Injury, osteoarthritis, and a host of other issues can result in seniors having pain in their knees. However, it is possible to help your elderly loved one get his or her knees and the surrounding muscles and joints into better shape. The staff at Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of home care Oakville families can rely on, has put together a list of exercises that can help strengthen your loved one’s knees and relieve existing pain.
Knee Extensions
This should be an easy exercise for your loved one to perform, but the impact on knee health is significant. The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen the knee and help your loved one maintain balance and prevent falls. The exercise can also help your loved one stand more easily and increase the range of motion in his or her knees. Extending the knees is necessary to maintain functional independence, and knee extension exercises can help your loved one accomplish that.
Standing Knee Flexes
This exercise strengthens your loved one’s hamstring muscles, and it can be performed while standing or with the use of a walker. When done correctly, standing knee flexion helps your loved one increase his or her balance. The muscles behind your loved one’s knees should have greater flexibility as a result, and he or she may begin to walk better. Be sure your loved one remains balanced and keeps his or her thighs together when performing this exercise.
Water Exercises
When your loved one walks in the shallow end of a pool, he or she can build muscle strength and knee flexibility. Water exercises can help relieve pain and stiffness in your loved one’s knee. Your loved one will have to work a little harder when doing exercises in water, but they are not strenuous. In fact, the water cushions stiff joints and fragile bones that might make certain exercises difficult to perform on land.
Leg Dips
This is another exercise your loved one can perform while standing. Leg dips strengthen the muscles in the thighs, which should make it easier to walk and stand. When your loved one exercises muscles around the knee joints, he or she is making them stronger and less prone to injury. Doing leg dips can prevent the knees from stiffening, make movement easier, and reduce knee pain.
Regular exercise is good for strengthening many parts of a senior’s body and preventing injury. If your loved one could use some help with daily exercise, reach out to Home Care Assistance. Our hourly and live-in caregivers can assist with exercise routines and also help with various tasks around the house that might be challenging for a senior with limited mobility, including bathing and light housekeeping. We also offer specialized dementia, post-stroke, and Parkinson’s care Oakville seniors can rely on. For more information on our senior care services and to schedule a no-obligation in-home consultation, call one of our friendly Care Managers at (905) 337-1200.