4 Relief Exercises for Your Aching Knees

How to Relieve Pain in the Knee: Relief Exercises for your Aching Knees

If you've recently found yourself seeking out solutions for painful knees, it may help to know that you're not alone. Sore, aching joints are one of the most frequent problems that prevent people from engaging in regular physical activity - but a sedentary lifestyle can quickly make your issues worse, particularly if you suffer from chronic conditions like arthritis.

Knee pain can occur for a variety of reasons, and it doesn't necessarily occur as a sign of old age. Many active individuals find that they begin to suffer with pain around their knees and joints as a result of excessive strain being placed on their lower body during running or high-impact exercises. Even simply climbing the stairs to your office on a daily basis can be enough to injure your knees over time, and if you're a runner, something as small as a poorly placed foot on the track could quickly lead to injury. This list of helpful solutions and exercises for painful knees should help you to maintain an active lifestyle, despite those aching joints.

The Golden Rule

Before we get started on the various exercises for painful knees that might be helpful in your condition, there's one rule to keep in mind:

• You should never bend your knees so far that they extend past your toes, and place extra weight on the front of your feet.

Movements that exert all of the pressure towards the ball of your feet place too much pressure on the kneecap. When you're doing the following exercises for painful knees, be sure to keep your knees extended at just the right level. You could also benefit from wearing a couple of knee compression sleeves too - as this will help to ensure that your joints are fully supported through each exercise.

How to Exercise for Knee Pain

Regular exercise is vital if you want to strengthen the muscles and ligaments that support your legs and keep you stable during your average day. The more you exercise, the more your legs will be able to cope with the regular pressure that they experience, meaning that you won't suffer as often with painful knees. Low-impact exercise programs that involve swimming and walking can be a great way to start building up your endurance without forcing your body to deal with any additional discomfort.

Movements that exert all of the pressure towards the ball of your feet place too much pressure on the kneecap. When you're doing the following exercises for painful knees, be sure to keep your knees extended at just the right level. You could also benefit from wearing a couple of knee compression sleeves too - as this will help to ensure that your joints are fully supported through each exercise.

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4 Relief Exercises for Your Aching Knees

1.    Side-Lying Leg Lifts

If you're feeling confident, you can use a couple of ankle weights to add some extra challenge to this workout, but if you're nervous, start by using nothing but your own body weight. Lie on your right side, keeping your legs tight together and stretched out straight. Bring your right arm up to support your head, and gently left your left leg upwards as high as possible, then lower. Switch sides and start again with your other leg.

2.    Inner-thigh Leg Lifts

Again, you can use ankle weights here, but you'll be better off attaching them just above the knee, rather than below the shins. Lie on your right side, leaning backwards slightly so some of your weight rests on your backside. Bend your left leg, and place it behind your right leg, with your right leg straight and your left foot flat on the floor. Lift your leg around three to five inches, then lower, and repeat the movements with your left leg.

3.    Calf Raises

Find a sturdy chair, table, or wall that you can use to keep yourself balanced, and stand with your feet situated about a hip-distance apart. Point your toes straight ahead, towards the wall, and lift your heels slowly away from the floor as though you're training to be a ballet dancer. Try to push yourself as high onto your toes as possible, then lower the position and slowly lower yourself back down.

4.    Hamstring Stretch

Lay flat on your back, with your right leg stretched out on the floor, then loop a rope, towel, or belt around your left foot, and pull your leg towards your chest as far as you feel is comfortable. Make sure that you keep your knee slightly bent during the motion, and your back tight against the floor. Hold the position for between ten and thirty seconds, then carefully release. Repeat the motion four times with each leg.

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3 Simple Knee Strengthening Exercises at Home

Now we have discussed the exercises for knee pain relief, we need to go over how you can strengthen your knees to prevent any further damage to your kneecap. The stronger your knees are, and the more you expand their range of motion, the less likely you are to suffer from injuries in the future.

These workouts for stronger knee joints are best done with knee compression gear and while using a thick exercise mat,  after you've taken the time to warm up the muscles in your lower body. Remember to talk through any exercise you plan on doing with your doctor before starting a new routine.

1. The Stairs and Stretch

Running is rarely a good idea for someone with knee issues, but it does provide a great source of cardio. If you're looking for a way to build your heart rate without injuring your already aching joints, workouts for stronger knee joints that use a stair-climber should help to reduce the pressure and wear you would experience through running.

For this workout, use a stair climber to reduce stress on the joints, and a BOSU (half of an exercise ball). To use the BOSU, place one heel on the round side of the ball, with your other leg lifted a few inches, then hold the position to stretch the ligaments and cartilage around the knee.

2. The Walking Wonder

Another option when you need to swap running for workouts for stronger knee joints, is to opt for pole walking. This will give you a great heart-pumping exercise routine while still protecting your knees.

Build stability slowly by trading your machine-based strength training regimen for a solution that includes Nordic walking, hamstring curls, and wobble lunges. Remember, the walking poles will help to engage the core without hurting your knees, while the hamstring curls and lunges will build the muscles in your lower body for greater stability in the future. Just be sure that you don't push your knee any further than is comfortable.

3. The Heavy Lifter

Finally, when engaging in a strength routine that uses workouts for stronger knee joints, it's a good idea to stock up on protein and carbs - two ingredients that will help to speed up muscle repair and make you stronger over time.

For this workout, you'll need to engage in a series of squats, lunges, and leg presses with weights. Remember, when you're using heavier weights, you'll need to do fewer repetitions to avoid damaging your muscles or causing any injury from overexertion. On the other hand, if you use smaller weights, you can always build up your reps more quickly and engage in workouts more frequently too! Adding step-ups into your routine will help to boost the mobility of your knee joint, just remember not to make the box or step too high when you're first getting started. 

Find more tips on how to get healthier joints.

Other Simple Solutions for Painful Knees

1. Know how to Recover

While physical activity is important, the best solutions for painful knees typically involve knowing how to rest and recuperate after a particularly trying workout, or even just a difficult day. To help your joints recover quicker, use a knee compression sleeve to boost circulation in the muscles and ligaments that support your legs. At the same time, you might benefit from keeping your leg elevated, and using a combination of hot and cold treatments to manage inflammation.

2. Manage a Healthy Weight

Carrying even a couple of extra pounds can exert some significant extra strain on your joints, contributing to the way that you experience knee pain. If you're heavier than you should be, then losing as little as five percent of the additional fat in your system can be enough to relieve significant stress in your knees. When seeking solutions for painful knees, try talking to your doctor about developing a weight-loss plan that appeals to your needs.

3. Seek Out Additional Help

While standard knee pain may not seem like enough of a big reason to seek out expert help from your physician or health specialist, a small problem with your joints can quickly evolve into something much bigger if it's allowed to grow and worsen over time. While solutions for painful knees like over-the-counter medication and rest can be a good place to start, if your pain doesn't seem to subside, you need to be willing to seek out additional help.