Exercises For Knee Pain That Can Help Injuries and Arthritis

The knee is the biggest joint in the human body and is used everyday for walking, running, jumping, jogging, climbing and almost every other activity. It is due to the same reason that it is prone to injuries and pain. Whether one is an athlete or just someone who likes walking and takes a walk every day, you can be prone to knee pain and it can put a halt to the activities you enjoy. As knee pain is one of the most common issues faced by people of all age groups it’s important to know what you can do to avoid the same.

How To Fix Sore Knees From Exercise?

While avoiding knee exercises can certainly be tempting it does not help with knee pain and will only aggravate the condition. There are certain exercises that can help with knee pain and prevent it in the future. If the cause behind your knee pain is an injury or a recent surgery you had, simple strengthening and stretching exercises can help. We know that exercising while you are injured or just had a surgery sounds counterintuitive but it’s much better than keeping the knee still. These are simple exercises that you can do on your own and alleviate the pain and fix sore knees. 

What Exercise To Do For Knee Pain?

Stretching exercises can help in improving the flexibility and strength of the knee joint. However, before you start stretching, take 10 to 15 minutes to warm up. Then try the following  exercises for knee pain and get effective relief from pain.

Hamstring Stretch

As the name suggests this exercise focuses on your hamstrings that are the muscles behind your thigh. If you particularly want to do knee stretches then this is the exercise that you should do. The stretch should be felt in the back of your leg and your glutes.

How To Do It:

• For this exercise, lie on your back and straighten both your legs or if it's difficult then bend your knees making sure your feet are flat on the floor.
• Now lift one leg off the floor and place your hands behind your thighs below the knee and bring your knees towards the chest. Make sure it's not painful.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then change legs.
• Repeat 5 times on each side.

Half Squats

Talking about knee strengthening exercises the next one in line is half squats, an exercise that targets your hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps. This exercise does not strain your knees and yet works on the knee joint strengthening it and reduces the pain. 

How To Do It:

• Get into the squat position with feet shoulder width apart. Now put your hands in front of you to establish balance.
• Now look straight ahead and squat down about 8 inches, more like going to halfway point of a full squat.
• Hold for 5 seconds and get back to the standing position.
• Repeat 10 times for 2 to 3 sets.

Leg Extension

If you have been to the gym then the first time you hear the words ‘leg extension’ you would imagine heavy machines but we are not talking about those. We are talking about using your own weight to strengthen your quadriceps. This is one of the best knee pain relief exercises there is.

How To Do It:

• Sit down straight on a chair and keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Contract your thigh muscles while looking straight ahead and take your one leg as high as possible making sure that your buttocks do not move.
• Hold for 5 seconds and then get back to the starting position.
• Repeat 10 times for 2 to 3 sets.

Straight Leg Raises

This exercise works not only your knees but also strengthens your hip flexor muscles. Straight leg raise is one of the most potent exercises for knee pain. This exercise gets easier to do with practice so it's better to add some ankle weight as you progress.

How To Do It:

• For this exercise lie down on the floor and bend one leg and keep the other one straight in front of you.
• Now contract the quadricep off the leg that is straight and raise it off the floor and bring it to the same height as your bent knee.
• Hold for 5 to 7 seconds and then go back to the starting position.
• Repeat 10 times for 2 to 3 sets.

Which Exercise Should We Avoid For Knee Pain?

Although some knee exercises are great for strengthening your knees and reducing stiffness there are some exercises that are a definite no no if you have a knee injury or have had a surgery. High impact exercises such as running, jumping, squats, and lunges can further aggravate the problem and put a lot of stress on your knees.

Is Exercise Good For Knee Pain?

Contrary to popular belief, knee exercises actually strengthen your legs and are good for knee pain. This is because moving your knee can reduce the stiffness and help with daily activities. Exercising an injured or arthritic can help strengthen the muscles. Gentle stretching exercises can help strengthen the muscles which support the knee joint and help ease the pain.

We like to think we have busted some myths today and that if you have a knee injury or are getting a surgery anytime soon then you wouldn't let your knee just rest and get stiff but move it and stretch and see why it's important to do it. Use  FITCOACH by FITPASS - an AI enabled fitness coach ARIA that learns all about your fitness needs and goals and recommends workouts accordingly and help get back on your feet.