Exercises are a staple of many physical therapy plans, and there’s a whole category of exercises that physical therapists use called therapeutic exercises. So, you might be surprised to learn that there are certain exercises that you should avoid when you have knee arthritis. 

How will you know which exercises to avoid when you have knee arthritis? The best option is to work closely with a physical therapist to develop an exercise program that works for your needs. However, some people may also want to try some exercises that they find on the internet. To avoid worsening your knee arthritis symptoms, there are three criteria you should use to evaluate exercises. 

Three criteria you should use to figure out which exercises to avoid with knee arthritis

1. Does the exercise cause you pain?

Doing an exercise may cause you some discomfort, and it’s normal to feel some aching after you do certain exercises. However, you should not continue to do an exercise that is downright painful. What you should do is let your physical therapist know that an exercise is causing you pain. The odds are good that they can find you a similar exercise that doesn’t trigger pain for you. 

2. Do you have trouble maintaining good exercise form?

An exercise is a movement that needs to be performed in a certain way to be safe and effective. If you have trouble maintaining good form during an exercise, you’re more likely to feel pain while doing it. There is even a chance that you may worsen your arthritis or develop an injury. A physical therapist can help you figure out the proper form to use for a given exercise. These specialists can help you improve your form or find an exercise that’s easier for you to do as well. 

3. Does the exercise create a high level of knee stress?

There are specific exercises that create high levels of stress on your knee joint, and these are exercises that should typically not be done when you have knee arthritis. Your physical therapist can educate you on which exercises put too much stress on your knees. Some of the exercises they may cover include: 

• Squats.
• Lunges.
• “W” sits.
• Running.

Continuum Wellness can help you learn which knee arthritis exercises to avoid

Do you want to learn more about knee arthritis exercises you should avoid? Our team at Continuum Wellness can help educate you about many of the physical therapy methods used to treat knee arthritis, including therapeutic exercises. Additionally, we can build you a personalized knee arthritis treatment plan that goes beyond just exercises. Such plans can include: 

• Joint mobilization.
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM).
• Dry needling.
• Virtual physical therapy sessions.

Contact our team today for more information about how we can help treat your knee arthritis or to schedule your initial physical therapy appointment.