Check out our video for a great & simple quad stretch you can do at home. This works well even if you have a stiff knee or limited mobility.
Hi this is Dana Ranahan from Body Works Sports Physiotherapy. It’s great weather to get out for a walk or a hike, and some of the complaints we’ve had in the clinic are knee pain or stiffness. Today I have a great stretch for you to help your knee move better.
If you have knee pain or knee stiffness, one thing you can do is stretch the thigh (quad) muscle, which can get quite tight. However, if your knee is stiff, sometimes traditional stretches are hard to do.
Quad Stretch
- Grab a belt or a strap and put it around your ankle
- Lie down on your side, getting that strap behind you, bringing the bottom knee up towards you
- Bring the top leg back so your knee is relatively in line with your hip.
- Use the belt or strap to give a bit of pressure and stretch through the front muscle of the thigh.
- In some cases you can even grab your foot and do it yourself, if you have enough mobility.
- Hold here so that you have a good stretch, but it shouldn’t be painful on the knee or in the muscle.
Holding for 30 to 60 seconds and taking a break and repeating 2 to 3 times.
So give this a try before you get out for a walk or for your activity of the day, and see how it feels.