Regardless of whether you receive or are denied Social Security benefits due to knee problems, you should attempt to improve strength in your legs in order to enable you to walk as normally as possible.
We take our ability to walk for granted. However, when problems with your knees develop the loss of ability to walk in a normal fashion can seriously affect your ability to work as well as pursue normal daily activities.
With age, we tend to become more sedentary which leads to an overall loss of muscle strength particularly in the legs. This can become a vicious cycle since with reduced muscle strength we tend to walk less. However, with a proper exercise routine one can stop or at least minimize these changes. Strengthening your leg muscles will make it easier to stand, walk and climb stairs. It is not necessarhy to join an exercise facility to accomplish these goals since one can do simple muscle strengthening exercises at home without using machines. The key to success is to perform these exercises on a regular basis.
Exercises for strenghening leg muscles:
1. Squats can be done simply by standing with your back against a wall. Just lower yourself several inches by bending your legs and stand up again. Never try to go all the way down into a crouch in order to avoid injury to your knees.
3. While sitting , actively contract both quad(thigh) muscles 10 times. Think of squeezing the thigh muscles tightly.
4. Climb up stairs stairs 5 times while holding onto the railing.
Your ads will be inserted here by
Easy AdSense.
Please go to the plugin admin page to
Paste your ad code OR
Suppress this ad slot OR
Suppress Placement Boxes.
5. Walk around the house for at least 10-15 minutes.
6. Lay on your back and push against the wall first with one leg, then the other 10 times.
7. Bend over and pick up a piece of paper off the floor 10 times.
8. Raise up on your toes 10 times to strength your calf muscles.
9. While sitting, lift up both legs 10 times and hold it for 5 seconds, one leg at a time.
10. While sitting in a chair, try rising to a standing position without using your arms or hands for support. Choose a chair that is not too low.
It is not necessary that all these exercises be done every day, but at least a reasonable amount should be attempted unless you experience considerable knee pain. It is also a good idea to check with your doctor to get his feedback.