The Best Exercise for Knee Arthritis
What would be the single best exercise for knee arthritis? The answer... Simple, controlled half knee squats against a wall. Do two sets of 10 and under two minutes you are done. What could be simpler?
Details:
Place an exercise ball against a flat wall in your mid back area and lean against this with your body weight. Make sure your feet are about shoulder width apart and facing forward on some firm non-slip flooring. Gently squat down with your knees directly in-line with your foot. You only need to bend your knee from 45 to 60 degrees which is ½ a bend of the knee. Never, ever bend over 90 degrees and make sure your knee is always centered over the center of your foot. Push back up against the ball and allow this ball to gently roll you back up. Exhale and repeat. Do ten (10) of these and rest a few seconds and do another set and you are done for the day. Leaning against the wall with the ball adds stability and safety, but always contact your medical professional before starting an exercise program. Stop exercising if you feel faint or weak. This is the best exercise because the downward motion helps stretch (eccentric) the muscles and the upward motion against gravity contracts the muscle (concentric) which may produce the highest amount of stem cell activity.
Could Simple Quad Exercises Also Stimulate Stem Cells?
Possibly Yes! Researchers in Japan had study participants perform simple quadriceps exercises using a step up and down motion on one leg and stretching type exercises of one of the quadriceps muscles (Vastus Lateralis) on the other. Muscle biopsies were taken prior to the exercises and 2 and 5 days after the exercise session. The researchers found that the number of stem cells found in the Vastus Lateralis muscle of the quadriceps muscles had statistically significant increases of the a special type of stem cell called satellite cells. The eccentric contractures (sliding down the wall to stretch the quad) produced an increase in stem cells at day 2 and day 5. Other markers of stem cell proliferation were also elevated in both the concentric and eccentric exercised legs.
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Clinical Research Supporting These Claims:
- Huang L, Guo B, Xu F, Zhao J. Effects of quadriceps functional exercise with isometric contraction in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Int J Rheum Dis. 2017. doi: 10.1111/1756-185X.13082
- Imaoka Y1, Kawai M, Mori F, Miyata H. Effect of eccentric contraction on satellite cell activation in human vastus lateralis muscle.J Physiol Sci. 2015 Sep;65(5):461-9. doi: 10.1007/s12576-015-0385-4. Epub 2015 Jun 27.