Three Exercises To Beat Knee Pain

Whether you are a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior or a daily walker dealing with a knee injury can be difficult. There is always a substitute, a modification, a different approach that can still get us towards our goals.

Sometimes we may have to downshift and slow it down a bit, but as long as we move forward, the speed matters not. In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the most effective exercises you can do to strengthen your muscle, promote flexibility, and reduce knee pain.

1. Wall Slides

Strengthens the quadriceps and the tissues and ligaments above your knee.

How to do them: Stand 12-18 inches from a wall and lean back until your entire back contacts the wall. Place your hands out to your sides with your palms facing the wall for support. Slowly slide down the wall until your knees reach a 30-degree angle and hold this position for 10-15 seconds; slowly return to the upright position and repeat a minimum of 5-10 times. Cautions: Do not lower your body to the point that your knees extend beyond your toes; if they do, stop and reposition your feet slightly further from the wall.

 2. Seated bent-leg raises

Strengthens the quadriceps just above the knee and the ligaments surrounding the joint.

How to do them: While seated in a chair, straighten one leg in front of you but stop just short of locking the knee. Hold the elevated leg in this position for one minute, this will also involve and strengthen your hip flexors. Now without moving your thigh, bend at the knee until your leg forms a 45-degree angle and hold this position for an additional 30 seconds. Relax and repeat with the opposite leg. Alternate until you have completed four repetitions for each leg.

3. Abductor raises

Strengthens the abductors, the muscles that move your leg away (abduct) from your center line.

How to do them: Lie on your side with your legs together, and your arm bent at the elbow and supporting your head. Bend the lower leg at the knee to support your body and while keeping it straight, lift the (top) upper leg slowly up and away from the mat. Hold at the top for 5-10 seconds, slowly lower, and repeat for 12-15 repetitions. Cautions: Don’t swing or throw the leg up; avoid using momentum. Slowly lift, hold, lower, and repeat. Once you become stronger, consider adding an ankle weight.