Yoga Asanas for Knee Pain in Old Age

Yoga Asanas for Knee Pain in Old Age

Introduction:

Old age does not come alone. It brings so many problems with it. Weakness of joints is one such problem that can cause pain in the knees. The bones and the joints become weaker in old age and as a result, they start to give pain. 

We must start caring for our bones and joints at a younger age with the help of exercises. But due to certain reasons and hectic lifestyles, we often fail to do that. When old age comes, we face the repercussions. At that time we understand the importance of starting exercising and taking care of our health at a young age. But things become too late. 

However, still, yoga gives us a chance to lower the impact of problems that have been generated in our bodies due to lack of physical activity and exercise. Yoga has many poses that can be used by esteemed seniors to alleviate knee pain issues. These poses can even be used by those who are at a quite young age but are suffering from knee problems.

Reasons Behind Knee Pain in Old Age:

The most common complaint that we used to hear from old aged people is that they are not able to walk, sit, and get up well because of pain in their knees. It becomes quite bothering for them. 

They start to visit physiotherapists to have relief from it. They start using several oil massages and medications. But the real cause behind this pain is the lack of physical activity. All other treatments will be useful only if they are able to include physical activity in their daily routine. The inclusion of physical activity will also do away with the need of going for knee replacement surgery in severe cases.

Before talking about yoga for knee pain for seniors, let us take a look at the reasons behind this knee pain as the problem can only be resolved properly only if we know the causes:

• Pain starts to show up in old age due to an injury in the knee suffered at some young age.
• Arthritis.
• Menopause in women.
• Tearing of ligament.
• Weakness of hamstrings.
• Weakness of bones.
• Frailty of joints.
• Chronic tendinitis that causes inflammation in tendons.
• Bad posture.
• Sedentary habits.
• Sitting in one particular position for long periods.
• Lack of physical activity.
• Imbalancing of body.
• Weakening of buttocks muscles.
• Medicines’ reactions.
• Putting more than required pressure on knees by indulging in intense physical activities.

Why Yoga for Knee Pain is Useful?

Gentle yoga for knee pain in old age proves to be quite useful as it makes its powerful impact in a slow manner. While doing yoga, the heart rate is pumped up but the pressure on joints is reduced. It engages you in physical activity and the body is mobilized. These all factors help in minimizing the pain.

Yoga serves as a remedy for addressing the underlying causes contributing to this issue. By engaging in yoga, the body experiences stretching, which aids in relieving tension in the muscles surrounding the knees. This, in turn, facilitates improved mobility by eliminating stiffness that may impede proper knee movement. Consequently, incorporating yoga into the treatment regimen of senior individuals suffering from knee pain can effectively alleviate their discomfort. It can be utilized in conjunction with conventional therapies and medications to enhance the overall well-being of older adults.

Yoga Asanas for Knee Pain in Old Age:

Various yoga poses for knee pain management have been proposed for seniors. These poses are quite gentle and do not pressurize the knee joints while alleviating the pain at the same time. We are mentioning briefly these poses here that will help the seniors in winning over knee pain problem:

• Bandhakonasana (Butterfly Pose): This position extends the muscles located in your inner thighs and knees.
• Trikonasana (Triangle Pose): This is helpful for the knee joints and muscles.
• Tadasana (Mountain Pose): This yoga pose not only alleviates the pain by stretching and strengthening the knee area, but also your body learns to make balance better.
• Balasana (Child’s Pose): This particular yoga asana aids in alleviating knee stiffness.
• Crossed Ankle Forward Fold: Sometimes the knee muscles suffer stress and tension. This yoga pose relieves that.
• Utkatasana (Chair Pose): This asana improves the functioning of the tissues that are located along the knee muscles. Thus it helps in the fluent movement of the knees.
• Shanti Virabhadrasana (Peaceful Warrior Pose): It helps in toning up the muscles that surround the knee joints. 
• Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose): Regarded as one of the most potent exercises for knee discomfort, it bestows strength upon the muscles encompassing the knee joints. 
• Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana (High Lunge Pose): By practicing this yoga pose, the body becomes increasingly steady and well-balanced.
• Anjaneyasana (Low lunge): This yoga pose makes your hamstrings, quads, and groin areas strong. It also helps in releasing pressure and excess tension in your hip area.

Use of Props for More Comfort while Doing Yoga Poses for Knee Pain:

Sometimes there can be such a case that you want to relieve the pain in your knees with the help of yoga, but the knee pain itself is stopping you from doing yoga properly. In such cases, where knee pain becomes a hindrance, you must make use of props to provide you much-needed comfort. They help in modifying the yoga poses and make them comfortable. Various props can be used in the below-mentioned ways:

• Use a yoga mat that is quite thick as using a thin one will cause the knees to feel the floor and that will create problems and discomfort. Instead of using a cushioned mat, you should place two thin mats to create a comfortable gap between the knees and the ground below.
• You can take the help of bath towels while performing various poses, like in the Child Pose the towel can be kept inside folded knee to provide it necessary comfort.
• Make use of blocks that are specially designed for yoga so that the distance between you and the surface is reduced and you do not have any need to extend your body more than requirement.

Benefits of Yoga for Knee Pain Management:

The yoga poses for knee pain provide the following benefits:

• Reduction of pain but without putting extra stress on knees.
• Flexibility to the knees’ muscles.
• Fast recovery from a knee injury.
• Quick recovery after knee surgery.
• Improvement in body stability and balance.
• More blood supply to the knee area.
• Knee joints get more lubrication.
• Improvement in knee mobilization.
• Improvement in posture.
• Improved healing of knee muscles.

Precautions to be Taken while Doing Yoga for Knee Pain in Old Age:

The seniors must exercise the following precautions while doing yoga for handling knee pain:

• Take the guidance of some expert.
• Do not overdo any exercise.
• Continue any pose only if your body does not feel uncomfortable.
• Do some warm-up exercise before going for knee yoga and after the session is over, relax your body properly.
• If you have heart, kidneys, or BP-related issues, then start yoga only after taking advice from a healthcare professional.

Conclusion:

Knee yoga is a blessing for anyone if it is done properly under guidance. It also prevents the happening of knee-related issues. Be consistent with your routine and get the best results.