Exercises for Knee Pain Relief: Most people do not prioritise knee strengthening exercises when they visit the gym or in their at-home workout routine. While it is important to maintain stronger and healthier knees to go along in your active life, many struggle to understand it is not necessarily correct that only an avid marathon runner or an elite athlete needs to do flexibility exercises for knees. Your knees play a vital role in many day-to-day activities, whether you’re simply climbing or descending stairs, walking your dog outside, or even running to catch your bus. Experts have quoted several times that it is important to make sure that our knees and the muscles that surround us are in optimal condition.
To address this issue, we tapped the expert physiotherapists at Granimals. In this blog, you will learn about the top 10 exercises recommended by experts to improve knee health.
Top 10 Exercises to Improve Knee Health
Before we jump to the exercise, it is crucial to remember that consulting an expert before you start a new exercise program is important, especially if you have any pre-existing knee condition. Here are the top 10 exercises you can incorporate into your routine for healthier knees:
1- Straight Leg Raises
This exercise targets the quadriceps without bending the knees, making it ideal for those with knee pain and for individuals in post-surgery recovery.
Steps for Straight Leg Raises
- Lie horizontally on your back, with one leg straight and the other bent.
- Slowly raise one leg straight upward, pointing to the ceiling. Keep your knees extended.
- Hold this position for 3-5 seconds and gradually bring your leg down.
- Repeat this process, corresponding between legs, 10-15 times.
2- Quadricep Sets
Quadricep sets are a perfect example of rehabilitation exercises for knees, they help improve and strengthen the quadricep muscles without putting excessive stress on the knee joint.
Steps for Quadricep Sets
- Extend your legs and sit on a flat surface or floor.
- Press your knees down towards the floor as you tighten the thigh muscles.
- Hold this position for 8-10 seconds.
- Repeat the set 10-15 times.
3- Hamstring Curls
Important for knee flexion, hamstring curls strengthen the knee joint and enhance the overall knee stability.
Steps for Hamstring Curls
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart taking support of a chair or a wall.
- Bend one knee and bring your heels towards the buttocks.
- Hold this position for 2-3 seconds and gradually bring your legs down.
- Repeat 10-12 times with different legs.
4- Calf Raises
Stronger calves mean stronger knees. Calf raises strengthen the calf muscles, enhancing the stability in your knees as well.
Steps of Calf Raises
- Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Take the support of a wall or a chair.
- Lift your heels and stand on your toes.
- Maintain this position for 2-3 seconds, gradually bringing your heels down.
5- Wall Sits
Without putting excessive stress on your knees, wall sits strengthen the hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes.
Steps for Wall Sits
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your back against the wall.
- Slide down the wall until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, just like you would sit on a chair.
- Hold this position for 20-30 seconds, and slowly slide up the wall.
6- Glute Bridges
Providing support to your knees and reducing the risks of injury, bridges strengthen your glutes and hamstrings.
Steps for Glute Bridges
- Lie on a flat surface or floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the surface.
- Lift your hips towards the ceiling while tightening your glutes.
- Hold the position for 3-5 seconds.
7- Clamshells
By preventing excessive inward movement of the knees, clamshells stabilise the knee joint by targeting the hip abductors.
Steps for Clamshells
- Lie sideways with your legs bent at 90 degrees of angle.
- While keeping your feet together, lift your knees upward without moving your pelvic muscles.
- Hold the position for 2-3 seconds and gradually bring your knee down.
- Repeat the exercise 10-15 times.
8- Step-Ups
Step-ups enhance the stability of the knees by mimicking real-life movements. They also strengthen the hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps.
Steps for Step-ups
- Stand in front of a step or a platform that is higher than the ground level but not too high.
- Step up with one foot at one time.
- Bring down one step at a time.
9- Lateral Band Walks
Maintaining the knee alignment and stability, lateral band walks strengthen the glutes and the hip abductors.
Steps for Lateral Band Walk
- Put a resistance band around your legs, just above the knees. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly.
- Maintain the tension on the band and walk towards one side, slowly.
- Repeat 10-15 times and return to the original starting point.
10- Foam Rolling
Foam rolling is considered great for releasing tension around the knee muscles and improving the flexibility of the knees.
Steps for Foam Rolling
- Sit on the floor and position a foam roller under your thigh.
- Slow move forward as the roller moves along the tight areas.
- Repeat 2-3 times on each leg.
Other Activities to Consider for Improving Knee Health
Activities ranging from swimming, cycling, etc. can also help improve knee health. Here’s a detailed overview of such activities:
- Swimming: It is an excellent low-impact activity to maintain your overall health. While being gentle on the body, swimming while including backstrokes, front crawls, or even pool walks can give great results to improve your knee health.
- Cycling: Excellent for beginners, it is a great exercise to manage knee pain. You can adjust the resistance as per your liking to get the desired results.
- Gentle Stretching: Focused stretching for your knees, glutes and hamstrings can help improve your knee’s flexibility and range of motion. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds on both sides.
Additional Tips to Improve Knee Health
- Warm-up Properly: Always prepare your joints and muscles for physical activities by warming up properly.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight: keep your weight in check to make sure your joints are not bearing excessive weight.
- Wear Proper Footwear: good shoes provide essential support and alignment to your legs and knees.
- Stay Hydrated: To keep your joint health and functions in check, make sure you’re maintaining hydration level in your body.
Key Takeaways
By incorporating these exercises into your routine and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you can keep your knees strong and flexible, ready to take you wherever you wish to go. If you are someone who is suffering from knee pain and looking for a way to get better, look no further as Granimals is here to help. Book a consultation call with us today to fuel your knees with confidence.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1- What is best for weak knees?
A1- Rehabilitation exercises for knees and physical therapy as considered best to strengthen your knees.
Q2- What weakens the knees?
A2- Factors like inflammatory disorders, weight management, bad posture, systemic diseases, etc can contribute to knee weakness.
