Knee Injury Prevention and Strength Program
Knee injury prevention requires properly dosed mobility and strength exercises. A common source of pain in the knee joint may be from the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Pain may also arise as referred pain from the low back and pelvis and may even be affected by joints down the chain including the ankle and foot.
Osteoarthritis of the knee is among the leading causes of global disability, highlighting the need for early, targeted, and effective treatment. This statement is referenced and highlighted in the Journal of Orthopedic Physical Therapy (JOSPT) article published May 31, 2018. (This article may be read in full under the ‘Recommended Resources’ tab on the FAQ page) It summarizes the importance of properly dosed and focused therapeutic exercises and how it can decrease joint inflammation and pain. The article also explains how therapeutic exercise will assist with the prevention of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, neurocognitive disorders such as dementia, depression, and other mental disorders, among many other chronic diseases.
A number of chronic diseases aforementioned are associated with OA and chronic low-grade inflammation. Importantly, persistent systemic inflammation is associated with high cardiovascular risk and predisposes one to metabolic disorders and muscle wasting. Thus, the problem doesn’t just lie within the osteoarthritic knee joint, it becomes a vicious cycle for the entire body that can be treated with something as simple as professionally instructed and dosed therapeutic exercise.
Just think about this, research in multiple meta-analysis studies from top-rated journals indicate you can reverse the effects of inflammation in your knee joint, thus reducing the amount of inflammation in your system which will also help reverse the effects of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s, obesity, and depression just to name a few! You will reverse all of these effects with as little as 12 exercise sessions. (See article)
The knee is a hinge joint and includes the thigh bone (femur) and the lower leg (tibia and fibula). In addition to the hinge function of the knee, there is quite a bit of rotational movement that must occur, without excess, for optimal knee health. The knee is reliant on sufficient strength and flexibility from adjacent areas such as the hip and pelvis to maintain proper knee health and stability.
These simple-to-follow knee exercises are often used with ACL injury prevention, adult knee injury prevention, generalized knee strengthening, and are the same knee exercises used to strengthen knees for seniors.
We have the solution, and it’s not medication, injections, or surgery.
The Desire Wellness Knee Injury Prevention and Strength Program will slowly and safely assist you with resuming proper posture, introducing easy-to-follow motion restoration of the knee and adjacent joints. Level 1 introduces knee mobility and stability exercises. Knee level 1 will appropriately prepare you for phases 2 and 3 of the program.
Once you have completed level one, successfully implementing its instructions and exercises, you may progress to level two. Level two will introduce resistance bands to easily and safely transition you into resistance training for the knee and important adjacent structures. Level three will then take these principles learned in level two, and implement them into upright walking exercises that focus on fluid dynamic upright mobility and standing movements with triplanar exercises that improve standing balance, body awareness, more life-like functional patterns.
We at Desire Wellness recommend 30 days of participation at each respective level. Remember, everyone is different, taking into account age, medical history, compliance, and the ability for each activity. It is best to take your time at each level, not trying to get to the next level too quickly. As I often tell my patients, ‘you can rarely progress too slowly, but complications may arise if you progress too quickly.
Muscle fiber size increase, also called hypertrophy, takes approximately 6-8 weeks to occur. With this in mind, consistency and patience is the key. It is completely normal to have some muscular soreness with this specialized program. Mild muscular soreness the following day or two is your goal. We will coach you along every step of the way with our personalized video instruction to guarantee your success.
We are confident that you will see positive results within 30 days or less.
Dr. Marty Sanchez
