Knee pain exercises

Knee pain is a common problem and is often caused by a condition known as osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis causes pain, swelling and stiffness in your knee joints. It occurs when wear and tear on the joints causes the cartilage to break down and the bones to rub against each other.

If you have knee pain, you may find it difficult to move and become less active, which often makes arthritis symptoms worse. However difficult it is, it’s important to keep moving your knees, and keeping mobile can reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis, such as pain and stiffness.

Knee pain exercises are specially designed movements to help reduce knee pain. They work by:

• Building strength in the muscles that support your knees
• Increasing flexibility in your knee joint
• Improving your range of motion (how far you can move or stretch your knee joint)
• Correcting any imbalance in the strength of the muscles that support your knees and improving the alignment (position) of your knees

Starting knee pain exercises in the early stages of arthritis gives the greatest benefits and can help you manage your knee pain, as well as helping to stop your symptoms from getting worse.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the most effective exercises to help with knee pain, as well as some movements to avoid. However, please note that before starting any new exercise programme or activity, we recommend checking with your GP or consultant to make sure it is safe for you.

You could also book in with a physiotherapist who can build a personalised exercise plan to help you improve your knee pain.

5 simple exercises to help relieve knee pain

The following exercises for knee pain can be done easily at home and need no special equipment. It can take a few weeks of doing your knee exercises regularly before you begin to feel the benefits, so keep going even if you don’t think the exercises are working.

Always start any exercise programme slowly, especially if you’re not used to exercise, and build up the amount of repetitions gradually. To get the full benefit, aim to do your knee exercises at least 3 times a week.

When doing any kind of exercise:

• Warm up properly before you start
• Make sure you have enough space around you to avoid injuring yourself
• Drink plenty of water
• Stop if you feel lightheaded, dizzy, or have increased pain

Read more about getting started with exercise.

Exercise 1: Knee Extension

This simple exercise can be done sitting in a chair. It aims to reduce friction inside the joint and increase your range of movement.

To do knee extensions:

• Sit on a chair with your back straight
• Straighten and raise your right leg off the floor
• Hold for around 10 seconds
• Repeat with your left leg

Exercise 2: Sit to Stand

This is an exercise where you start by sitting in a chair and move into a standing position while squeezing a cushion between your knees. It helps to strengthen your quadriceps (a set of four muscles at the front of your thighs). It also works your gluteus maximus (the large muscle in your buttocks) and core muscles (a group of muscles around your trunk).

To do Sit to Stand:

• Sit on a chair with your back straight
• Place a cushion between your knees and squeeze your knees together
• Put your heels flat on the floor
• Lean forward in your chair and push up through your heels
• Stand up while squeezing the cushion between your knees
• Sit down, keeping your back straight and keeping the cushion between your knees

Exercise 3: Heel Lift

This exercise activates and strengthens your quadriceps muscle, which reduces pressure on the knee joint and helps to stabilise your knees.

To do heel lifts:

• Sit on the floor, bed, or couch with your legs straight in front of you
• Place a rolled-up towel under your knee
• Push your knee down onto the towel while at the same time lifting your heel and foot towards you until you feel the stretch in your calf muscle
• Hold for 3 seconds
• Repeat the exercise 10 times on each knee

Exercise 4: Straight Leg Raise

This exercise is also performed lying down. It aims to strengthen your rectus femoris muscle (one of your quadriceps) and relieve pressure on your knee.

To do straight leg raises:

• Lie down on a bed or couch
• With your legs straight, point your toes up towards your body
• Lift your leg about 15 to 20 cm off the bed, keeping your leg straight
• Repeat the exercise 10 times on each leg

Exercise 5: Standing Calf Stretches

This exercise involves leaning against a flat, stable surface such as a wall. It aims to stretch the calf muscles and helps reduce pressure and ease pain in your knee.

To do standing calf stretches:

• Stand in front of a stable wall and place your palms flat against the wall
• Place your worst affected leg behind you, and your least affected leg in front
• Keeping the back leg straight, bend the front leg slowly forward, until you feel your calf muscle stretch in your back leg

Further exercises for knee pain

The UK charity Versus Arthritis recommends the following exercises for knee pain.

Leg stretch

This exercise should be done on a hard, smooth surface like a tiled, wooden, or linoleum floor. If you are unable to sit on the floor, you can do the exercise on a bed or sofa and use a tray or board to slide your foot along.

To do leg stretches:

• Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you
• Slowly bend one leg towards your chest, keeping your foot flat on the floor, and sliding it along the floor until you feel your muscles stretch
• Hold this position for 5 seconds
• Straighten your leg
• Hold for another 5 seconds
• Repeat the exercise ten times on each leg

Muscle stretch

This exercise prevents your knee from becoming permanently bent. Try to do this exercise at least once a day.

To do muscle stretches:

• Lie on the floor with a rolled-up towel under your ankle
• Bend your other leg at the knee
• Push the knee of your straight leg towards the floor until you feel your muscles tense
• Hold for 5 seconds
• Repeat at least 5 times on each leg

Step-ups

This exercise is performed using a step, such as the bottom step of a flight of stairs. It works by increasing strength in your thigh and buttock muscles, helping to stabilise your knee, and reducing pressure and pain.

To do step-ups:

• Step onto the bottom step of a flight of stairs with your right foot
• Using the muscles in your right thigh, slowly lift your left foot onto the step
• Step down with your right foot and then your left foot
• Repeat as many times as you can
• Rest for 1 minute and then repeat the exercise twice more
• As you get used to this exercise, you can make it more difficult by using a higher step, or taking 2 steps at a time

Leg cross

This exercise increases strength in your thigh muscles, which helps stabilise your knees and reduces pressure on your knee joint.

To do leg crosses:

• Sit on the edge of a chair or bed and cross your ankles
• Push your legs in opposite directions against each other until you feel your thigh muscles tense
• Hold the position for as long as you can
• Rest for one minute
• Repeat the exercise twice
• Cross your ankles the other way and repeat the exercise

Movements to avoid if you have knee pain

Some movements and exercises should be avoided if you have knee pain as they can damage your knee joints, increase inflammation, and make the pain worse. Avoid exercising for long periods of time and stop when you are tired or feel pain. You should also avoid high-impact exercises that put pressure on your knees. These include:

• Running
• Jumping
• Squats
• Aerobics
• Basketball
• Football
• Intensive cycling

Knee pain doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up the activities you love. You may just need specialist help to get back to your hobbies. A physiotherapist or sports medicine specialist can help you to find a way to continue your athletic pursuits without further damaging your knee.

When to see a doctor

Doing these knee exercises regularly can help to manage or alleviate pain, especially in the early stages of osteoarthritis. However, in some cases your osteoarthritis may need medical treatment. 
See a consultant if:

• Your knee pain is severe
• Your pain is getting worse
• You have difficulty sleeping due to pain
• Your painkillers aren’t working to relieve pain
• You have swelling around your knee or upper calf
• You have redness, bruising or discolouration around your knees

Summary

When you have knee osteoarthritis, keeping your knees moving is vital to build muscle strength, improve the flexibility of your knees and maintain your range of motion. Regular movement also helps to reduce pain and helps you stay active for longer.

For more information and to learn more exercises to help reduce your knee pain, make an appointment with one of our chartered physiotherapists.

Physiotherapists are experts in treating patients with pain and mobility issues using movements and exercises to target specific areas of the body. They may also use or recommend other techniques to help with knee pain, such as applying a knee brace, hydrotherapy, massage, or transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS).

A physiotherapist can also advise you on when to see an orthopaedic consultant, a doctor specialising in conditions affecting the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.