch reflex. If you continue doing this for some time, over time it will eventually lead to a permanent increase in your range of motion.
Getting the full range of motion back is very important when you are recovering from a knee injury. If you do not recover the full range of motion your knee function will be inhibited by muscle tightness.
You can use PNF stretching to stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps and your gastrocs at least twice every week.
Use myofascial release
Myofascial release is a type of therapy and it is very popular among gym goers. It is a therapist and many personal trainers are also using it. It includes techniques like foam rolling, trigger point therapy or PNF stretching and others. For instance will if you take foam rolling, it can improve the range of motion of the knee and also lower pain. It has a very positive effect on post exercise soreness. It helps you tremendously in training post injury.
Improve joint strength
If you want to prevent knee injury and want to rehabilitate your knees faster, you will lead to improve joint strength of your joints. If you strengthen the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups, because these are the primary mover muscles, they will help in flexing and extending you knee.
Your knee is a hinge joint and you need exercises for rehab that only operate on the forward-backward plane because the hinge joint opens and closes on that. You can take up a simple quad strengthening exercises like a wall squat. If initially it is difficult for you to bend your knee more, you can start with a slight bend and then gradually deepen it as you build strength.
Immediately after injury, you may not be able to perform even a shallow squat. In that case, you can start with a slight bend in your knees. If necessary, you can always use leg extensions.
If you want to work on the hamstrings, you can use a bodyweight hamstring curl which will activate your hamstring muscles. If you're rehabilitating, it may be a little difficult for you because in that case, initially, your healthy leg will do most of the work and exercise but you don't have to worry about that as overtime your injured leg will also begin to catch up and you'll be able to put more load on that leg.
References
1. Knee Injury Solution
2. Knee Problems
3. Common Knee Injuries