Gaining knee extension range of motion after an injury or surgery is difficult! Watch the video to learn how to regain your range of motion quickly!

HOW: While laying on your back, straighten your leg out and place your heel on an elevated surface with your toe pointed up. Typically lying back on your coach with your foot on the arm rest will suffice. Relax your leg muscles and let gravity push your leg down stretching the back of your knee. Hold for a prescribed amount of time.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the back of your leg.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your knee relaxed and straight. Don’t let your knee hit the ground while the weight is being applied. Keep your toe pointed up so your hip doesn’t rotate up.

HOW: Laying on a table or elevated surface, make sure your knees are slightly hanging over the edge. Your knee cap should be just over the edge, comfortably. Let gravity pull your lower leg down and extend your knee. Hold that stretch as long as prescribed, usually until it reaches a point of discomfort.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the back of your knee. If performing after surgery or injury, it is common to be uncomfortable.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep the knee straight. Make sure your kneecap is off the edge of the table. Stay relaxed!

HOW:  Follow this foolproof guide to wake your quad back up! Use a stretch strap or towel and place it around the balls of your feet, holding onto both ends of the towel with your hands. Laying on the ground or on a table with your knee straight and foot supported, attempt to push your knee down and lift your heel off the ground by squeezing your quadriceps muscle until your knee is fully straight. Help your quad lift your heel up by pulling on the strap to lift your heel up at the same time. You should be able to lift it higher with the assistance of the strap. Return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL:  Really focus on squeezing your quad. Sometimes touching the muscle, massaging it, or hitting it can help. Think about moving your kneecap up and towards your hip socket. Push your knee down into the ground. Move your shin bone in the shape of a “J” by moving your knee down and your heel up at the same time. Squeeze both quadriceps at the same time to improve the quality of the quad contraction.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not lift your entire leg off the ground, focus on getting your knee fully straight similar to the other side.

HOW: Start by lying on your back. Bend your opposite knee. The first step is to perform a very strong quadricep set by squeezing your thigh as hard as you can. Keeping this constant squeeze, tighten your core muscles and then lift your leg up into the air. Think of making your leg as long and as straight as you can while lifting it. Then slowly lower back down to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel an entire contraction of the front thigh muscles and your leg working hard.

 

COMPENSATION: You should not be feeling these exercise exclusively in the front of your hip. If you only feel the muscles in the front of your hip working, it means you are not squeezing your thigh hard enough or you’re are not squeezing the quads when you are lifting your leg. Maintaining the thigh squeeze is the most important part of this exercise!

HOW: Walk backwards. As you take a step with your involved leg, work on “staying strong” and squeezing your glutes and quadriceps as you make contact with the ground. The goal is to feel strong on your leg like no one can push you over. Think about pushing your knee backwards and straight.

 

FEEL: Feel your knee straighten and your quadriceps and glutes fire when your foot is on the ground.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let your knee buckle. Keep it squeeze as hard as you can when your weight is on your foot.

HOW: Get set-up standing with a band around and above the knee with the band anchored in front of you. To perform the exercise, put tension on the band so that it wants to pull your knee forward, let your knee bend and your foot go onto the toes followed by squeezing your quad, pushing your heel into the ground, and pushing your knee back until it is fully straight.

 

FEEL: You will feel your quads working with this exercise and maybe even your glutes. You may also feel a stretch behind your knee in the calf and hamstring region when your knee is straight.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hip extended (pushed forward) and stand tall as you perform this exercise, don’t let your butt go back and your hip bend when you straighten your knee.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

0:38 Knee Extensions Safe?

2:15 Knee Extensions Functional?

5:18 Bloopers

The knee extension machine is present in most gyms across the United States. While many people use this machine, many others do not for fear of causing damage to their knees. Why is it that some people fear the knee extension machine? Is it safe to use? Is it a useful tool? Is it “functional” ? This video will teach you why the knee extension machine is safe, why it can be crucial to overcoming knee pain, and how to include it in your exercise or rehabilitation program!