Knee Pain Rowing Machine

Rowing machines help improve aerobic endurance, burn fat, and build muscle. In addition to offering a full-body workout, these low-impact exercise machines also help strengthen muscles around the knees, rehabilitate bad knees, and relieve knee pain.

However, these benefits arise only when rowing is done right. Just like any other exercise, improper practicing or overtraining can cause injuries. Rowing machine knee pain is one of the most injuries of rowing enthusiasts.

Rowing machine exercises and knee pain

The knee is one of the main joints involved in the rowing motion. As a result, many people worry about exacerbating or developing knee pain. However, you may be surprised to learn that rowing is non-weight bearing and easy on the knee joints. In fact, in some cases, it helps bad knees by improving joint mobility and strength.

Rowing is low-impact and easier on the knees than some other exercise.

Unlike other exercises such as cycling or running, rowing is a rhythmic, smooth exercise that is more effective and safer for providing a dull-body workout. The entire workout is done while seated. When you adopt the correct rowing posture, you feel relaxed and are at significantly lower risk of feeling any negative effects, unlike the type of resistance associated with other exercises such as running.

Rowing helps strengthen muscles around the knees

Stronger muscles around the knee joints provide better support. While rowing, the quadriceps extends and the gastrocnemius muscles and hamstrings also flex repeatedly with contractions. As a result, the muscles grow stronger and can support the knees more effectively and help prevent knee pain.

By helping lose weight, rowing reduces the risk of knee pain.

Another core advantage of rowing is that it helps you burn calories and lose excess weight, thus reducing the risk of pain at the knee joints.

Rowing is a great fat burner the works by engaging most major muscle groups, such as the arms, legs, buttocks, back, and abdominals. When supplemented with a proper diet, rowing boosts weight loss by facilitating significant burning of calories.

Can you lose weight and get fit by just rowing?

Studies show that excess weight puts more stress on the knee joints, which can lead to issues such as osteoarthritis. By aiding weight loss, rowing provides relief from various issues, including knee pain.

So is a rowing machine bad for your knees?

Causes and fixes of rowing machine knee pain

Rowing machine knee pain can be caused by many different factors such as wrong rowing technique, improper setting in the rowing machine, and overtraining.

1. Overtraining

Overtraining or overuse is one of the most common causes of rowing machine knee pain, butt pain, and back pain.

Rowing enthusiasts are known for their dedication and competitive nature. However, overtraining can cause overuse injuries such as fatigue, sprains, and strains. In some cases, it may even lead to chronic knee injuries. This is because you are straining ligaments and tendons and irritating the muscles around the knees.

Solution:

Avoid overexerting yourself especially when you are just starting out your training regimen. Even when you get used to it and progress, don’t overdo it. You can avoid physical problems by simply stopping when you are too exhausted to maintain proper rowing form.

Moreover, mixing it up with other activities like yoga, swimming or cycling ensures that you continue enjoying your workout free of burnout and excessive pressure.

2. Improper foot strap setting

When your feet are not properly strapped on the rowing machine, you can easily twist your knees. This will cause further rowing machine knee pain or stress fractures on your ankles from the straps.

Solution

Ensure that the foot straps go over the balls of your feet to ensure that your feet are properly connected throughout the rowing stroke.

3. Improper rowing technique

Some of the factors that contribute to improper rowing technique include over-compression of the legs at the catch, hyperextension at the finish or drive, and improper foot placement.

Solution

Be sure to adopt the proper rowing technique and form to avoid various types of injury including knee pain. You should also use good rowing shoes that are comfortable, flexible, lightweight, and breathable.

Stretches to relieve rowing machine knee pain

Stretching is a great passive recovery to alleviate or avoid knee pain in rowing. It is particularly beneficial because it gives the muscles which work so hard a bit of relaxation through passive stretching. It improves blood flow to the joints and muscles and helps increase their range of motion. Stretching also improves the elasticity of your ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

Your stretching exercises should focus on the calves, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps post-workout to relieve or prevent knee pain.

It is recommended that you stretch daily and warm up your muscles before practicing. This is particularly important in cold weather and at the start of the day or early in the morning.

DIY massage to prevent or relieve knee pain

Use a massage gun or foam roller to do a tissue massage especially for your knee muscles. Physical therapists often adopt this technique to relieve knots in soft tissue and muscles. This helps lower existing pain, improve your knee flexibility and function, and prevent an increase in knee pain.

How to prevent rowing machine knee pain

The stretches, massage, and fixes and help alleviate rowing machine knee pain. However, maintaining their effectiveness and keeping your knee joints pain-free and healthy requires you to integrate the following strategies into your lifestyle.

• Wear proper indoor rowing shoes
• Maintain healthy weight
• Do some yoga
• Warm-up before exercising
• Adopt a healthy and nutritious diet
• Indulge in a variety of low-impact exercises
• Drink more water
• Avoid sitting for too long
• Avoid decreasing your physical activity

Can rowing cause hip pain?

The bottom-line

Exercise should not cause pain or exacerbate it. However, post-workout muscle soreness is completely normal because it’s the side effect of the strain put on muscles while exercising. Generally, massages and knee stretches can help alleviate muscle soreness.

If your knees ache while rowing, start by checking the settings on your rowing machine and then focus on adopting the correct rowing posture. However, you should stop rowing immediately in case you feel a sudden or sharp pain around or in your knees.

Consult your doctor to avoid any further injury.