How to Stretch and Exercise Tight Knee Tendons

Tight Knee Tendons

Frequent sensations of tightness or pulling in your knees can be incredibly uncomfortable and irritating - particularly when they interfere with everyday tasks like walking, or sitting. Usually, people suffer from tight knee tendons as a result of tightness throughout the muscles connected to those tendons, as tendons themselves do not have the ability to relax and contract individually. Because of this, in order to fix and exercise tight knee tendons, individuals may need to focus on relieving tight calf muscles, hamstrings, and more.

With a combination of calf compression sleeves for elevated circulation and support, and a series of exercises designed to mobilize the knee joint, it is possible to stretch your tendons, while achieving a greater level of aerobic activity and range of motion. 

Focus on Specific Muscles


When attempting to relieve tight knee tendons, there are specific muscles you'll need to focus on thanks to their location around the joint. Studies have found that stretching the quadriceps, hamstrings, calf muscles, and hip flexors over time should help to improve the range of motion in both healthy, and osteoarthritic knees.

It is also worth paying some attention to the hip adductors - those supportive muscles on the inside of the knee, and the iliotibial band - which is the strip of fibrous tissue that runs down the outside of the knee and thigh.

Stretching and Aerobics


Using flexibility and stretching exercises to relieve tight knee tendons is essential if you want to improve your mobility levels. Some of the most basic exercise solutions include hamstring stretches and quadriceps stretches. These movements help to lengthen the muscles in the back and the front of the thigh.

Another strategy for decreasing tightness in knee tendons is to add some aerobic activity to your routine. Low-impact exercises such as elliptical training, cycling, and swimming help to increase the temperature and blood flow to the muscles, similarly to a calf compression sleeve - which helps to promote good muscle health. A typical aerobic session should generally start with at least five minutes of warmup to avoid further injury.

Remember to Strengthen


While it may appear to be counterintuitive, studies have shown that a frequent strengthening routine can be useful in decreasing the tightness in tendons and muscles. After all, your muscles must be strong if you want them to support your knees through a complete range of motion. Strengthening routines should focus on the muscles in the ankle, knee and hip, which means that lunges and squats using proper form can be particularly effective at targeting all areas at once.

Remember…

Keep in mind that it is important to ease carefully into any new exercise program if you want to avoid potential injuries. When you're looking for ways to exercise tight knee tendons, remember to speak to your doctor about your goals, and ensure that you follow his or her advice regarding the types of workout you should stay away from.

The RICE method is also a popular method to help knee recovery.

No exercise that you do should be painful, and if the discomfort persists for more than six weeks, it's generally a good idea to speak to your doctor again. You may need to seek assistance earlier if you have extra inflammation or pain around the knee joint.


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