- Researchers are reporting that having stronger quadricep muscles may help lower a person’s risk of having knee replacement surgery.
- They explain that stronger muscles in the thigh can help stabilize the knee joint and reduce pressure on it.
- Experts say running, cycling, weightlifting, and yoga are among the ways to strengthen leg muscles.
Weightlifters have a mantra about “leg days.” Don’t skip them.
The authors of a new study would likely agree. They say having stronger quadriceps – those big muscles around the front of the thighs – relative to the hamstrings may lower the risk of total knee replacement.
The research was recently presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The scientists say their findings, which haven’t been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, could help with strength-training programs for people with advanced arthritis in the knee.
The authors said in a statement that advanced knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide. In the United States, an estimated
Although stronger muscle groups are generally believed to be associated with a lower rate of total knee replacement, their relative importance is not well established, the study authors said.
They added that of particular interest is the relationship between the extensors and the hamstrings, which are the two most important muscle groups in the knee.
The extensors are the muscles on the front of the thigh, also known as the quadriceps. They’re one of the body’s strongest muscle groups and have an essential influence on gait, biomechanics, and other activities.
The muscles around the back of the thigh are the hamstrings, which are responsible for extension of the hip and flexion of the knee, making them equally essential for physical activity.
“The two muscle groups…
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