Knee pain is quite literally, a pain. It can inhibit certain activities, daily tasks, or exercises, which is not necessarily a good thing if your New Year’s resolution is to be more active and lose weight. What if we told you that you may be able to naturally fix the problem? Rather than just slapping a brace on your knee or getting knee replacement surgery just for the heck of it, try stretching.
Stretching, you say? Yes, and we know this sounds too easy to be the answer, but the reality is that most people don’t stretch the correct muscles, whether they exercise or not. Most people do not stretch their hips, which commonly cause knee pain. Your knees typically give you some warning that your hips need to be stretched, for instance, the pain. This is why you should do the following stretches every day.
Half Moon Stretch
Stand up straight and cross your right leg over your left, with your feet right next to each other. Place your left hand on your left hip and reach your right arm up and over your head. Your body should be curved like a half moon. Hold this stretch for about 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Butterfly Stretch
Pop a squat and sit with your back straight, feet in front of you with your soles touching. Your knees should be out to the sides. Gently push your knees down toward the floor until you feel a stretch. Don’t hurt yourself. Hold it this stretch for one minute.
Half Butterfly
Remain sitting down with your palms behind you, but raise your knees and place your feet flat on the ground in front of you. Raise your left foot and put it on your right knee, your left knee making a half butterfly to the side. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side.
Pigeon Pose
Start on all fours just like you did in the previous pose. Slide your right knee forward and angle it out slightly; the outside of your right thigh should be on the ground. Extend your left leg back until it is straight, making sure to keep your hips square. Hold yourself up straight and remain in this pose for about 30 seconds. If you feel flexible enough, lay down on your right leg. Repeat this on the other side.
In addition to these stretches, you should also stretch your calves. Doing these stretches once a day is going to help you. If you do them five times a day, they will really help you. Do these stretches and let us know how your knees feel.
