7 exercises for knee pain
Last updated 25/04/2023 by The pain clinics - Interdisciplinary Health
7 Exercises for Knee Pain
Do you suffer from sore knees and knee pain? Here are 7 good exercises for the knees that can provide increased knee stability, less pain and better function.
- It is important to remember that knee pain is often multifactorial
Knee pain can have a variety of causes, such as Osteoarthrtitis, trauma, muscle dysfunction and such. Often there are several things at once. The irony of knee pain is that it scares us away from doing what we really should be doing, which is to stay active and exercise. Lack of use and training leads, over time, to less stability and poorer function - which in turn can lead to more pain.
The Pain Clinics: Our Interdisciplinary and Modern Clinics
Our clinic departments at Vondtklinikkene (click here for a complete overview of our clinics) has a distinctively high level of professional expertise in the investigation, treatment and rehabilitation of knee diagnoses. Contact us if you want the help of therapists with expertise in knee pain. Among other things, we can help you with rehabilitation training after knee injuries.
- Let's look at 7 exercises that can give you better knee function
In this article we have focused on exercises for knees that need more stability and better function. In doing so, we have focused on the training exercises that we believe most people will benefit most from.
1. The VMO exercise
Very important exercise that should be part of any training program against knee pain and knee problems. This is actively used in rehabilitation training after, among other things, cruciate ligament injuries and knee operations. The exercise is easy to perform, but surprisingly heavy, as it isolates the muscle called the Vastus Medialis Obliquus (VMO) – the innermost of the quadriceps muscles. Many of you who try this training exercise will probably notice that you are considerably less stable on the side where the knee pain is worst.
Lie on your back on an exercise mat. The exercise can also be performed sitting on the floor. Rotate the foot outwards as shown in the picture (2) and then raise the foot towards the ceiling - you should feel that it touches the upper inside of the knee and thigh. Feel free to comment in this article on which leg you were weakest in - and whether it surprised you.
The exercise is repeated with 8-10 repetitions over 3-4 sets. We recommend that the exercises are done every other day for those who are not used to training, and otherwise according to the "3 days on, 1 day off principle" for those who are used to training.
2. Side outcome with elastic rubber band
This exercise is excellent training for the seat muscles, which plays a very important role in hip stabilization, and thus, knee stability. Find a training band (usually adapted for this type of exercise) that can be tied around both ankles as in a large circle.
Then stand with your feet in shoulder width so that there is a gentle resistance from the strap to your ankles. The knees should be slightly bent and the seat should be slightly backwards in a sort of mid-squat position.
Then take a step to the right with your right foot and leave your left leg standing - make sure you keep your knee steady - and then return to the starting position. Repeat 10-15 repetitions, on both sides, above 2-3 sets.
Video: Side outcome w / elastic
Relief and load management for knee pain
It is not always that the timing is right for exercises and training. In the case of more significant aches and pains, you should have a period where you focus more on relief and rest. Always listen to the pain signals and what they are trying to tell you. Here, in such cases, our clinicians often recommend the use of knee compression support to both provide improved stability, but at the same time also provide more blood circulation towards the painful area. If you suffer a lot from swelling in your knees, daily use of reusable cold pack help calm them down.
Tips: Knee compression support (The link opens in a new window)
Click on the image or link to read more about the knee compression support and how it can help your knee.
3. The bridge / Seat lift
It is quickly made to forget how important the seat muscles are for both hip and knee stability. Strong gluteal muscles reduce the pressure and strain on the knees.
The bridge is done by lying on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat on the ground, with your arms resting along the side. Your back should be in a neutral curve. Feel free to warm up the seat by performing some light exercises - where you simply tighten the seat muscles, hold it for about 5 seconds and release again. This is an activation exercise that tells the muscles that you plan to use it soon - which in turn can lead to more proper use during exercise, and reduce the chance of muscle damage. When you're ready, do the exercise by pulling the seat muscles together, before lifting the pelvis and hip up against the ceiling. Make sure you perform the exercise by pressing through the heels. Raise the pelvis to the back is in a neutral position, not over-curved, and then slowly lower back to the starting position. The exercise is performed 8-15 repetitions, about 2-3 sets.
4. One-leg hoarding exercise in pulley apparatus
If exercises such as ground lifting put too much strain on your knees, then this exercise can be a good substitute. With this exercise you can train individual knees which can be very useful if there are muscular imbalances and the like.
Pull out a gym mat and place it in front of the pulley machine (the large varied exercise machine). Then attach an ankle brace to the lowest pulley hook and fasten it around your ankle. Then choose a fairly low weight resistance. Turn around so that you are lying on your stomach, and then lift your heel up towards the seat - you should feel that it pulls a little in the back of the thigh and the seat. The exercise should be performed with a calm, controlled movement (no jerks and nips). Repeat 10-15 repetitions over 2-3 sets.
5. Oyster exercise (Scallops)
A very good exercise for more proper use of the seat muscles, especially the gluteus medius. You will feel that it 'burns' a bit in the seat after only a few repetitions - suggesting that you are, most likely, undermining this important part of the supporting muscle.
Lie on the side in fetal position - with the hips in 90 degree bend and with the knees on top of each other. Let your lower arm act as a support under your head and allow your upper arm to rest on your body or floor. Lift the upper knee from the lower knee while keeping the heels in contact with each other - a bit like an oyster that opens, hence the name. Focus on contracting the seat muscles as you perform the exercise. Repeat the exercise above 10-15 repetitions over 2-3 sets.
Video - Oyster Exercise w / elastic:
6. Wall semi-squat with ball
Semi-squats with a ball can be a great way to train your quadriceps and other relevant muscles. By semi we mean incomplete squats - an adapted variant. To perform the exercise you need a ball that is about half the size of a football - it is important that the ball is soft enough to give in when you press it, but at the same time that it is hard enough to challenge the medial thigh muscles dine.
Place the ball between your legs, just above your knees. Stand with your back against the wall and slide down until your legs are at about a 90 degree angle - less if you feel this is getting too much for your knees. As you lower yourself along the wall, press your thighs together around the ball to activate the inside of your thighs and quadriceps. Then return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise in 8-12 repetitions, about 2-3 sets.
7. "Monster walks" with elastic
"Monster walks" are a brilliant exercise for the knees, hips and pelvis. It combines what we have learned, and used, in the previous 5 exercises in a good way. After only a short time with this exercise, you will feel that it burns deep in the seat.
Find a training jersey (preferably adapted for this type of exercise - we use these mini tapes) which can be fastened around both ankles as in a large circle. Then stand with your feet shoulder-width apart so that there is good resistance from the band against your ankles. Then you should walk, while working to keep your legs shoulder-width apart, a bit like Frankenstein or a mummy – hence the name. The exercise is performed for 30-60 seconds over 2-3 sets.
NEXT PAGE: - Knee pain? You should know this!
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