How would you modify a stretch for someone with a knee injury?

How would you modify a stretch for someone with a knee injury?

• A. Avoid deep knee flexion or extension; support with straps; adjust hip/knee angle to keep pain-free ROM; ensure alignment and avoid loading the knee.
• B. Increase knee loading to build resilience
• C. Lock the knee in extension
• D. Do deeper knee flexion

Answer: (A)

When a knee is injured, the goal in any stretch is to protect the joint by staying in a pain-free range, minimize forces through the knee, and control the movement. The best modification keeps the knee from bending or straightening too much, uses a strap or support to guide the motion, and adjusts the hip–knee angle so the knee sits in a comfortable, pain-free range. Good alignment matters too—keep the knee tracking over the foot and the hips square to reduce unnecessary twisting or shear forces. Avoid loading the knee during the stretch, since loading increases stress on healing tissues. Choosing options that add knee loading, lock the knee in extension, or force a deeper knee bend would raise stress on the injured area and could worsen symptoms.

When a knee is injured, the goal in any stretch is to protect the joint by staying in a pain-free range, minimize forces through the knee, and control the movement. The best modification keeps the knee from bending or straightening too much, uses a strap or support to guide the motion, and adjusts the hip–knee angle so the knee sits in a comfortable, pain-free range. Good alignment matters too—keep the knee tracking over the foot and the hips square to reduce unnecessary twisting or shear forces. Avoid loading the knee during the stretch, since loading increases stress on healing tissues.

Choosing options that add knee loading, lock the knee in extension, or force a deeper knee bend would raise stress on the injured area and could worsen symptoms.