Sports for knee arthrosis

In the case of known knee arthrosis, as in other forms of arthrosis of the lower half of the body, weight normalization is the main goal for containing the disease. As already mentioned at the beginning, cycling and swimming are recommended, for example! You should also ask about special knee sports groups – many patients find much more fun and motivation in such a group than when training alone.

Often the statutory health insurance even covers the costs. All exercises that stretch the knee joint or the adjacent muscles and ligaments well and do not put a direct weight load on the joint are suitable for training at home. For example, “sitting leg lifting” is particularly suitable for beginners; for this, the patient sitting upright on a chair with both feet firmly on the floor lifts one leg by extending the knee until the entire leg is parallel to the floor.

This position is held briefly before the leg is slowly bent and lowered again. This movement should be repeated about 20 times and then also with the second side. Further exercises and the perfect execution can be shown and explained by a physiotherapist, an experienced fitness trainer or a doctor.

Sports for hip arthrosis

Similar to patients with knee osteoarthritis, patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip joint should also regularly perform movements that are not very stressful. They should also normalize their weight. Since the hip is difficult to address in isolation, it is advisable to strengthen as many muscles and body parts involved as possible.

For example, a healthy strong back can relieve the hips in everyday life. In general, one should avoid incorrect postures that may have crept in over years and decades, and even more so, avoid relieving postures that are due to current pain. To explicitly strengthen the hip muscles, the following exercise is also suitable, for example: In a lateral position, the person concerned stretches the upper leg towards the ceiling.

The lower leg can be slightly bent and lies firmly on the floor. The goal is a 45 degree angle between the lifted and lying leg. After holding it briefly, the upper leg is guided back to the floor.

The exercise should be performed 10 times per side. Since there are endless other good and useful exercises for strengthening the hip muscles, those affected should take the time to seek advice from a professional. In addition to strengthening, targeted stretching is also important in osteoarthritis of the hip.

For example, you can stretch a leg to the side while lying supine without changing the position of the pelvis and back.The stretch should look similar to the “snow angel” that children like to make in winter. If these two exercises are consistently performed daily for about a week, you will notice an improvement after such a short time. Maybe this is just the right incentive to practice even more?