3 min readMar 30, 2024 10:46 PM IST
First published on: Mar 30, 2024 at 03:26 PM IST
The knee joint is one of the biggest, most complex joints in our body. Its smooth functioning is imperative for our mobility and simple activities like sitting down and getting up. But as the comfort of convenience takes over our lives, the knee has been taking a beating the world over, with knee arthritis expected to emerge as the fourth most common cause of physical disability in India.
More than 15 crore Indians suffer from knee problems, out of which four crore need a total knee replacement. So it’s heartening that latest research has found how yoga significantly reduced pain arising from knee osteoarthritis in older adults. Test results showed improvements in the ability to rise from a sitting to a standing position, flexibility and strength.
In my years of experience with yoga students, I’ve found significant improvement even in quite severe cases of joint problems. The best part is it needs no challenging or difficult poses. In fact, the practice is simple, easy and can be done comfortably even on a sofa, if sitting down on the yoga mat is not possible initially.
HOW YOGA WORKS ON KNEES
Strengthening the muscles around the knee joint helps lend support to the joint that is weakened or beginning to degenerate. Begin with basic asanas that involve limbering up your whole body and exercise all the joints and muscles of the body. All these movements help in freeing up stagnant venous and lymph blood, preventing cramps and thrombosis.
TWO ASANAS YOU MUST DO
Here I’m sharing two simple practices for your knee joint, which are part of the Pawanmukta asana series, and can be done sitting too.
Janu falak akarshan ( kneecap contraction)
· Base position: Sit with your legs stretched out, feet together, hands placed behind the hips on either side, elbows straight, head and spine aligned, erect and relaxed.
· Move your awareness to the right knee joint
· Gently contract the muscles around the right knee. As you squeeze, tighten the muscles and the kneecap will move up
· Hold for 5 to 10 seconds
· Release and relax
· Then repeat with the left knee joint
· Finally, repeat with both knee joints together
· Janu Naman (Knee-bending)
· Keep sitting in the base position
· Interlock fingers and place them in the underside of your right leg, just above the knee
· Inhale and straighten your knee joint
· Exhale and bend your knee joint pressing your thighs against the stomach
· This makes one round
· Start with three rounds, then increase to five and 10 rounds
It is worth trying to get your knees back to health to avoid going under the scalpel of a surgeon, which also puts a huge financial burden on you
More than 15 crore Indians suffer from knee problems, out of which four crore need a total knee replacement.More than 15 crore Indians suffer from knee problems, out of which four crore need a total knee replacement. (Express) 
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