The Step Down-for Knee Rehab
Knee rehab can be feel daunting. The slow step down exercise is great for patients that are recovering from knee pain or injury. It is a great beginner exercise for re-training yourself to go up and down stairs normally again! It strengthens all the muscles supporting the knee, especially the quad muscle at the front of the thigh! I love this exercise because it directly translates to the movement that we are trying to improve, which is going down stairs! It’s very common that our patients have difficulty going down stairs after a knee injury so this is perfect for that population!
How-To Steps:
- On the edge of a low step, stand on your affected leg with the other leg hovering in front of the step.
- Slowly bend the affected leg (the one staying on the step) as you lower the other leg down to the floor heel first.
- Bend the affected leg far enough so that you can touch the heel of the other leg to the ground. Now your foot is on the ground so step off the step and repeat 10x.
*Never do an exercise that causes you pain*