When it comes to knee pain, I am now qualified as an expert.
In 2006, I tripped over a floor jack in my garage and shattered my left knee when it hit the handle.
As the bone was only one inch by one and a half inches, the six pieces it broke into made a big mess in the joint.
I was told I would always limp, I'd always be in pain and that walking would be difficult.
Thankfully, that is not the case, but it took a long time to get where I am and I'm still working to get as much back as I can.
One of the things that has come out of this accident is a greater knowledge of exercise in general and ways to help the knee in particular.
If you are living with knee pain, read on because if I can do it under the situation above, you can do it.
Aquatics may be the answer The pool is a great tool.
For one thing, there is little to know impact, so the movements you make will not cause more harm to your joints.
The water also provides resistance, which increases the calories burned.
I use three exercises in the pool to help my knee.
The first is simply walking in the water.
The pool I use is a lap pool, so it is only four and a half feet at the deepest part, and I can walk the whole length of it.
Walking forward is the easy part.
You can see where you're going.
However, to be extra beneficial, you should also walk backwards.
That may be hard if the pool is crowded, so try to plan a visit when it is likely to be free.
Once you've done this for five to ten minutes, it's time to walk sideways.
I go up the length of the pool with right over left and back down with left over right.
This helps with flexibility and can help with range of motion.
Next comes the kicking part.
I don't mean swim or hold onto the edge and kick like you're swimming.
Stand with one foot on the pool bottom, then lift your other leg straight to the front, straight to the back and straight side to side.
Repeat with the other foot.
That should get your muscles ready for the next step.
Raise your bent knee to hip level, then kick it out straight.
This will help increase muscle strength in the area, as well as help improve mobility.
I would like to point out that you may not be starting this at a level that lets you have the complete range of motion.
Don't worry about that, it will come.
It took me several months to get most of the range of motion back, and it's taken several years to get it close to what it had been before.
However, I did start with a shattered knee.
If you do have sore knees and you have not been diagnosed, talk to your doctor before starting these or any other exercises.
This will help you avoid making the situation worse.
I would not be able to walk were it not for the great doctor and dedicated nurses and physical therapists who worked with me all the way.