I need new quad exercises.

[hackettk]

Hi, I'm on the border of needing a bit of arthroscopy on my patellar, so I've finally gotten the motivation to work my quads at least twice a day.  I've been doing straight leg lifts, which is a good quad exercise, but after a while is not too challenging and seems to lose effectiveness after some time.

I'd like to avoid any exercises that involve bending the knee, but it seems that squat related exercises are the only ones to give quicker results.

Do any of you know of some effective quad exercises that won't give much pressure to my patellar?

[Charliemouse]

Just a thought.. straight leg lifts with ankle weights? Not sure what else there is without bending the knee.

[ClimbingGirl]

My physio has given me some useful exercises specifically for the VMO - easiest if you have access to an exercise ball. Sit on ball with legs apart and feet flat on floor. Bounce 3x gently on the ball (initiating the bounce by squeezing your butt cheeks) and then move towards your injured knee as if you are going to stand up in that direction. Don't stand up all the way to start with as this may put too much strain thru the patellar - just the motion of moving towards standing should activate the VMO. Once the VMO has started to strengthen you can progress to fully standing. If you have problems with a laterally tracking patellar this works well to isolate the VMO rather than working the quad as a whole. Its slow going but worth the effort.
Hope this makes sense....
Climbing Girl

[blackbeltgirl]

Be sure to check if you should be doing closed chain exercises or not.  (Leg press, squats, etc.)

Ankle weights on the straight leg raises are a good idea.  YOu can get a 10 pound weight where you add 1/2 pound at a time, so you can adjust it as you gain strength.  Short arc leg extensions may be ok also.  Sit on a high chair, stick the leg out straight, and bring it in to a 30, 4o, or 50 degree angle (depending on the state of your knee) and back to straight.  You can also do this with the ankle weights.

Don't forget to work all the muscles of the leg.  Do your SLRs "4 ways".  On your back for the quad, on both sides for the adductor and abductor, and on your stomach for the hamstring.

Good luck.

[feeny]

I have been doing 4 quad type exercises which I hope are benefitting me.

The only apparatus I use is a rolled up towel - oh and I do these on the floor. For a while I did them on the couch or bed - which was far easier because of the give in the softer surface.

a) rolled up towel under the knee, bending toes back towards knee cap and push knee back into towel whist contracting quads to straighten leg as far as it will go - making sure that you are pushing knee back into towel the whole time - hold contraction for 10 seconds

b) rolled up towel under the heel, leg straight out with knee back and calf off the floor - contract quads trying to push the back of the knee into the floor whilst the leg is straight - hold contraction for 10 seconds

c) no towel for this one - leg straight out whilst sitting on the floor, as straight as it will go - push the back of the knee into the floor, contract quads and try raise the heel of your foot 1cm or so off the floor whilst your knee back is touching the floot - hold contraction for 10 seconds

d) lying on y our stomach - no towel required - stretch out both legs so you are flat on the floor, put the ball of your foot on the bad leg on the floor, and whilst keeping your hips on the floor contract the quad muscle which feels like your leg is almost "arching" straight up - hold contraction for 10 seconds.

I try to do 2-3 sets of 10 of each of these - and post ACL op its not easy. My PT put some sort of electronic meter on my quad muscle the other day - which sensed the effort in the muscle contraction - and indicated how much effort I was putting in through a series of beeps and light (red light with lots of beeps meant I was working hard!). He called it his "grunt meter" - and boy did I grunt. I really had to push to get it in the red zone - it hurt whilst I was doing it but no residual pain - I am just waking up my quads and trying to teach them how to sustain a good contraction - something they have known how to do all my life. My PT assured me that I couldnt harm myself - and that these particular exercises were a case of the harder the contraction the better.

It was a good thing for me to know how hard to have to work at it - that meter device helped alot. 3 days later - after doing these exercises 3-4 times / day I have no problems straightening, am walking nearly limp free and can visibly see my quads getting excited!

[jcshotz]

Hey, Just got back from a bout of PT today, used the exercise ball...may be a good idea for you, or try the different work-outs with different bands...

Good luck!!!...always!!!

[DMCCOY]

I have had some improvement with quad sets and partail band squats.  To perform quad sets all you have to do is sit in a chair or weight bench.  keep your legs bent at about a 90 degree angle and press your heel down on the ground.  apply pressure just as you would if you were about to stand up allowing your VMO muscle to contract.  I hold this for 20 seconds and perform 10 sets on each leg once a day.  The partial band squats you just need some surgical tubing or any rubber band material.  I attach the band around behind my knee and around a stationary object and tie it off( i use the post of the squat rack at the gym). facing the rack, with the band around behind your knee, step back so that the band tightens around one of you legs.  now just slighty bend your knee so that the band slightly relaxes and then straighten back out your leg and hold for a breif pause.  Repeat 15-20 times.  These two exercise did not cause me any pain even though i cannot not run or squat down without extreme pain.  Hopefully these may help.  Good luck.