I had the rotten luck of inheriting my mother’s bad knees. It means that I suffer from knee pain quite often. I’ve had a few operations done over the years, but my knees still feel stiff on occasion and this brings me discomfort.
Pain in your knees, feet and hips can often point to possible ligament or cartilage damage. It can be confusing to diagnose a problem, as issues with your hips can lead to pain in your knees, and issues with your knees can end up causing you pain in your feet.
I’ve always been advised to do ‘preventive’ exercises to make my joints feel better, but I never really understood exactly how. On top of that, I’ve never really found the time for it in a day.
However, recently I stumbled across some tips to help protect people who suffer from hip, knee and feet discomfort. Here are six simple exercises that really helped me out, I hope they do the same for you …
Ankle circles
To strengthen weak ankles, you should do the following:
- Sit down and raise a leg
- Slowly rotate your raised foot in circular motions
- Repeat this ten times in one direction and then ten times in the other. Do this for both legs.
Tip toeing
It might sound strange, but this is a mega simple exercise you can do while walking around your own house simply doing chores.
Try walking on the balls of your feet at a quick pace – this helps to strengthen your knees and provides a small workout for your feet. It also helps with your balance.
Aim for between 5 and 15 minutes, or else stop when you’re tired.
Toe lifts
To begin, take a chair and stand behind it, using your hands for balance.
- Raise one heel off the floor
- Slowly raise the heel of your other foot so that you’re standing on your toes
- Ease your heels back down to the ground
- Repeat this exercise 10-15 times on each leg
This will strengthen your ankles and help you to build muscle around your knee.
Resistance training
For this exercise you’ll need an elasticated band (something rubbery in nature)
- Wrap the band around a piece of stable furniture (one that won’t move)
- Put the other end of the band around your leg
- Using the band as resistance, angle your foot in different directions. Move your foot ten times inwards, then ten times outwards
- Repeat this 10-15 times on each leg
This manoeuvre strengthens several things, feet and thigh muscles included.
Toe curls
Training your toes on a daily basis can work wonders. It’s also easy to have a bit of fun by making games up.
- First off, bend your toes for a few seconds and then stretch them out. Repeat this 30 times
- Lay a small towel on the floor and spread it out
- Try to pick up the towel and move it to a basket
Using balls
It’s both relaxing and good training to incorporate balls.
- Find a tennis ball, or a ball of similar size
- Sit on a chair
- Place your foot on the ball and put pressure on it
- Move your foot forward and backwards slowly
- Enjoy the massage
Bonus tip
Acupuncture and foot massages are used all around the world.
If after a long day you have a problem, place your two thumbs on the spots in the picture and gently massage for 15 minutes for quick and easy relaxation.
I hope these exercises will help you as much as they helped me!
Please spread these tips to your friends on Facebook by hitting the SHARE button below. Their bodies will be sure to thank you afterward!
