Hesperian Health Guides
Stretching Exercise to Straighten a Stiff Knee
HealthWiki > Disabled Village Children > Chapter 42: Range-of-Motion and Other Exercises > Stretching Exercise to Straighten a Stiff Knee
EXERCISE SHEET 2
PROBLEM
The muscle and cord here are too short and tight. For this reason the knee will not straighten.
Ask the child to straighten his knee as much as he can by himself (if he can do it at all). Then help him slowly straighten it as far as it will go.
Both of you keep working to hold the knee as straight as possible while you count slowly to 25. Repeat several times. Do this exercise 3 times a day.
If the foot also has a contracture, try to hold or bend it up while you stretch the cord behind the knee.
When you get the knee as straight as you can with the hip extended, gradually lift the leg higher, keeping the knee straight. |