Exercises
Various exercises serve to strengthen the leg muscles and especially to stabilize the patella, which can prevent patellar tendinitis. However, the following exercises are also used after surgery for patellar tendinitis, or as a conservative therapy. The first exercise serves in particular to strengthen the quadriceps muscle, the strongest muscle of the thigh.
Here the patient is in
- Half lying position,
- The elbows are supported on the pad.
- The leg to be practiced is stretched out straight and
- Weighted down with a weight at the ankle.
- The other leg is slightly angled,
- The foot stands flat on the surface.
- Now the stretched leg is slowly lifted to approx. 45°,
- Hold in this position for approx. 3 to 6 seconds and slowly lower again.
- 3 times 10 repetitions with each leg are usually sufficient.
Another exercise is the lateral step-up.
This serves to strengthen the entire thigh and is a good alternative to the previous static exercise. To perform this exercise you need a stepper, which should be about 10cm high. Because of this different height the whole body serves as a counterweight in the following.
Now the injured leg is slowly stretched on the stepper so that the leg standing on the floor is lifted from the surface. Another exercise is sitting on the wall. This exercise is static again and trains the quadriceps muscle.
This exercise can be made even more difficult by using a ball in the back. The ball is clamped between the back and the wall. Then the patient slowly rolls down with the ball until an angle of about 90° is reached between the upper and lower leg.
The feet should always be parallel and flat to the floor. Then the patient straightens up again. Again, 3 times 15 repetitions are usually sufficient.
All these exercises should not be performed too early after an operation. Patients should also not overstrain themselves, but should slowly increase the repetitions and duration of the individual exercises. The specified repetitions serve as an orienting goal and should not be forced right at the beginning of a training.
- The injured leg is placed on the stepper,
- The other leg stands on the floor.
- Then the knee is bent again,
- The other foot touches the ground briefly.
- Then the injured leg is stretched again.
- 3 times 15 repetitions is usually a sufficient training program.
- The patient leans with his back against the wall and
- Goes slowly into the knees, until about
- A 90° angle between thigh and lower leg is achieved.
- This position is held for about 30 seconds.
- After a short pause, 2 repetitions follow.