Knee pain is one the most common injuries or types of pain across all ages. If you’re physically active, there is a high chance you have injured your knee before, or at least experienced some knee pain. I’ve already written an article about how we can cure and prevent knee pain. Here, I’ll give some some simple exercises that can strengthen our knees, which also can help prevent knee pain.

When we get older, our injuries from before continue to be a problem. In fact, roughly 20% of both men and women over the age of 60 report knee pain, although there are many more who do not do anything about it.

Therefore, it is important to strengthen our knees both to prevent injury and ensure that our knees do not continue to face problems as we grow older. Some of these exercises also strengthen your hamstrings and quadriceps, which can help you better support your knees.

These exercises are also great if you’re looking for an alternative lower-body toning exercise if you currently have knee pain.

Exercises for Knee Pain

#1 Hamstring curls

You can do hamstring curls both reclined or standing. The bending and straightening movement helps strengthen your knees. This is a great low impact exercise that tones the back of your thighs.

If you are standing, lightly grip onto a chair or bar with your toes pointed towards the chair. Slowly raise one leg up with your toes pointed straight, and bend your leg towards your glute. Slowly straighten your leg out and repeat. If you are reclined, do the same movement but lying flat on your stomach.

There are many ways to do hamstring curls, check out some ways with pictures here.

#2 One-legged leg raises

Lying flat on your stomach, lift one leg to hover on your mat, pause for a few seconds then release. Aim to repeat this movement 10 times for each leg. This move also strengthens the hamstrings.

#3 Knee marches

This a simple exercise to strengthen your knees. Sitting on a chair slowly lift one leg so it hovers above the chair. Pause for a few seconds then release. Aim to repeat this movement 20 times for each leg. These is a great low impact exercise which can really strengthen your knees.

#4 Clams

Lie on your side and bring your knees at a 45 degree angle. Keeping your toes together, lift your top knee, aiming to make your knee point at the ceiling, then bring it back down.

#5 Calf Raises

Holding a chair for balance and with your feet close together, lift your heels of the ground and bring it back to the ground again. Repeat this 20 times. This helps strengthen your calf muscles, so that your legs are strong enough to support your knees as well.

#6 Bridge

Lie on your back with your knees facing the ceiling. Bring your palms faced down on the mat, beside your body and lift your hips up, pause, and then lower it back down again. Repeat this movement 10 times.

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