5 Easy Exercises to help reduce knee pain.

Knee Osteoarthritis (Knee OA) is one of the most common types of arthritis, affecting nearly one in two adults aged over 40. Best known as knee ‘wear and tear’, knee OA involves the cartilage in the knee joint breaking down, leading to the bones in the knee grinding against each other causing pain, swelling and stiffness. Over time the knee can lose strength and pain can become chronic. There are several risk factors in developing knee OA including excess weight, age, previous knee injuries and a family history of arthritis.

Even though exercise may seem counterintuitive when you’re in pain, there is excellent evidence to suggest that doing simple exercises to improve muscle strength and control of the knee joint can largely help to improve knee pain. Regular exercise can actually lessen and even relieve arthritic pain by reducing joint stiffness and swelling. The great thing is that exercise doesn’t have to be hard to be beneficial in reducing knee pain. In fact, gentle low-impact exercises are better for knee OA than high-impact exercises as they reduce stress placed on the joint. Let’s run through 5 easy exercises to help reduce knee pain – without needing to take pain relief medication!

01. Knee extension

In sitting, slowly straighten your problem knee so the muscles in your thigh contract. Hold this contraction for 5-10 seconds as tolerated, then slowly bend the knee and lower the foot to the floor. This exercise will help to build quadriceps strength which gives support to the knee

02. Sit to Stand

Slowly rise from sitting in a chair to standing, squeezing your buttock and thigh muscles as you rise. Repeat this 5-10 times as tolerated. This exercise will help to strengthen your gluteal muscles which give further support to the knees. The repetitive movement also helps to lubricate the joint, thereby reducing stiffness

03. Heel Raises

In standing slowly rise up onto your tip toes then back down to the soles of your feet. Repeat this 5-10 times as tolerated. You should feel this working in your calf muscles. Adequate calf strength helps you to ‘push off’ through your toes when walking, thereby normalizing your walking pattern. This is important in knee OA as people in pain tend to walk with an altered gait pattern.

04. Quadriceps stretch

Stand with your feet hip width apart and bend your problem knee, holding the top of your foot and bringing your heel towards your buttock. Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds as tolerated, stretching down the front of your thigh. The stretch should feel gentle not painful. If it’s painful drop your foot back down. Stretching the quadriceps muscles can help to ease tension in the knee joint and improve range of motion.

05. Walking or swimming

It’s a great idea to include aerobic exercise into your exercise regime if you suffer from knee OA. Not only does aerobic exercise like walking and swimming improve general wellbeing, both are low-impact so should be gentle on your knees. Swimming in particular is a fantastic way to exercise for knee OA as the water takes the load of the joint. A well-rounded exercise routine also helps you keep a health weight and less weight means less strain on your knees.

At Goolwa Physio we offer several excellent exercise options for clients with knee OA including The GLA:D TM Program for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis and hydrotherapy. Call 8528 7650 to inquire further.