Knee Strengthening Exercises for Knee Pain

Bharathorthopaedics
3 min readJun 20, 2022

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In today’s medical era, one of the most common orthopaedic conditions for people who seek medical treatment is knee pain. A pain in the knee can be felt from behind and around the knee cap, especially while performing activities like stair climbing, running, squatting, walking and carrying a heavy load.

Knee strengthening exercises for knee pain can aid you in participating in your favourite activities and performing daily tasks. Without proper treatment or without doing knee joint strengthening exercises the knee pain can linger for years.

There are a variety of factors which cause knee pain but some include knee stiffness, flat feet, improper exercise form, incorrect positioning of the knee cap at rest or with movement, and weakness of the muscles that control the knee and hip.

5 Knee Strengthening Exercises for Knee Pain

A person who has severe knee pain has to consult a physical therapist to address your knee pain and evaluate it to design an individualized comprehensive treatment program to address the specific factors to reduce your knee pain.

These knee joint strengthening exercises are proven by research to reduce pain and improve your ability to take active participation in the activities you love.

Clamshells

You have to be on your side and support your neck with a pillow or a towel roll. Bend your knees towards your chest, your back should be straight and feet should be aligned with your body. In these knee strengthening exercises for knee pain, you have to lift your top knee by keeping the feet together, toward the ceiling.

Keep your hips straight, and do not roll forward when you lift your leg. Pause briefly, then lower your knee back down slowly to the start position.

Hip Abduction

Lay on your side and bend the bottom knee to get a better balance. Support your head with a towel roll or pillow. In this knee joint strengthening exercises straighten the top knee by tightening the muscles on the thigh’s top. Flex your foot where your toes face forward, then lift your leg toward the ceiling, not higher than the line of your body. Pause it, then slowly lower your leg back down to the original position.

Bridging

Lay on your back and bend the knees keeping your feet flat. Support your head as did for the above knee strengthening exercises for knee pain. Keep your knees, hips and feet in line with each other. Lay your arms relaxed by your side, tighten the muscles of your butt and lift your hips slowly toward the ceiling. Do not pressure your knee, instead pause by slowly lowering your hips down to the start position.

Straight Leg Raise

Lay on your back and support your neck with a neck roll or pillow. Bend 1 knee up with flat feet. Keep your arms in line and straight with your shoulders. Straighten the other leg by tightening the muscles on the thigh’s top. Keeping your toes pointed upwards, lift the leg to the height of the bent knee. Pause it slowly by lowering your leg back down to the start position.

Quadruped Hydrant

Get on your hands and knees. Your belly button should be toward your spine to engage your abdominal muscles. Keeping your knee bent, lift 1 leg out to the side in this knee strengthening exercises for knee pain. Prevent rotation at your spine by keeping your hips facing down. Pause it slowly by lowering your knee back down to the start position.

Consult your health care provider before doing these exercises to determine if they are good for you. If you experience certain symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness at any time, you should stop immediately.

Note: Do all these knee joint strengthening exercises by repeating it 10 times on each leg, 3 sets per day and perform it 2–3 days per week. Make sure not to hold your breath while performing these knee strengthening exercises for knee pain. If any of the above exercises cause pain, stop it immediately, and consult your physical therapist.

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Bharathorthopaedics

Dr. L Bharath is one of the leading orthopaedic surgeons in Chennai and the founder of Bharath Orthopaedics.