Perspectives for patients. Knee pain: safely strengthening your thigh muscles.
Quadriceps are the muscles on the front of your thigh that help you straighten your knee. When these muscles are not strong, you may feel pain under your kneecap. Quadriceps can be strengthened by performing squats and leg extensions. However, when you do not perform these exercises properly, you may also feel knee pain. Understanding the load and stress under the kneecap when you execute squats and leg extensions can help you perform these exercises better and with less pain while you strengthen your quadriceps. A study published in the May 2014 issue of JOSPT provides information intended to help physical therapists and their patients use these exercises to strengthen thigh muscles while minimizing the load under the kneecap.
D018771:Arthralgia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular