Hydrotherapy Exercises for Knees

Water has been used for therapeutic purposes for decades. Hydrotherapy helps relax the muscles and allows them to regain their strength with less pain that in other forms of therapy. Knee injuries especially benefit from hydrotherapy as water allows the knee to bend and stretch with less resistance and helps build lost strength. Warm water helps relax muscles; cold water will relieve the pain.

The Knee and Warm Water

• A soak in warm water can help alleviate the stiffness of the knee caused by injury and arthritis. While people with acute injuries should wait until the swelling subsides, a person with knee pain can soak her knee and leg in warm water to alleviate pain. Adding bath salts or oils like chamomile will further relax the muscles and reduce stress that causes contractions and pain. Soaking in water for 15-20 minutes several times a day will help relieve pain.

Knee Extension Exercises

• Knee extension exercises can be done in water with ease. Enter a swimming pool and hold the edge of the pool standing with your legs completely immersed in the water. Slowly raise your leg, bending the knee at a 45-degree angle and then relaxing it again. Do this exercise for both knees for at least a half hour every day. A body weighs 50 to 90 percent less when in water; the percentage varies according to the depth of the water. This helps reduce the discomfort and resistance of any knee exercise and also allows extra exercises to be done with more exertion and less pain.

Quadriceps Strength

• People with knee injuries or pain lose the strength in the quadriceps, the knee muscles. This causes the muscles to contract and any form of movement becomes painful. The muscles must be exercised to retain strength. Movement is more effective in water. Exercises as simple as marching in water, bending the knee for long periods of time and swimming with a kicking motion help increase muscle strength. These same exercises would also be useful in patients with arthritis.