These exercises are focused on knee and ankle arthritis, to help improve mobility and strength. Everyone’s symptoms and impairments will and can be unique, and there may be other exercises that are more appropriate.
Please read the Knee & Ankle Instruction Booklet before you start.
There is a variety of mobility exercises included for the knee. Some exercises can be used for early to mid-stage knee rehab or for those with severe knee arthritis, pain and/or reduced muscle tone and strength.
Talk to your physiotherapist or exercise physiologist for guidance of which exercises may be best suited to you or for more challenging and advanced options.
This section also includes some ankle mobility since most, if not all, lower extremity movements (eg. walking, sitting, standing, stairs etc.) require adequate ankle mobility. Furthermore, many of the exercises below involve movement of the hip, therefore, you may find some of these exercises a little difficult if your hip is compromised.
If it is still safe for you to do these exercises, then proceed, however you may like to initially regress the movements or reduce the range of motion.
General exercise parameters
As these are general guidelines, please consult with your allied healthcare professional for individual prescription.
- When performing a mobility exercise, try performing 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps or as otherwise prescribed. Initially, you may find you can only perform one set or only 5 repetitions and that’s ok. Slowly and progressively build the number of sets and reps.
- For exercises where the position is held still, (a stretch or strength exercise) try performing 2–3 sets of 5sec holds, then 10sec, 20sec, 30sec and so on as you progressively increase time held and/or increase the set range, or as prescribed.
- When moving in and out of joint range, eg. self-assisted knee flexion or ankle dorsiflexion, do so with control and with equal speed. Build up to perform 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps or as otherwise prescribed
Please note: your doctor/surgeon or physiotherapist may not want you rotating or moving a recently reconstructed joint in a certain direction or degree and with force/resistance. If you are unsure about what mobility exercises to do and how to perform them safely, please do not attempt the included exercises and ask for professional guidance first.