You know those boring knee and back strengthening exercises. They are repetitive and sometimes even painful. Wouldn’t you rather do something fun? I sure would! That’s why I do rebound exercises instead. Here’s how Qibounding, a mini-trampoline form of exercise, can help your back, knees, and joints.

A couple of years ago I fell down some steps and broke my ankle and leg in four places and tore ligaments in both ankles. I also injured my lower back and both knees. I had two surgeries and was in rehab for months.

In physical therapy, I started with the typical knee and back exercises. Then I got a new physical therapist and he put me on a Qibounder. Talk about night and day. Typical strengthening movements are so boring that I have to force myself to do them. Bouncing, though, was fun. And my back, knees and ankles loved the exercise.

The key to having a good experience with a mini trampoline is in the rebound. A high-quality soft bounce like the Qibounder absorbs 85 percent of the impact of each bounce. The strictest trampoline exercisers don’t do that.

Here’s why this type of exercise helps your back, joints, and knees:

As you age, your spinal discs lose red blood cells. Once you’re an adult, these cells disappear, so they can’t nourish your body’s cartilage. The only way to nourish cartilage is with the up and down movement of your body.

Unfortunately, most ways of achieving that movement, such as running, aerobics dancing, and other sports, put a lot of stress on your joints. It makes things worse instead of better.

With a soft bounce, you get this movement, this contraction and extension of your cartilage, in a smooth way. Your joints basically absorb the food from this movement.

If, like me, you’ve been in an accident that injured your leg or ankle joints or your back, rebounding helps because the unstable surface of the mat trains your unconscious motor program to fire in a way that helps you strengthen these parts. from her body. . It’s great for ankle injuries because the trampoline’s unstable surface retrains you in proprioception, which is your ability to adjust your balance.

As you bounce, your body makes small muscular adjustments to keep you balanced and that strengthens your entire body, including your back and knees. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather enjoy the fun of rebounding exercises than the boring old back and knee strengthening exercises. In the resource box below, you can learn more about the Qibounder my physical therapist recommends.