Exercising With Knee Nerve Entrapment

Nerve entrapment of the knees is a syndrome that can cause shooting pain in the back of your legs, decreasing range of motion and your ability to walk without pain. While nerve entrapment is often further agitated by repetitive motions, such as bending and extending the knees, range of motion and strengthening exercises will eventually be administered after weeks of immobilization. Consult a doctor to see if your nerve entrapment must be surgically remedied.

Ankle Pumps

Whether you and your doctor have opted for surgery or not, you will need to spend extended periods of time with your leg extended, in order for your nerve to heal. As a result, range of motion exercises will be the first step in restoring strength and motion to the muscles around your knee. Lie down on your back with your legs straight and arms at your sides. From here, extend your toes out and away from your body, flattening your foot toward the ground as you do so. After holding for a second, extend your heels out, bringing your toes back in toward your body. Pump between these two positions until fatigued.

Leg Lifts

This nerve entrapment exercise will help you stretch out as well as strengthen your lower leg and hamstring muscles. Lie down on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides. From here, slowly lift your injured leg up and off the ground, continuing to lift and stopping before you feel pain. Lift as high as you can without pain, holding the position for a count of 10 before lowering it back down. Repeat 10 times or until you are fatigued.

Iliotibial Band Stretch

This iliotibial band stretch exercise will help you stretch out and relax the tissue that connects your hip to your knee. Relieving this pain will help indirectly reduce pain caused by nerve entrapment in the knee by removing pressure and tightness from your knee. Place a foam roll down on the ground. From here, lie on your side, placing the outside of your injured leg flush on the foam roll. Place both hands down on the ground for balance. From here, roll your body back and forth, rolling the foam roll up and down the iliotibial band 20 times or until fatigued.

Lower Leg Massage Exercises

Nerve entrapment in the knee can be a direct result of scar tissue and inflammation caused by a prior injury or surgery. As a result, lower leg massages can help break down the cartilage, helping to release the entrapped nerve from its painful position. Sit down in a chair with your injured leg rotated to one side, allowing the bottom of your knee to be exposed. From here, massage with two fingers in a clockwise motion on this part of your knee. Push hard into the muscle or cartilage, trying to break it up with this repetitive motion.