Knee pain is a common issue that we all experience every now and then, whether you simply fell or injured it while playing sports. But even though it’s common, that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Knee pain can make it difficult to comfortably carry out everyday activities, such as climbing the stairs in your house or crouching down to tie your shoes. The good news is that there are plenty of exercises that can help.
By doing the right exercises, you can not only alleviate your knee pain, but you can also improve the overall quality of the joints and muscles to reduce the risk of future issues. But not all exercises are the same. There are several different types of exercises that are worth trying if you have knee pain.
5 types of exercises to try if you have knee pain
While almost all types of exercises can benefit you in one way or another, they don’t all do the same thing. When you have knee pain, it’s important to incorporate exercises that help you work toward different goals, from reduced pain to improved strength. By approaching it from different angles, you can maximize your results.
A physical therapist can guide you through safe and effective exercises to address your knee pain. They'll also help improve the overall function of the area.
Here are five types of exercises that may benefit someone with knee pain:
Walking — It’s important that you don’t put excessive stress on your knee as it’s trying to heal. That’s why low-impact exercises are always recommended. The most accessible type of low-impact exercise is walking. It can boost the circulation of synovial fluid, which helps to lubricate your knee joints for increased mobility and function. Walking also increases blood flow to reduce inflammation that may be contributing to your knee pain.
Yoga — Practicing yoga is beneficial for physical and mental health. Like walking, yoga is a low-impact exercise that can still help your knee pain. It works to improve your alignment for improved stability. Yoga poses can also improve the muscles surrounding your knee while stretching them out to boost the joint’s range of motion.
Strengthening exercises — When it comes to addressing current knee pain and reducing the risk of it recurring in the future, it’s important that you focus on strengthening the muscles surrounding your knee. Your muscles work to support your knee joint while reducing the pressure that’s placed on it. A physical therapist will guide you through safe and effective knee strengthening exercises, such as half squats and calf raises.
Stretches — Stretching is important to improve the joint’s range of motion, which is often impacted by any cause of pain. Stretching the muscles around your knee can boost their flexibility, allowing for increased mobility and function. Stretching and strengthening your muscles also go hand in hand, with many stretches helping your knee strength. Stretches that can help knee pain can include straight-leg raises and standing calf stretches.
Aquatic exercises — Doing exercises in a pool can be beneficial for people who have pain in their lower extremities. Aquatic exercises can help alleviate knee pain because the buoyancy reduces the pressure on your joints to decrease the tension. The water also boosts circulation to help alleviate inflammation. It’s a low-impact exercise that doubles as a strengthening exercise, as you have to work your muscles harder against the water’s resistance.
KC Rehab can treat your knee pain
When it comes to treating an issue like knee pain with physical therapy, the best results come when there are benefits of different exercises that work together. Instead of doing only yoga as your sole treatment, by combining it with the increased stability from strengthening exercises and boosted circulation from aquatic exercises, you can accelerate the recovery process to get back to your everyday activities.
At KC Rehab, our physical therapists have knowledge and experience in a variety of exercises that can benefit your knee pain. We’ll figure out which ones will work best for you based on the cause of your knee pain, the severity of your symptoms and your overall wellness goals. In your first appointment, we’ll evaluate your knee’s strength, flexibility and mobility. We can use that insight to design a personalized exercise program just for you.
Contact our team today for more information about exercises for knee pain or to schedule an initial appointment.
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