Exercises to avoid when you have a knee injury

Knee pain Exercising becomes very difficult when you have an injured joint. Your movements become restricted and you can't exercise the way you like. Abhishek Chatterjee, Assistant Fitness Manager, Fitness First Mumbai, says that when you have an injured joint, you should aim at strengthening the muscles around the joint, so the stress on the joint is reduced. In case of an injured knee, it is best to avoid movements that forces the knee past the toe line. Here are some exercises you should avoid.Squats on smith machine Full range squats on Smith machine--Squats on the Smith machine involve squatting with weights on the shoulders and there are high chances that the position of the knee is incorrect. Ideally, while squatting, the knee should not cross the toe line as it can lead to an injury or worsen an already existing one. And with weights, the pressure on the knees increases, worsening the problem.lunges Lunges--Knee movements are an important part of doing lunges, and they involve constant bending of knees, which causes wear and tear of the knee muscles. If you already have a knee injury, lunges are best avoided.Step Up Step up-- Even this involves putting pressure on your knees to lift yourself while climbing the step. However, step up should only be avoided if the height of the step is more than the height of your knee.Leg press Leg Press--Leg press too puts a lot of pressure on the knees and with weights attached to the leg press machine, it can worsen an already existing knee injury. However, if the legs are positioned properly and the knees don't exceed the toe line, leg press could be a safe exercise depending on the extent of your injury.