Having trouble with your knee while you are walking or standing up? Looking for some exercises to relieve your knee pain? You’re on the right page; we are going to teach you how to reduce your knee pain by simply doing certain knee pain exercises.
Well, knee pain is not a rare physical condition and most people experience it throughout their lives, especially after their 30s. The knee joint is one of the most important joints in your body and carries the bulk of your upper body weight. So, it is crucial to take care of your knees and keep them healthy and strong.
Why does my knee hurt?
It is quite hard to determine the exact reason why your knee hurts. Sometimes, it’s your overweight and your inactivity. Sometimes, the pain appears as you age or as a result of not properly treated injuries.
An unhealthy diet can also be the reason behind your knee pain. Also, all things may seem to be right and it may be just your body type – and poor posture – that causes you the discomfort.
All these causes have something in common; they make your knee muscles and tendons weak. This weakness might lead to knee bursitis – when small fluid sacs in knee joint get irritated.
Bursitis often happens after a sudden, serious injury and luckily, they are not unmanageable. They might limit your movement for a while, but you can treat them.
What if you have severe pain?
If you feel sharper and more intense knee pain, you need to consult your doctor first. This pain might be due to cartilage wear, dislocated kneecap, or osteoarthritis. So, it may need serious attention and treatment like undergoing knee replacement surgery.
How to relieve knee joint pain?
To stop this pain, you can rely on specialist treatments as well as certain exercises and home remedies for knee pain. To have a stronger knee, you have to work on your muscles attached to your knee, which are calves, quads, glutes, and hamstrings. You can strengthen these areas by practicing a few easy knee pain exercises.
We know that you may have doubts about moving your painful knee or you may be afraid of making the situation worse; but remember, you cannot ignore the pain as it can turn into a serious problem. So, we ask you to get ready to say goodbye to your knee pain and start with the following exercises.
Top 4 knee pain exercises
It is important to do knee stretches and exercises right. Before starting anything, you have to warm up. Otherwise, you may increase the pain because of skipping a 10-minutes warm-up. Also, you should cool your body down after the workout.
Warm-up
To warm up your body, you can use a stationary bike, take a brisk walk, and do calf raises, wall push-ups, and pumping arms. You should feel your heart pumping while doing these cardio workouts.
First: bridging
- Lie down on the ground or a mat and relax, place a little pillow under your neck to prevent any irritation
- Bend your knees to the point your feet are flat
- Try to keep your hips, knees, and feet inline
- Put your arms along your body and keep them relaxed
- Tighten your buttock muscles and slowly lift your hip up
- Continue to lift your hips as high as you can, but make sure you don’t feel any pain and pressure
- Pause for a second
- Slowly lower your hip to the starting place
Bridging is one of the most beneficial exercises for knee pain.
Repetition:
Do this exercise for 3 days per week, 3 sets, and 10 repetitions in each set.
Benefit:
Bridging strengthens the back and front muscles of thighs (hamstrings) and glutes and it enhances core stability as well.
Second: lying down hamstring stretch
- Lie down on the ground or a mat and bend your legs
- While it’s still bending, slowly lift one of your legs and bring your knee close to your chest
- Put your hands behind your thigh (not your knee) and pull your leg straight up
- Continue to straighten your leg until you feel the stretch in your hamstring
- Hold your leg for about 30-60 seconds
- Slowly bend your knee, lower your leg, and put them back to the floor
- Do the same for the other leg
A helpful strech you can do at home to ease your knee pain.
Repetition:
Do this exercise for 3 days per week, one stretch for each leg.
Benefit:
As the name indicates, this move is mainly useful for strengthening the hamstring muscles.
Third: calf stretch
- Stand in front of a wall
- Stretch one of your legs back and move the other forward in a slightly bent position
- Put your hands on the wall and push
- Try to keep your back leg straight and plant your heel on the floor
- Hold on for 30-60 seconds
- Do the same with the other leg
Push the pain away by doing wall push-ups and strengthening your calf!
Repetition:
Do this exercise for 3 days per week, one stretch for each leg.
Benefit:
This stretch makes your calves stronger, prevents knee injuries, and improves flexibility.
Fourth: half-squat
- Stand up with your feet shoulder width apart
- Stretch your arms out in front of your body
- Bend your knees until you reach a half-sitting position
- You can use an object like a chair to balance yourself
- Try to keep your chest lifted and your back straight
- Wait for 5 seconds and then stand up again
Doing half-squat at home will boost your leg’s strength and will reduce knee pain.
Repetition:
Do this exercise for 3 days per week, 3-10 sets, and 10 repetitions in each set.
Benefit:
This exercise fortifies the back and front muscles of thighs (hamstrings) and glutes.
Note: you should not feel any pain while doing half-squats; if you do, stop doing this move.
Other helpful exercises
There are also many other exercises for knee pain. Wall squats, step-ups, side-leg raises, leg presses, and figure four stretch are some of them. The good news is that you can do most of these workouts at home and without any equipment.
The most important thing here is to be gentle with your body during exercising and be patient. You will gradually see the amazing impacts of these movements after several sessions.
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