A set of exercises for older people with arthrosis of the knee joints

One of the problems that reduces mobility is arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis). This degenerative disorder affects the joints due to wear and tear of cartilage and is considered the most common rheumatic disease in people over 55, although it cannot be ruled out in younger people with a genetic predisposition.

For normal functioning, cartilage tissue must be elastic and lubricated with synovial fluid. When there is a lack of this viscous substance, cartilage becomes hard and porous. The free sliding of articular surfaces is impaired, which leads to painful friction and a significant deterioration in the quality of life.

Depending on the level of pain and dysfunction, there are many treatments available for knee osteoarthritis:

• anti-inflammatory drugs;
• corticosteroid injections;
• arthroscopic surgery;
• partial or complete knee replacement (endoprosthetics).

However, for older people, such therapeutic methods carry certain risks, and therefore are used mainly for advanced forms of the disease. Performing therapeutic exercises will help prevent the development of arthrosis and its complications in old age, eliminate painful sensations and restore joint mobility.

Exercises for knee joints with arthrosis for older people are useful at the early stage of the disease, when the cartilage tissue has not completely destroyed. Their action is aimed at:

• strengthening the locomotor and cardiovascular systems;
• restoration of blood circulation and adequate nutrition of connective tissue;
• inhibition of degeneration and wear of cartilage structures;
• reduction of pain in the affected knee.

To achieve a therapeutic effect, exercises for knee arthrosis should be performed regularly, under the supervision of an instructor, in combination with proper nutrition and other physiotherapeutic measures - massage, electrotherapy, mud and hydrotherapy.

What are the benefits of therapeutic exercises for arthrosis of the knee joint?

Performing a set of exercises normalizes blood circulation in the connective tissue, starting the process of producing joint lubrication - synovium. This mucus-like mass fills the cavity of the interarticular space, prevents friction of intra-articular surfaces, and inhibits the destruction of cartilage.

The positive effect of taking chondroprotectors depends entirely on the intensity of blood flow. And exercises for the knee joint with arthrosis for older people provide increased blood supply to the affected joints and rapid delivery of components that restore cartilage.

Excessive physical activity can cause a deterioration in the general condition, the formation of edema and increased pain in the affected area. Therefore, at least at first, you should conduct physical therapy classes with a doctor.

In addition to restoring joint mobility, regular exercise therapy allows you to:

• normalize blood pressure;
• improve metabolism;
• increase muscle tone;
• strengthen the nervous system;
• get rid of insomnia.

What results can be obtained from a set of joint exercises?

Over the years, cartilage tissue and ligaments lose their elasticity, limiting the range of motion in the joints. Against the background of pain, a person instinctively begins to reduce his physical activity, thereby starting a vicious circle - physical inactivity, dystrophy, pain. To prevent this from happening, you need to take timely preventive measures that can slow down age-related changes.

The most effective methods of prevention include a special set of joint exercises for older people. The effectiveness of regular exercise is as follows:

• Improving microcirculation of blood and lymph
• Normalization of metabolic processes
• Increased joint fluid production
• Restoration of muscle and bone tissue
• Expanding the range of motion in joints

In addition, joint exercises for the elderly after 60 years of age reduce the risk of developing many other diseases associated with physical inactivity and improve overall well-being. Feeling flexible, energetic and active again - isn’t this what every sane person strives for?

Recommendations for training for older people

Having decided to resort to exercise therapy to restore knee mobility, you need to remember that it is strictly forbidden to choose exercises for the knee joint with arthrosis at your own discretion. There are certain types of loads that are contraindicated for the patient in one case or another. Therefore, the training program is selected individually by the attending physician.

The next thing you need to pay attention to is that performing exercises from the developed complex is allowed if there is no pain. Any type of discomfort in the knee joint is a contraindication for physical activity, since it will not only intensify it, but also aggravate the course of the disease.

During classes, the patient is strictly forbidden to overwork, so as not to provoke the opposite effect. All movements are performed slowly, without jerking, with a gradual increase in load (after sufficient warming up of the muscle tissue).

When should you give up exercise therapy?

There are restrictions under which it is better to refuse training:

• elevated body temperature – above 37.7 C;
• increased blood or intracranial pressure;
• any disease during the acute phase;
• diseases of the blood, blood vessels, heart;
• postoperative period.

Rules for performing exercises for arthrosis of the knee joint

For physical therapy to be beneficial, you should follow some recommendations:

1. It is advisable to do aerobics in open areas (parks, squares and other similar places), where an elderly person will not experience a lack of oxygen. If classes are held indoors, then it is necessary to ensure a continuous supply of fresh air.
2. During therapy using exercises for the knee joint for arthrosis for older people, it is important that the intense exercise regime alternates with a rest regime. For normal restoration of cartilage tissue, joints need rest every 6 hours.
3. To protect the knee from injury and overload, you can use orthopedic knee pads (orthoses, bandages).

Before starting the exercises, it is necessary to properly massage the knee affected by arthrosis, using a special warming cream/ointment.

1. At the very beginning of training, it is important to observe moderation: exercise for 10-15 minutes a day, performing a minimum number of approaches. You can gradually increase the load, bringing the training time to 40-50 minutes a day, but not at once, but at intervals. For example, alternate every 10 minutes of training with a 10-minute rest, when it is best to lie on your back in a relaxed state.
2. Start each lesson with a light warm-up, perform all movements slowly. When the muscles are warm enough, you can increase the range of motion. If pain occurs in the affected knee, the workout should be interrupted and contact an instructor.

Therapeutic exercise as rehabilitation after illness

Physiotherapy exercises are often called physical rehabilitation of patients.
It is used as the main method of restoring impaired motor functions of the body after a stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's syndrome, multiple sclerosis. Exercise therapy has a wide spectrum of action:

• affects physiological mechanisms that have been affected by the disease;
• develops coordination, endurance, gross and fine motor skills;
• strong-willed qualities.

Physical therapy exercises consciously organize movements, are used for medical reasons and perform a specific task in the treatment of older people.

A set of exercises for arthrosis of the knee joint

The restorative aerobics program includes a whole range of exercises that are performed in different body positions using various techniques. In addition to exercise therapy for cartilage degeneration, older people will benefit from yoga, Pilates, and water aerobics. However, the basis of treatment is morning exercises.

Morning workout

In order for the body to finally wake up and blood flow to the affected knee to increase, it is necessary to perform a 3-minute warm-up immediately after waking up. All exercises of the complex are performed while sitting on the bed. The back is straight, legs are shoulder-width apart. If it is uncomfortable to be in this position, you can place a pillow under your back and lean on it. Each exercise takes 30 seconds to complete:

1. We press our heels to the floor and pull our toes towards us. At this time, we massage our knees with our hands.
2. Continuing to rub your knees, we alternately lift your heels.
3. The heels remain in place and pressed to the floor. Smoothly turn your feet so that your toes are facing each other. During this movement, we round our back. Now we turn our knees and toes outward as much as possible, and bend our back back.
4. We bend the right leg at the knee and pull it towards the chest, lifting the foot above the floor. Straighten the leg as much as possible and lower it into place. Repeat with the other limb.

Complex 1. Lying on your back

To relieve the stress on the spine, it is useful to start exercises with exercises that are performed while lying on the floor (be sure to place a mat under your back). At the very beginning of classes, the number of repetitions of each exercise is 10 times; over time, the number of repetitions can be increased:

1. Bend your knees, trying to get your heels as close to your buttocks as possible.
2. We perform the “bicycle” exercise (known to everyone from childhood), alternating a 10-second “ride” with a 30-second rest.
3. Raising your legs above the floor by about 30 cm, we perform the “scissors” exercise. Be sure to take short breaks during classes.

Complex 2. Lying on your stomach

The following exercises for seniors with knee arthrosis require changes in body position. Turning over onto your stomach, perform the following movements:

1. We alternately raise the left and right legs from the floor to a distance of 30 cm, holding them in this position for 5 seconds. It is important to tense your gluteal muscles when lifting your limbs.
2. We perform the same exercise at a faster pace, holding the limbs at the top point for only 1 second.
3. We perform the “boat” exercise: we raise our arms and legs above the floor level, holding this position for 30 seconds. Number of repetitions – 5 times.
4. Alternately raise the leg bent at a right angle above the floor with a delay of 30 seconds. Repeat 5 times for each leg.

Complex 3. Sitting on a chair

It is very convenient to exercise while sitting on a chair, since in this position the knees do not experience much stress. The main thing is that your back remains straight. Repeat each exercise 10 times:

1. We straighten and bend our knees one by one, holding in the upper position for 5 seconds.
2. Straighten your legs without bending your knees, stretch your torso towards your toes. Remaining in this position, we tense and relax the thigh muscles.
3. Having straightened the torso, we alternately pull the bent knees towards the stomach.
4. We repeat exercise 1 from the “Sitting on a Chair” complex again.

Complex 4. Standing

This set of exercises is performed if the disease is still in its early stages and prolonged standing does not cause pain. Starting position – standing, leaning on the back of a chair to relieve the load on the knee joint:

1. We rise on our toes, staying in this position for 30 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
2. Roll from heel to toe and back for 1-2 minutes.
3. Slowly move each leg to the side in turn. Repeat 6 times for each limb.
4. We perform swings with a straight leg forward. First with the right, then with the left, 6 times for each.

Water aerobics for knee arthrosis for older people

If exercise therapy in the gym is accompanied by painful discomfort, it is recommended to resort to water aerobics in the pool. During water training, the load on the knees is reduced, the joint relaxes, and the intensity of pain decreases. The main thing is that the water temperature is comfortable.

Basic aquatic exercises for the knee joint with arthrosis for the elderly :

• passive swimming;
• performing rotational and oscillatory movements of the knee joint;
• walking along the bottom with high knee lifts;
• walking with heels caught;
• squats in water.

The benefits of exercise for the elderly

There is no need to think that it is harmful for older people to exercise.
On the contrary, it is their absence that leads to stagnation and deterioration in the course of intellectual processes. Therapeutic and prophylactic complexes slow down the aging process, increase joint mobility and improve blood circulation.

Those who exercise regularly sleep better and worry less about life's difficulties. In older people, ventilation of the lungs increases and the digestive system activates.

Depending on the state of health and physical fitness, physical training complexes of varying degrees of activity have been developed. More often, an elderly person performs the exercises himself. But if he is immobilized or mostly in bed, he may perform passive movements by having someone move his arms or legs.

Gerontological scientists have noticed that patients who neglect gymnastics are more likely to suffer from age-related changes in the body.

They observe:

• joint deformation;
• difficulty moving;
• weight disorder;
• weakening of the musculoskeletal system;
• development of depression;
• sudden change in posture and gait;
• tendency to cardiovascular diseases;
• difficulty digesting food;
• decreased blood circulation intensity;
• decreased breathing rate;
• deterioration of metabolic processes, etc.

Elderly people should perform physical exercises daily, because otherwise the risk of progression of arthrosis and arthritis increases. They begin to have difficulty moving, feel dizzy and experience shortness of breath.

Gymnastics allows you to delay the development of many senile disorders, improves the removal from the body of breakdown products of drugs that many patients are forced to take to prevent exacerbation of chronic pathologies. It can also improve your overall well-being.

Therapeutic gymnastics techniques

Treatment of knee arthrosis is carried out using training programs developed by various specialists - these are the complexes of Peter Popov, Mirzaakhmat Norbekov, Muslim Dzhamaldinov, Sergei Bubnovsky and others. Each of these methods deserves attention, since the exercises proposed by the authors are aimed at cleansing and restoring the knee joints, improving their nutrition, general health and strengthening the body.

Doctor Popov's gymnastics

The program, developed by traumatologist Petr Popov, is designed to restore joint mobility with arthrosis. There is no strong physical activity in this complex, which makes it possible to use the technique for elderly patients. The main condition is to thoroughly massage your joints before training, rubbing them with a warming cream (not burning), for example, camphor oil. All movements are performed at a measured pace on a felt mat:

1. We kneel, leaning on our fists, so that part of the weight is on our shoulders and arms. In this position, we try to find a support point so that there is no acute pain in the knees. Now we begin to make small “steps”, imitating walking. When the pain ceases to be felt, we remove our hands, transferring all the weight to our knees.
2. In a kneeling position without support, we begin to move, as if stepping over. When performing this exercise, it is important to feel how the sore joints are warming up. We move smoothly and carefully. At first, you don’t need to do these movements for long to determine how much load your knees can withstand. It's best to start with 1-2 minutes. If the exercise is performed correctly, warmth and relaxation will appear in the affected joint. And when you get up and walk, you will feel that your knees have become freer.

To perform the following exercises from Dr. Popov’s complex, you need to sit on a chair.

1. Keeping your back straight or leaning on the back of a chair, we roll from heel to toe, imitating walking. At the same time, massage the knees and hips themselves. The centers responsible for the work and nutrition of the entire musculoskeletal system are concentrated in the knee. And these movements increase blood flow and provide adequate nutrition to the joint tissues.
2. Now we rise to our feet, holding the back of the chair. We move our legs back one by one, making circular movements with our feet. We perform each exercise for 1-2 minutes at the beginning of training, gradually increasing the load.

Gymnastics Norbekova

Physical therapy for joints with arthrosis using the Norbekov method has a lot of positive reviews. In addition to reducing pain, this complex strengthens the musculoskeletal system, improves mood, and normalizes the psycho-emotional background. The main thing is to realize that there are no incurable diseases, and any disease can be overcome if you take care of your body. You need to approach exercises with a positive attitude.

1. We take a position, standing on our feet and leaning with one hand on the wall. We raise one leg, bending the knee, and begin to “draw” rings with it - first in one direction, and then in the opposite direction (30 seconds for each). We perform the same movements with the second leg.
2. We remain in a standing position, only move our feet away from each other at a distance slightly greater than shoulder width. We place our palms on our knees and begin to rotate them, first inward and then outward. Make sure that your knees are fully extended when rotating.
3. We remain on straightened legs. We press our left foot firmly to the floor, and lift our right foot onto the toe, trying to raise the heel off the floor as high as possible. Hold for 5-10 seconds, change the position of your legs.
4. We take a horizontal position, laying a thick rug or mat under us. We lie down on our right side. We bend the right leg at the knee, and the left remains straight. Raise your left leg at an angle of 45 degrees and fix it in this position for 5 seconds. Lower and repeat 4 more times, turn over to the other side and do the exercise for the other limb.

Gymnastics according to Dzhamaldinov

When developing his method of treating arthrosis of the knee joint, Muslim Jamaldinov took Dr. Popov’s gymnastic complex as a basis. The only difference is that when all exercises are performed smoothly, the patient’s body is also involved and performs active movements. The lesson is conducted while sitting on a chair:

1. Sitting on the edge of the chair, we begin to slowly “walk in place,” rolling from heel to toe. It is important that your toes and heels rise as high as possible above the floor during the roll. When performing these movements, we warm up our hips and knees; you can use a warming cream. We gradually speed up the process, involving the whole body in the process, as during normal walking.
2. Straighten your legs in front of you, relaxing your muscles. We spread them in different directions, turn our feet inward so that the knees and toes of both limbs touch. Hold for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat 5 times.
3. We perform body bends in a sitting position. We straighten our legs in front of us, lean forward, sliding our hands along our legs.

Bubnovsky's gymnastics

Professor Bubnovsky argues that to restore cartilage tissue during arthrosis, it is very important to provide the affected joint with adequate nutrition. Gymnastics aimed at strengthening the muscles of the knee joint will help in this matter. It is important that the joint spaces do not touch or rub together. Therefore, you should perform decompression and strength exercises at the same time, which will stretch the knee and force the muscles to work. Elderly people can use the following complex:

1. Lying on your back (on the mat), press your heels to the floor, and forcefully pull your toes toward you, straining your calf muscles. If the exercise is performed correctly, tension will be felt in the lower leg area. We perform these movements for about a minute.
2. We turn over on our stomach and alternately bend our left and right legs at the knee. Such movements increase the flow of blood and nutrients to the sore knee, speed up metabolism, and normalize the nutrition of cartilage.
3. We sit on a chair and perform knee bending/extension. Repeat the exercise for 1-2 minutes.

At the early stage of training, exercises are performed in a gentle manner. As your muscles strengthen, the time for performing each exercise can be increased by adding squats to your training program.

Physical activity for an elderly person with arthrosis of the knee joint is useful and recommended. Physical activity (outside of inflammatory crises) can relieve pain, prevent joint damage, allow you to lose weight if you are overweight, and restore your psycho-emotional state. But in order not to aggravate the disease and choose the optimal set of exercises, you should consult a doctor before starting exercise.

Who is contraindicated to engage in physical therapy?

Physical therapy exercises are absolutely contraindicated for elderly people with an aortic aneurysm, cardiovascular diseases, or an inoperable form of a malignant tumor. Mental abnormalities are also an obstacle to exercise therapy, since the patient is required to understand the doctor’s instructions and consciously follow them.

Temporary contraindications include:

• elevated temperature;
• infectious disease;
• bleeding.

After eliminating the violations, with the permission of the doctor, older people can continue to engage in physical therapy under the guidance of a specialist.

Advantages of accommodation in the Harmony House nursing home

If it is difficult to organize comprehensive and complete care for the elderly in Moscow at home, you can use professional services:

• good medical care;
• rehabilitation after injuries and illnesses;
• good nutrition and health;
• psychological support.

Each private boarding house for the elderly in the Moscow region, which is part of our network, provides its residents with care and attention.

Classes with wards are held regularly and physical activity is included in an adapted and prepared daily routine. To strengthen health and immunity, all available methods are used, from massage and physiotherapy to walks in the fresh air. A specialized network of private boarding houses for the elderly, Harmony House guarantees optimal living conditions, care and rehabilitation for each ward.