Prescriptive Exercise: Knees – The Stiff Leg Lift
If you have knees that ache regularly, here is an exercise that strengthens the various muscles in the thigh. By developing strength in the range of muscles above, you may tighten the connections around the knee getting better support. When this group, the quadriceps, has more strength, and you keep your foot in a small range of motion directly below the hips, the knee takes less stress.
Sit on a tall bench or table. With a stiff leg, lift the leg up and down, gradually changing the range of motion from inside to outside. Start with no weight, and one set of 10 lifts. When you can easily do 3 sets of 10 lifts with each leg, add a few pounds using a bag or pocketbook looped around the ankle.
Learn more about prescriptive exercises for walkers in Jeff’s book Jeff Galloway Walking – The Complete Book at:
