Dealing with a pesky knee? Maybe an achy shoulder?
What if there’s something you can do that’s so easy and can be done anywhere at any time to give you some relief?
Let me introduce you to … ISOMETRICS!
SO WHAT MAKES UP A JOINT?
This might be an obvious question, but it’s good to take a look at the anatomy of a joint before we dive into things.
There are the bones that come together at the joint, but there’s also a lot of connective tissue. There are tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and muscles.
Tendons are the connective tissues that connect muscles to the bone.
Ligaments are connective tissues that connect bone to bone.Â
Cartilage is found on the ends of the bone and provides some cushioning at the joint.
And I’m sure everyone reading this knows what muscle is.
When there’s pain at the joint, it’s usually one of these tissues that are not happy.
Lots of conditions affect these structures specifically as well. Arthritis can be where there’s a degradation of the cartilage and the surroundings of the joint.Â
Tendinopathy is a disorder of the tendons and can encompass swelling, tears, and impaired function.Â
Ligaments are more prone to tear, either fully or partially. This is often called a sprain. A common one to hear is an ACL tear, which is one of the ligaments found in the knee.Â
WHAT ARE ISOMETRICS?
Do you remember your gym teacher making you and the rest of your class hold a wall sit for what felt like an eternity?Â
That’s just one example of an isometric.
An isometric is when your muscles are contracting but you yourself don’t move.
So think of a wall sit, where your thighs feel like they’re on fire, but you just look like you’re sitting on an invisible chair.
SO WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT ISOMETRICS?
You might be thinking … and? What do isometrics have to do with my joint pain?
Well, it turns out, isometrics can be a great tool when it comes to dealing with pain.
There’s plenty of evidence pointing to isometrics having an analgesic effect on the joints - basically it helps numb the pain.
From tendinopathy, osteoarthritis, and patellofemoral pain syndrome, isometrics can be a great tool in helping you go about your day a bit more pain free.1-4
Who wouldn’t want to relieve some joint pain? It’ll make doing everyday things like climbing the stairs, getting in and out of a car, or squatting down to reach under the cabinet a whole lot easier.Â
An added bonus is that it’s been found that this relief can last up to 45 minutes!2,3
It’s not entirely certain why there’s this numbing effect with isometrics. Some suggest they strengthen around the joint and provide more stability, others say it desensitises the nervous system, and there’s others suggesting that it affects the tendons themselves and reduces pain perception.3 Whatever the reason is, it's been found to help.
Not to mention, there’s a whole other host of benefits isometrics can provide, such as building tissue strength and capacity, and range of motion at the joint.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
Now that you know isometrics should be one of your go-to’s when your joints start talking to you, what should you actually do?
Well, a good way to start is to pick an exercise that targets the area you want relief from.Â
From there you want to go deep enough that it’ll be a challenge to hold, but not too hard that it’s very painful at the joint (some discomfort is okay though), and not too hard that you start shaking right away.Â
Start with what you can handle, but you want to aim for a 30-45s hold. You can do as little as 1 set, or do up to 5.
You want to build up to the point where you’re pushing it fairly hard, as in 70-85% of your max. You don’t need to start there, but it should be something you aim towards eventually as you get stronger and more used to this type of training.Â
When my knees are talking to me, I like to do a set or two of wall sits in the morning, go about my day, and then do another set or two in the evening.Â
By breaking it up throughout the day, it can provide relief at different times, and it’s not too strenuous all at once on the body.
Here are some example isometrics you can start incorporating into your routine today!
Wall Sits
Squat Holds
Spanish Squat Holds
Split Squat Isometric
Seated Leg Extension Isometric
Leg Curl Isometric
Long Lever Bridge
Copenhagen Plank
Calf Raise Isometric
High Plank Hold
Push Up Position Hold
Superman Hold
DB Front Raise Isometric
All of these can be done with just body weight or minimal equipment!
If you want to ramp it up a bit, you can hold onto some weights while holding some of these positions.Â
If you’re looking for some more advanced isometrics, keep an eye out for our next post where we talk about ways to help build up tendon strength.
One important thing though, is that you should take note of how your body feels after a bout of isometrics. If you feel a flare up or extra sensitivity in the area that you worked, it’s a good idea to tone it down next time. If that does happen, just rest until you’re back to your normal. Don’t try to push through it - you might just aggravate it more! A rule of thumb you should follow when it comes to exercise: listen to your body. Especially when it comes to joint pain.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Isometrics can be an easy way to get a bit of relief from joint pain. Just a simple 30s wall sit can be enough to ease those achy knees for a little bit.Â
Not only offering a bit of pain relief, isometrics can also be a great way to introduce strength training into your routine to help work the muscles throughout your day too.
If you’re looking to build up your isometric game, subscribe to our newsletter where we deliver monthly updates and blogs packed with info that you can apply to your own health regimen.
Our goal at Delta Kinesiology is to help women reach their health and fitness goals
regardless of age, ability, or experience level.
We tailor each session using evidence-based principles and methods to help you reach your goals. Whether that be going about your day pain-free, building muscle, improving stamina, or feeling better about yourself, we are here to help.Â
Get in touch with us today to schedule a free consult by clicking the link below.
References
Onwunzo, C. N., Igwe, S. E., Umunnah, J. O., Uchenwoke, C. I., & Ezugwu, U. A. (2021). Effects of Isometric Strengthening Exercises on Pain and Disability Among Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis. Cureus, 13(10), e18972. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.18972
Rio, E., Kidgell, D., Purdam, C., Gaida, J., Moseley, G. L., Pearce, A. J., & Cook, J. (2015). Isometric exercise induces analgesia and reduces inhibition in patellar tendinopathy. British journal of sports medicine, 49(19), 1277–1283. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2014-094386
Vang, C., & Niznik, A. (2020). The Effectiveness of Isometric Contractions Compared With Isotonic Contractions in Reducing Pain For In-Season Athletes With Patellar Tendinopathy. Journal of sport rehabilitation, 30(3), 512–515. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2019-0376
Kochar, S. S., Fating, T., & Patil, S. (2024). Efficacy of Isometric Exercises and Somatosensory Training for Pain, Proprioception, and Balance in Runners with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. Cureus, 16(3), e56163. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.56163
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