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Osteoarthritis of the knee, also called knee osteoarthritis, is the leading cause of chronic functional disability in developed countries. In France, this inflammatory joint disease, which gradually destroys cartilage, is the leading cause of disability after 40 according to the French anti-rheumatic association (Aflar).
The following exercises, fun and easy to perform, aim to lubricate the knee joint by heating and thinning the synovial fluid, the fluid that protects the joint and ensures its mobility.
An exercise with a skateboard
- Sit in a chair with a skateboard (borrowed from your grandson!) Resting on the floor on the side of the knee you need to mobilize.
- Put your foot on the skateboard and perform knee extensions and flexes. The wheels of the skateboard allow movement without constraint.
- Repeat this movement 50 times a day.
Exercise with a basketball
- Sit on a chair facing the ball, with the foot of the side to be mobilized resting on it.
- Roll the ball under your foot to extend and flex the knee with knee osteoarthritis.
- Vary the movements by also moving the ball sideways, from left to right, so as to make rotational movements of the knee.
- Repeat this movement 50 times a day.
An exercise with a low stool
- For this exercise, use a low enough garden stool. Sit in front of him, and put your foot on the side to be mobilized.
- Without moving the foot, do a “forward lunge” motion with your body (as in fencing, that is, shift the body weight forward by flexing the supporting leg before returning to position. initial). This allows for a movement of flexion and extension of the knee.
- Keep your back straight and abs tight (suck your belly button) throughout the exercise to protect your back.
- Repeat the gesture 50 times a day.
Exercise with a gym ball
- The gym ball also called swiss ball, is a large flexible gymnastic ball 55 to 75 cm in diameter which allows you to perform movements while sitting on it. To choose the size, it is necessary that in a sitting position on the ball and with your feet flat on the ground, your hips and knees form an angle of 90 °.
- Sit on the ball and move it forward and backward with your body, without moving your feet which remain fixed on the ground. The back remains straight and the stomach tight to protect your back. With this exercise, you work both knees.
- To vary the movement, roll it forward and to the right, then forward and to the left. This allows for rotational movements of the knees.
- Repeat this movement 50 times a day.
More info and other exercises mobilization in: The big book of osteoarthritis, Jérôme Auger and Pr Francis Berenbaum, Eyrolles editions.
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