How to Start Working Out Again After a Knee Injury: Ask the Experts

Summary: How to Start Working Out Again After a Knee Injury

Returning to exercise after a knee injury requires patience, proper technique, and progressive loading. Experts recommend starting with low-impact movements like pool workouts or cycling, strengthening the muscles around the knee, and modifying exercises to reduce joint stress. Prioritize mobility, alignment, and body awareness, and always listen to your pain signals. Working with a healthcare provider can ensure a safe, steady recovery.

What Causes Knee Injuries?

Knee pain can be felt in the front and sides of the knee, or you may experience pain in the back of your knee. A common cause of knee pain is knee injuries.

Knee injuries can be caused by workouts or exercise, especially those that are high-impact, impact like running or jumping, although even lower-impact sports like swimming carry a risk of knee injury. Knee injuries can be caused by:

• Overuse or muscle strain

• Twisting or bending

• Direct impact to the knee

• Trips and falls

• Poor technique or knee alignment

How to Start Working Out Again After a Knee Injury: Expert Advice

So, how should you approach workouts after an injury, and where should you even start? We asked three expert doctors how to start working out again after a knee injury.

Dr. Pain (Chiropractor, Sports Rehab Specialist) knows how frustrating it can be to have to build up to a workout post-injury: “Getting back to working out after a knee injury can feel frustrating, especially if you're used to being active. But here's the deal: you can get back to it smartly and safely!

Start by focusing on range of motion and joint stability. If the swelling and acute pain are gone, begin with non-impact movements like cycling, pool workouts, or resistance bands. Isometric quad, hamstring, and glute work helps rebuild strength without stressing the joint.”

Dr. Matt Wentzell agrees: “Some ways in which I try to get patients back to exercise after a knee injury may include:

• Water-based activity: this could be pool running, shallow water lunging/squats, hopping movements, etc., or swimming/kicking. All these options take a considerable amount of stress off the knee due to the buoyancy the water provides.

• Modifying exercise load: this includes modifying the sets, reps, weight, and tempo of exercises the patient already knows to regulate how much cumulative load the knee is exposed to, with the intent of progressing these variables through the course of their recovery. 

• Modifying exercises: some exercises can be modified so that the knee isn’t subjected to ranges of motion that might be aggravating (i.e., quarter or half-depth squat vs full-depth squat“). 

Dr. Yanik adds, “Make sure you warm up properly using dynamic exercises to increase blood flow to the knee. You may want to focus on form and alignment and strengthening supporting muscles like the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Most importantly, listen to your body - stop if you feel pain.”

Dr. Pain stresses, “The key is progressive loading, not jumping back into squats or running right away. Listen to your knee, not your ego. And don’t skip mobility and stability drills: hip, ankle, and core stability all affect knee function. Work with a pro who understands biomechanics, and remember: pain is feedback, not failure. Stay consistent, and you'll be back stronger, often better than before.”

Key takeaways for How to Start Working Out Again After a Knee Injury

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