A knee injury is no laughing matter. While it's natural to want to rehabilitate an injured knee as quickly as possible, it's also important to to go about it the right way. All too often, people with injured knees become overzealous and actually prolong the severity of their injuries by engaging in exercises that exacerbate the problem. One of the key things to keep in mind when it comes to healing a knee injury is that low-impact exercises are always best. You should avoid jarring, extreme movements at all costs. The right exercise equipment can help you heal your knee injury a lot more quickly; find out what the best one is below.
The Wrong Equipment can Worsen a Knee Injury
In order to pinpoint the right kind of exercise equipment to use when rehabilitating an injured knee, it helps to rule out less-than-beneficial equipment first. By keeping the importance of low-impact exercises in mind, it's fairly easy to zero in on the most effective types of equipment. If it turns out that you already have the right equipment at home, you're good to go; if not, investing in the right kind is well worth it. After all, regular, careful exercise can help strengthen the muscles that support your knee, allowing it to heal that much faster.
Treadmills: Too Risky
If low-impact exercises are essential for rehabilitating an injured knee, a treadmill is not the best option. Treadmills are versatile, to be sure; however, it's all too easy to get carried away and inadvertently jar or jostle your knee. Also, you'll be putting extra weight on your knee while working out on this type of equipment - and that's far from ideal.
Elliptical Machines: Too Intense
As a cross between a stationary bike and a stair climber, an elliptical machine offers a topnotch cardiovascular workout. However, it's not an ideal choice for rehabilitating an injured knee. The constant up-and-down motion that's involved in using one can needlessly over-stress a knee that is already weak and injured. Like treadmills, it's easy to get wrapped up in the moment when using elliptical machines, a phenomenon that causes more harm than good.
Exercise Bikes: Too Inconsistent
When adjusted the right way, an exercise bike can be a suitable choice for strengthening and rehabilitating an injured knee. However, it's difficult to tell whether you've set one up properly. The trick to doing so is adjusting the seat properly. Ideally, your knee shouldn't bend beyond a 90-degree angle; it should be slightly bent when the pedal is pushed as far as it can go. If exercise bikes aren't adjusted properly, an existing injury can be exacerbated.
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