Yoga for knee pain in old age
Old age and bad knees go side to side with each advancing day of our lives. But despite your growing age factor, bad or paining knees can be your companion if you are in your earlier ages. Bad knees are basically termed for a condition of the knee that constrains the free movement of your knee. Here is what you can do about it and yoga for knee pain in old age is the remedy to improve and manage your knee problems.
This immovability or soaring of the knee can be due to the weakening of the muscles around your knee or the medical conditions mainly “arthritis”. It is a type of joint disease that makes your joint stiff, weak, or immovable with time passing.
Old-age women are more in contact with diseases like this.
Will all such prevailing imbalances in your joints like knees, I here to suggest you the best home remedy that can be done at home. We are talking about yoga in bad knees cux what else could be more convenient than getting better at your own pace.
What majorly causes knee pain in old age?
Before hopping on to the remedies straight, we first need to know the major causes for knee pains in old age.
- Arthritis can be one of the major causes in men and women of elderly ages. This is a condition that causes the swelling and stiffness of your joint with the passing age and usage.
- Osteoarthritis is another type of acute arthritis and is the major cause of knee pain in elderly women. This diseases mainly tears or wears out your knee cartilage or knee cap that helps your move your knee painlessly.
- A tear in your knee muscle can also cause some non-traumatic pain in your knee for a longer time. This tear can be due to a noninjury cause and as the bones weak with age this tear can be a result of more usage.
- Tendinitis can be another cause of your knee pain without you being knowing the cause of it. It is usually called the jumper knee because your cam barely feels the pain when you are sitting normally bit it starts as you kick off with your workout.
- Last but not the least, our dietary habits also serve the major portion of the people suffering from knee pain at an early age. Consuming so much soda or any other material that makes your bones and muscles weak and vulnerable to injuries is doing much harm.
Is yoga bad for arthritis knee?
As mentioned above , arthritis is a condition that causes swelling and stiffness to your joints. This stiffness can be relieved from yoga in many ways. Yoga can make your movements of knees and muscles much relaxed so practicing yoga can surely be good for your arthritic knees.
Props you can use
Props are always handy when you are eager to try some new poses or trying to get on to some newer ones. When dealing with any injured joints like knees can also call up for Props that will make your postures much easier without aggravating your pain conditions.
For yoga poses for knee pain, using a good prop will help you heal with much more security and ease.
I have listed down some of the common props that you could use for your practice according to your convenience.
Knee pads
My first pick for yoga with knee pain will be nonother than a yoga knee pad. These are the plain padded knee pads that will help you do your bending poses without putting much pressure on your agitated knee joints. These are the easy tie on or the pull ones. You can also put these just below your knee as such without putting these on.
Foam rolls
This a basic Foam roll that helps your body release all the tension. You can also ease your joints by working through them just under your feet or thigh. You can always skip this prop but I recommend a prior 2 to 5 minutes of using it before getting straight into the poses.
Yoga straps
We are all familiar with these ones, yes these are the basic stringy props of yoga that help you stretch a little extra without putting strain on your bones or joints. If you are in love with the more stretching poses, I recommend you to use this yoga strap to continue your practice without discomfort and pain.
Yoga blocks
Next in line are these basic beauties that we call the yoga blocks. These are purely the easiest and hassle-free props that you can keep in your practice. These come in different sizes and you can put these below your body of the raised joints above the ground. This simply holds your body or joints without exerting much pressure on them.
Cushiony Yoga mats
In the closing list of our helpful props for knee pain, how can we skip the yoga mat. With the advancement of time and technology, our basic yoga mat is not the same. Many of the manufacturers are working for making more comfortable yet supportive yoga mats for bad knees. These can make you skip the knee pads.
Yoga poses for knee pain
Now let us get to the poses straight without getting into further delay. Yoga poses for knee pain is all about stretching your basic muscles holding your knee down there.
Mountain pose
Like all yoga sequences, I suggest putting a resting pose at the start and end of the sequence making sure your body does not only get worked without giving it a prior and later warm up.
How to do it?
To start this pose, stand in your feet with all the weight on your heels. Lower your shoulders and arms just beside your chest. For a better posture and relaxation, move your hips and feet apart as your drop your arms and shoulder down.
Inhale deeply as you get into this pose and exhale as you move through the pose.
Chair pose
Now let us stretch our hamstrings now.
How to do it?
Start with the mountain pose and bend a bit on your knees. Keeping your knees bend just below your shins move your hips outwards and raise your arms. This raising will be accompanied by the pulling of the abdomen and hamstring.
Inhale deeply as you get into this pose and exhale as you move through the pose.
Butterfly pose
After hitting stretching them vertically now let them move sideways. Butterfly pose is what we are talking about.
How to do it?
To start, sit on your mat with your thighs stretched out. Now Fold your fest inwards as the soles of your feet facing one another. Keeping your back, neck and shoulders straight spread your legs fully.
And here comes the use of yoga props. I recommend you use yoga blocks to support your knees in pain. Just place these blocks below your knees at a point you feel supported.
Foam rolling pose
This pose is optional and most of you may also leave it as it seems a bit too easy after the butterfly one. But here the real cause of it is to relax your knees and hamstrings before getting onto the next stretch.
How to do it?
This is all about rolling down this roll below your legs l, calves, hamstrings, or quadriceps. Roll it for about 5 or more minutes and try to relax your muscles.
Reclined hand to big toe pose
This pose is characterized by the even stretching of knees on both sides without the involvement of other muscles.
How to do it?
To start with this pose, lie down in your back keeping your spine and legs straight. Now use your hand or the help of a prop say yoga strap to pill your leg up without bending your knee.
Bridge pose
Another bending pose for knees in line with your back and hamstrings is the bridge pose.
How to do it?
To start with it, lie down on your back on the ground with your knees bend and soles tucked to the ground. Place your arms on the sides of your hips as your palms get rooted to the ground. Now with the push of your palms and soles raise your hips as high as you can with your head and shoulders still resting on the ground.
Hold to this position and you can raise your heels if you want to. Here you can also use yoga blocks below your heels. Inhale as you lift your hips up and exhale slowly to retreat back to your normal position.
Banana Pose
This pose might not fit perfectly for the knee but allowed your body to release all the stress at your pelvis and the area below it.
How to do it?
This is a pretty simple pose to attain and does not require much effort. 5o start gathers yourself on the side of the yoga mat by bending your upper and lower limbs to one side. You can enhance your stretch by crossing your ankles over and by clutching your wrist. Repeat on both sides.
Cat pose
Cat pose not only releases your tension in pain but also supports your spine. It not only strengthens your spine and neck but also works for your abdominal organ strengthening.
How to do it?
To start with the pose, turn your back towards the ceiling with your knees and palms planted to the ground. Try to keep your hips in line with your back and neck. You can either drop your neck or put Forward your gaze to the wall.
Hold onto this pose for some time and repeat.
Triangle pose
Yoga pose for knee pain also includes this easy pose. It focuses on the knees as well as the hamstrings, back and helps you open your chest also.
How to do it?
Start with the basic mountain pose with much wider legs and hips open. Inhale and pull your spine, neck, and shoulder straight in line with your body. Now bend to one side of your body at your waist above the hips. Try not to bend your knees as you lower yourself down in one direction.
Try on both sides and release.
Prayer pose
And yes you can simply feel the change in your knee pain. We are almost there.
Now it’s time to let your body settle down all the spaces made during the poses. For such a resting and absorbent pose, I present you the prayer pose.
How to do it?
Just as the name indicates, this pose holds the Prayer posture of your hands hung in front of your chest. Hold your palms close to one another as they come in contact with one another. Now raise your hands in front of your sternum putting your thumb on your clavicle.
I’m deep as you start this pose and release slowly as time passes. Feel the spaces and stretch made at the muscles of your knee and legs.
Tips that will help prevent your knee pain during Yoga
Despite suggesting you guys yoga for knee pain in old age, I would still suggest some prevention that would help you not to end up at the stage of doing the yoga poses for knee pain.
These are the basic simple pretensions that someone would avoid at first but they actually do make a lot of difference. So here are some tips that you need to consider during regular practice.
Keeping the knee straight
One of the foremost prevention that we need to focus in keeping the knee straight while practicing. Try to work the poses keeping as straight as described in the pose to avoid any injury or twisting of your knee.
Warmup
Another tip for keeping your knee safe from any future pain is to perform a warmup session before entering the hardcore yoga sequence. This warm-up will subsequently loosen up your knee and leg muscles so they don’t tear or get damaged during practice. In short, a small warm-up will enhance moveability.
Starting with feet
Start the practice with the standing positions at first to direct your spine, hips, neck, and leg muscles in accordance with one another. This will also help you know any stress points of your knees or legs. These standing poses can also account for some bending and twisting also.
Avoiding hyperextension of knee muscles
Never go too harsh on your muscles or knees especially. There is a specific stretching capability of every individual and everyone needs to understand this. Try not to practice hyperextension of muscles at your knee or leg area as it may tear the muscles and can cause severe pain.
Go with your body signs
Your body is the perfect guide for yourself and lets you know what it actually requires out of all the practice and workouts you do. Do not push your body to the workout it is not meant to practice at first. There is a need for time, practice, and perfection to position yourself and your body on a more professional scale. So listen to the sign of your body and go with it.
Be a prop user
For any yogi suffering from pain in any part of the body can be a disruption in his sequence routine. To avoid such hindrance, props come to practice and make you perform the normal schedule with care. Many props are present to give you an extra push or stretch without aggravating your pains or injuries. A good yogi will always consider one of these.
Conclusion
In our final remark for yoga for knee pain in old age, I suggest you first prevent yourself rather than moving straight towards the remedies. Yoga poses for knee pain are a pure sequence of knee pain relief and help you feel the difference just as you complete it. Furthermore, do help your body with your diet, workout, and all other factors to avoid many of the old age sick games.
I hope I managed to make a good way out for the people suffering from bad knees and would love to help any further
Till then, happy yoga.