Exercise and Fitness
Top 4 Exercises for Knee Pain
by Jeff Richards
Knee pain is such a common problem throughout the world and for all different reasons!
The chances of feeling some type of knee pain at some point in your life are high. There are a range of different conditions which we can encounter throughout our lives which can make our knees painful. Here is a short summary of the type of common knee pain conditions that you may experience at different times in your life.
- Childhood Growing Pains – when you experience growth spurts, your growth plates near your knees can cause discomfort and pain while they are helping your bones to grow. This can cause pain in the knees, especially at a night time and during exercise.
- Tendonitis – overuse caused by excessive exercise or sudden change in activity levels can cause tendons to become painful. This can occur at any point in our lives but we may be more sensitive to it in the years passing our 30s.
- Osteoarthritis – this is the degenerative disease we accumulate as time passes. The smooth surface of the knee joint is lost and we can get uneven bone and cartilage surfaces which cause the knee to be swollen and painful.
One of the main causes of knee pain however is weakness in the lower limb that poorly supports our knee joint, reports Active Back To Health. The more weakness we have in the buttock, hamstrings and quads – the more pressure is placed on the knee. This causes pain and irritation.
The key to stopping knee pain and living a more active life, according to Tower Physio Therapy, is lower limb strengthening! Let us take you through the 4 best exercises for knee pain. These can be done regardless of experience or pain levels and you don’t need any equipment!
1. Glute Bridge – the Glute Bridge works the hamstrings and the glutes at the same time. Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor – push through your feet and lift your hips off the floor – hold at the top for 5 seconds and repeat until tired.
2. Hamstring Heel Kicks – the hamstrings help to secure your knee and anchor the knee joint in place. Simply in standing, try and kick your buttocks with your heel and hold the heel at the top of the movement for 5 seconds to get more contraction
3. Seated Knee Extension – this works the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh. This is important as your quads help you to lock your knee out and make it secure. You can add resistance bands to this or ankle weights. Simply straighten your knee and hold it in its locked position for 5 seconds while you contract your thigh muscle.
4. Partial Squats – using a raised surface like the end of a couch or pillows on your bed – perform a standing from sitting movement and repeat until you are tired – have your hands out in front of you so that you just use your leg muscles to stand. Load bearing exercises are important for knee health as it keeps the cartilage in good order. Progress to full bodyweight squats when you are comfortable.
These exercises are basic in nature but are powerful in their results and are some of Versa Movement Collectives favourites. Knee pain is about more than just your thigh muscles. Strengthening the full leg and all of its components helps your knee health. Progress these exercises in the gym with resistance training and different machines to make your knees bulletproof. Apart from these exercises try a varied amount of different exercises such as walking, cycling, swimming and yoga to give your knees as many different inputs as possible. Willow Park Physio says this will make them stronger in different ways and more resilient.
We hope this article has been helpful and you have a future filled with happy, healthy knees!
About the Author
Toronto native Jeff has always had a love for writing. He first found this love in high school when he wrote articles for his fellow peers in the school newspaper. Since then, Jeff has successfully published two books, the first of which was published shortly after receiving his master’s degree in literature. With plans to write another book, Jeff’s passion for storytelling still continues more and more every day.
2 thoughts on “Top 4 Exercises for Knee Pain”
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I do all of these exercises every-day.
I also do upper body strengthening exercises.
Over the years, I’ve taken physical therapy for various injuries, Etc. So, one day, I decided to take all the exercises I learned, and put them together in a workout routine.
Though I’m still a bit heavier than my doctor and I would like, my body strength is amazing, and my overall muscle tone is good.
Thanks for this article.