Nakimuli’s knee healed with exercise

Nakimuli says the key to her healing was not giving up. She would exercise even when the pain was unbearable. COURTESY PHOTOs

What you need to know:

After undergoing knee surgery, Nakimuli embarked on an exercise journey to completely heal. She shares some of the exercises that helped her on her road to recovery.

Knee injuries are common nowadays. Ruth Balemezi, a chartered physiotherapist at Nerves and Bones Rehabilitation Centre in Ntinda, notes that some of the main causes of knee injuries include age (as you grow old, wear and tear of bones occurs), over use of the joints, what you wear, for example high heeled shoes, and obesity (being overweight could lead to knee injuries and pain as the body is being over loaded) and if not treated in time, could lead to permanent disability.
After experiencing abrupt severe pain, Majorie Nakimuli went for several tests where doctors recommended Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and X-ray. The X-ray revealed that her knee was in a bad state and she needed surgery. After the surgery, the only thing that could make her leg function again was exercise. Here are a few exercises that saw Nakimuli walking again.

Toe movement
Nakimuli notes that the very first exercise to knee nerve recovery is moving the toes. She says these may not comply at first and may need you to make the movement with the help of your hands. However, after some time, the toes will be able to move on their own. She says you can start by moving a toe at a time until they can all move, which may take about a week.
“In the second week, I put the leg to test by making simple strides of around one to two centimetres in the morning and evening. It was very painful but effective,” she says.

Bed exercises
Nakimuli says during her free time at home, she had to keep her leg busy to minimise the amount of pain she would feel the next time she exercised. She would lay on her back and make simple movements such as lifting the leg up and down and then to the sides. She had to do this with care to avoid further injuries.

Suspending the leg
Nakimui adds that this is one of the most painful exercises she had to do. It required her to sit on a high table, bend the knee then put it straight and leave it to gravity in a repetitive manner. She says with time, this makes the nerve firm and able to move.

Riding a bicycle
Balemezi says riding is also one of the most effective exercises towards knee recovery. You do not have to do it vigorously as this may cause more harm.
Instead, slowly pedal back and forth in order to make the nerves firm and active. Nakimuli says she had to do this bit by bit every day until the leg was okay to move.
Posture
Balemezi adds that sitting posture should be one of the things people with knee pain and those on the way to recovery take seriously. She notes that this should be taken as an exercise, especially for office people who spend most of their time seated. “Make sure your chair is able to keep your legs at a 90 degree posture,” she advises.

What to eat
Julie Sabiti, a nutritionist, notes that exercising should go hand in hand with good feeding.
Therefore, embrace organic foods (direct from the garden or animals) and leave the processed ones. She also says that one should take plenty of water (two litres or an equivalent of eight glasses a day). She says good feeding is a preventive measure as well as cure for bone injuries.

Consult a doctor
It is common that patients will work with a physical therapist who can help determine exercises that are most appropriate for them at certain stages of pain and limited mobility.
Experts recommend non-pharmacological methods, including patient education programmes, weight reduction, coping strategies and exercise programmes for treatment, including alternative therapy programmes.