Prepare your body before surgery with exercise.
Focus on range of motion through the knee, hip and spine. Strengthening has been shown to improve function pre and post operatively which can improve long term function and quality of life.
Elevated Bridge
Why?
Non weight bearing exercise suitable for beginners through to intermediate level.
To gain a muscular understanding of hip musculature, quadriceps and hamstrings.
Mix it up
Weights, boxes, BOSU, swiss balls, unilateral, and bands can be used to progress the exercise as well as single leg work.
Targets the gluteal and hip musculature and lumbar paraspinals to strengthening the lower limbs as well as the lower back.
How?
i Lightly press into the floor using your lower abdominals.
ii Drive through your heels initiating a hip lift
iii Keep your pelvis still and stable. Hold for 3-5 seconds
iii Lower, slowly
Progress by lifting one leg off the box.
i Hold into an elevated single leg bridge
ii Lower then lift your hips keeping them square
Iii Focus on your (pre) operative leg.
Copenhagen Sideplank
Why?
An exercise which challenges plenty of hip muscles. These are important to keep the pelvis strong, improve back posture and decrease hip, knee and lower back pain.
Targets – Your Abductors (outer thighs) and Adductors (inner thighs) as well as lateral trunk stability.
How?
i Place your top shin or knee on a raised platform, start close to the platform to decrease the lever arm (your leg).
ii From here, think of a side plank. Keep your forearm strong under your shoulder. Lift your torso from the floor and hold.
iii As you progress lengthen further away from the platform.
iv Lower and lift the trunk, and repeat.
v Long lever – Static holds
vi Static hold – with lower leg flexion.
Single leg Romanian Deadlift
Why?
It can be used as a ‘free-weight’ resistance exercise. A full body functional movement
Targeting – the full posterior kinetic chain – muscles of your back, gluteals, hamstrings and calves.
Mix it up with weights, static holds, pulses, Unstable surface to challenge proprioception, balance, endurance, stability and strength.
How?
i Stay strong on one leg, driving your heel into the ground.
ii Hinge at the hips not the lower back. Keep everything engaged from your abdominals, quadriceps, hamstrings foot and ankles.
iii Slowly lower hinging through the hips and press through the heel on your front leg. Engaging and feeling a stretch in your hamstrings. Feel the core, your glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles activate.
Glute Kickbacks
Why?
A low impact, bodyweight resistance exercise to improve muscular stability, mobility and flexibility.
Targeting – the upper body including arms, shoulders, upper back and trunk (your core) as well as the lower limbs. It’s prime focus is the core, the hips and glutes.
Mix it up – Using resistance bands for increased resistance through different gluteal musculature.
How?
i On all fours, hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips about hip-width apart. Try to create one long line in your back from your glutes to the crown of your head.
ii Kick one leg straight out behind you. The movement should come from your hip joint, engaging through your gluteals.
iii Slowly release the squeeze and lower your leg back to starting position.
Fire Hydrants
Why?
A low impact, bodyweight resistance exercise to improve muscular stability, mobility and flexibility.
Targets – the upper body including arms, shoulders, upper back and trunk (your core) as well as the lower limbs. It’s prime focus is the core, the hips and glutes.
Mix it up – attaching resistance bands looping around the knees or even the ankles. Attach ankle weights or add speed by pulsing!
How?
i On all fours, hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips about hip-width apart. Try to create one long line in your back from your glutes to the crown of your head.
ii Lift one knee straight out to the side keeping your knee bent as you lift it. The movement should come from your hip joint.
iii Slowly release the squeeze and lower your knee back to starting position.
Squats
Why?
Bodyweight exercise targeting the muscles of the lower limbs, assisting with hip, knee and ankle mobility. A functional exercise which means it trains a movement pattern that you use in everyday life. There are plenty of variation within the squat to increase your quadricep strength versus targeting your hip and gluteal musculature.
Targets all lower limb muscles and upper limbs if using weights.
Mix it up – with resistance bands and weights to increase and develop muscle mass and strength. Work unilaterally. Add heel raises to increase calf musculature endurance and strength. Jump (plyometric training) to increase cardiovascular capacity.
How?
i Begin with both feet about hip width apart
ii Hinge at the knees to come into a squat position, keep trunk upright and back straight.
iii With the weight in your heels push back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.
NB Squat form and FAQs
How low should I go?
This will depend on your hip and ankle range of motion as well as your knee injury history. Squatting deeper will activate more muscles but also increase load through your knees. If deep squats cause you pain decrease the depth and add a resistance band to push against and therefore increase hip muscle activity.
Where should my weight be?
Keep the pressure through your heels, hinge at your hips and push your bottom back behind you as you bend your knees and lower. Pushing through your heels will take the stress away from your knees. Don’t forget to activate your core as you lean forward not to fall over!
My knees are falling in?
If this is happening watch yourself in a mirror. Aim for the kneecap to shoot towards your second toe on each foot. A band around the knees is helpful here to press out against and facilitate an increase in hip stability and strength.
Posterior (backward) Lunge
Why? A single leg bodyweight exercise, engaging the lower body muscles, a functional exercise that has many a variation. Single leg element targets balance.A hip mobility exercise that strengthens as well as stretches.
Targeting – the muscles of the hips and glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors calf, foot and ankle complex. Upper body if using weights.
Mix it up – with resistance bands and weights increase and develop muscle mass and strength. As a plyometric exercise (jumping) to increase cardiovascular capacity, balance and coordination.
How?
i Stand feet shoulder width apart. Hinge at the hips until your upper body is parallel with the floor.
ii Step your foot back and bend your knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Allow your back heel to lift, but don’t let the knee touch the floor.
ii Avoid arching your back or slumping over. Think tall.
Common mistakes – FAQ
Help! My knees are falling in? If this is happening watch yourself in a mirror. Aim for the kneecap to shoot towards your second toe on each foot. A band around the knees is helpful here to press out against and facilitate an increase in hip stability and strength. Increase the width of your back leg so that you don’t feel as if you’re walking on a tightrope.
Upper body drop – Engage your core, pulling in through your belly button towards your spine, keep your pelvis stable and look forward – this will help an upright posture.