Knee pain is a common issue. The good news is there are several ways to treat it, including knee stretches and strengthening exercises you can do on your own.
If your knee pain is due to an injury, surgery, or arthritis, gentle stretching and strengthening exercises may help ease the pain while also improving your flexibility and range of motion.
Exercising a knee that’s injured or arthritic may seem counterintuitive, but in fact, exercise is better for your knee than keeping it still. Not moving your knee can cause it to stiffen, and this may worsen the pain and make it harder to go about your daily activities.
Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises can strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint. Having stronger muscles can reduce the impact and stress on your knee, and help your knee joint move more easily.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, performing lower body stretching exercises may help improve the range of motion and flexibility in your knee joint. This can make it easier to move your knee.
Before you start stretching, it’s important to spend at least 5 to 10 minutes warming up. Low-impact activities like cycling on a stationary bike, walking, or using an elliptical machine are good warmup options.
1. Heel and calf stretch
This stretch targets the muscles in your lower leg, specifically your calf muscles.
To do this stretch:
1. Stand facing a wall.
2. Place your hands on the wall and move one foot back as far as you can comfortably. Toes on both feet should be facing forward, heels flat, with a slight bend in your knees.
3. Lean into the stretch and hold for 30 seconds. You should feel the stretch in your back leg.
4. Change legs and repeat.
5. Do this stretch twice for both legs.
2. Quadriceps stretch
This stretch specifically targets your quadriceps, the muscles at the front of your thighs. Performing this move can help improve the flexibility in your hip flexors and quadricep muscles.
To do this stretch:
1. Stand next to a wall or use a chair for support. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend one knee so your foot goes up toward your glutes.
3. Grab your ankle and gently pull it toward your glutes as far as you can comfortably.
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Return to the starting position and change legs.
6. Repeat 2 times on each side.
3. Hamstring stretch
This stretch targets your hamstrings, the muscles in the back of your thigh.
You should feel this stretch in the back of your leg and up to the base of your glutes. If you flex your foot, you may also feel the stretch in your calves.
To do this stretch:
1. For this stretch, you can use a mat to add cushioning under your back.
2. Lie down on the floor or mat and straighten both legs. Or, if it’s more comfortable, you can bend both knees with your feet flat on the floor.
3. Lift one leg off the floor.
4. Place your hands behind your thigh, but below the knee, and gently pull your knee toward your chest until you feel a slight stretch. This shouldn’t be painful.
5. Hold for 30 seconds.
6. Lower and change leg.
4. Half squat
Half squats are an excellent way to strengthen your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings without straining your knees.
To do this exercise:
1. Get into a standing squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your hips or out in front of you for balance.
2. Looking straight ahead, slowly squat down about 10 inches. This is the halfway point to a full squat.
3. Pause for a few seconds, then stand up by pushing through your heels.
4. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
5. Calf raises
This exercise strengthens the back of your lower legs, which includes your calf muscles.
To do this exercise:
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Position yourself next to a wall or hold on to the back of a chair for support.
2. Lift both your heels off the ground so that you’re standing on the balls of your feet.
3. Slowly lower your heels to the starting position. Control is important with this exercise for strengthening your calf muscles.
4. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
6. Hamstring curl
The standing hamstring curl targets your hamstrings and glutes. It also requires good core strength to keep your upper body and hips steady.
To do this exercise:
1. Stand facing a wall or use a chair for support. Your feet should be hip-width apart.
2. Lift one foot up, bend your knee, and raise your heel toward the ceiling. Go as far as you can, while keeping your upper body still and hips pointing forward.
3. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
4. Relax and lower to the starting position.
5. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each leg.
7. Leg extensions
Using your own body weight, rather than a weighted machine, to strengthen your quadriceps helps keep added pressure off your knees.
To do this exercise:
1. Sit up tall in a chair.
2. Put your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
3. Look straight ahead, contract your thigh muscles, and extend one leg as high as possible without raising your buttocks off the chair.
4. Pause, then lower to the starting position.
5. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each leg.
If you are also having Knee pain, try these exercises torelieve knee pain and see the results by yourself.