Knee extension refers to your knee’s ability to straighten out all the way.
Exercises to improve knee ROM can be performed daily after knee surgery.
Who Should Perform the Prone Hang?
Brett Sears, PT, 2013
Sometimes gravity alone is not enough to fully straighten your knee.
Use caution; too much weight could over-stress your knee.
Add just enough weight to create a gentle stretching feeling.
Your PT can help you determine the right amount of weight to add.
After performing the prone hang exercise, your knee may be a little sore.
This soreness is natural since you are stretching tissues around your knee.
Applying an ice pack to your knee for 10 to 15 minutes may help alleviate some of this soreness.
Again, if you feel pain in your knee, contact your healthcare provider or physical therapist.
The prone hang exercise can be performed several times a day to work on improving your knee extension ROM.
Compensatory movements or positions may arise that take the stretch off your posterior knee.
Be sure to stay as flat as possible during the prone hang stretch.
Some folks struggle to gain full extension after surgery or injury.
That’s where to prone hang comes in.
It may be what it’s crucial that you help improve your overall knee mobility.
Arch Orthop Trauma Surg.
N Am J Sports Phys Ther.
2008;3(2):110-3.
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.Knee Exercises.
Malempati C, Jurjans J, Noehren B, Ireland ML, Johnson DL.
CurrentRehabilitation Concepts for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery in Athletes.Orthopedics.
2015;38(11):689-96. doi:10.3928/01477447-20151016-07.
