Knee pain can seriously affect the quality of your life by restricting your movement. Knee pain is caused due to various reasons such as bad posture, injury, overuse, obesity, age, dislocation, not warming up or cooling before and after exercise, torn ligament, etc. In addition to medicine and rest, exercises for knee pain can speed up the healing process.
One of the best ways to develop stronger knees and ward off future injuries is to strengthen the muscles around the knees and in your legs and core. By doing knee stretches and targeted exercise for knee pain, you can enhance the strength, flexibility, and mobility of your knees.
Top 10 Knee Strengthening Exercises For Stronger Knees
1. Calf Raises
One of the must-try knee strengthening exercises at home is the calf raises. Your calf muscles are connected to the back of your knees and will strengthen both the muscles.
How To Do It:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Position yourself next to a wall or hold on to the back of a chair for support.
- Lift both your heels off the ground so that you’re standing on the balls of your feet.
- Slowly lower your heels to the starting position. One variation to try is placing your heels together and your toes outward and doing the exercise.
2. Leg Extension
Leg extensions are quad strengthening exercises that help keep pressure off your knees thus providing pain relief in your knees.
How To Do It:
- Sit on a chair with your feet hip-width apart.
- Contract your thigh muscles and extend one leg as high as possible.
- Hold, then lower to the starting position. Alternate with each leg for multiple repetitions.
3. Knee Flexion
One must regularly do stretches for knee pain. This exercise makes the hamstring muscles stronger while working on increasing the flexibility of the knees.
How To Do It:
- Stand on a 2-inch board or stepper.
- Keeping your legs flexed, bend your leg backward to a 90-degree angle.
- Hold, then lower to the starting position. Alternate with each leg.
4. Wall Squat
Quadriceps exercises are necessary to build strength in the knees. The wall squat is a variation of the regular squat and will help to greatly reduce pain.
How To Do It:
- Position yourself against a wall, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower your body, keeping your back against the wall.
- Stop and hold when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Slowly rise up and repeat.
- You can add a variation to this exercise by holding weights while doing this.
5. Lunges
Lunges work your entire leg from quads, hamstrings, calves, and thus is one the most essential knee strengthening exercises. They will help in preventing knee injury and pain.
How To Do It:
- Stand straight with your hands on your waist.
- Put your left leg forward and lower your body.
- Hold and go back to the starting position.
- Repeat with the other leg.
6. Glute Bridges
Glute bridges are important exercises for knee pain. This exercise works on your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do It:
- Lie down on your back with your knees bent, arms on the side, palms facing down.
- Lift your hips up while your feet and palms are firmly on the floor.
- Hold and go back to the starting position.
7. Leg Raises
The straight leg raise is one of the best quad strengthening exercises that you can do without hurting your knees and can help relieve pain. Leg raises are even great for belly fat reduction. Additionally, you can also practice yoga for belly fat which is great for abdominal muscles and belly fat.
How To Do It:
- Lie down on your back, arms on the side, palms facing down.
- Raise your legs while keeping them straight.
- Hold and go back to the starting position.
- In case this is difficult, bend one leg and raise one leg off the ground. Alternate the legs throughout the exercise.
8. Side Leg Raises
This exercise works on your hips and glutes while also being one of the most important knee strengthening exercises. It can help prevent and treat pain in your hips and knees.
How To Do It:
- Lie on your side with your legs on top of each other. Place your head in your hand, and place your other hand on the floor in front of you.
- Raise your top leg as high as you can.
- Hold briefly at the top, then lower your leg.
- Switch sides and repeat with the other leg.
9. Prone Leg Raises
One of the basic exercises for knee pain is the prone leg raises. They work on your hamstrings and knee muscles and help strengthen them.
How To Do It:
- Lie on your stomach with your legs straight. Let your head rest on your arms.
- Lift your leg as high as you comfortably can without causing pain and hold.
- Lower your leg, and alternate with the other leg.
10. Dynamic Quads
Quadriceps exercises help improve knee strength and mobility. They directly work on your kneecaps and help in increasing flexibility in the knees.
How To Do It:
- Sit on a chair and lift one foot up and straighten your leg.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds.
- Now, slowly flex your knee and lower your foot.
- Repeat this with your other leg.
Precautionary Tips
Here are a few points to remember while doing knee strengthening exercises at home.
- Never hurry through an exercise. Take your time while changing positions to avoid injury
- Inhale and exhale throughout the exercise routine. Do not hold your breath
- Before starting the workout, do warmups and stretches for knee pain like the hamstring and quad stretches
- If there is pain while doing a particular exercise do not do it
Knee pain is a common ailment that affects a lot of adults. Regularly doing stretching and knee strengthening exercises that target the muscles that support your knees may help ease pain, improve range of motion and flexibility, and reduce the risk of future injuries. These exercises will help you build strong knees and also speed up the healing process of a knee injury.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How other activities can help with knee pain?
A. You can do other low-impact activities like yoga, swimming, walking, cycling, and water aerobics as they put less stress on your joints than other high-impact activities. Make sure you always do a warmup and stretching routine before starting any exercise.
Q. Why is exercise necessary for knee pain?
A. Exercising a knee that’s injured may seem counterintuitive, but 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.
Q. What else can help with knee pain?
A. While finding knee pain relief depends on the cause or reason for the injury, there are certain things that can aid in relieving knee pain. Carrying excess weight can add extra pressure on your knees and could be a reason for pain. A healthy diet and exercise regimen can help assist in weight loss. Also, massages, ice, compression, and rest will further help in reducing pain.
