How to Strengthen Knees
The knee is the largest joint in the body that connects the shin and thigh bones. The knee has cartilage, muscles, ligaments, and nerves that all play a role in the health and movement of the joint. In some cases, knee pain and weakness can occur. Healthcare providers may recommend stretches and exercises to help with knee pain while strengthening the muscles around the joint.
While people of all ages can get knee pain, it’s typically found in those with arthritis or athletes. This article includes stretches and exercises to help with knee pain and provide more support.
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Benefits of Knee Strengthening Exercises
Doing knee strengthening exercises can significantly improve the health of the joint. There are many benefits associated with exercises that specifically target this area, including:
Prevention of cartilage degeneration (loss of protective tissue between joints)
Lowering inflammation in the knee
Preventing the loss of bone
Improving pain, stiffness, and joint dysfunction
Improving the strength of the knee
Improving mobility
Should You Do Knee Exercises If You Don’t Have Weakness or Pain?
Taking care of your knees at any age and health condition is essential. Even if you are in peak health, doing knee exercises can help prevent issues down the line.
Leg Lifts
Leg lifts are done by lying on your back with one leg bent and the other wholly extended. To perform the exercise, you will:
Raise the leg that is extended, keeping it straight
Once your leg is elevated roughly one foot off the floor, hold for three to five seconds
Lay it back down to rest
You can repeat these exercises 20 times for each leg.
What Not to Do
When doing the single-leg lift, there are certain things you want to avoid as they can lead to other issues within the body. Avoid:
Arching your back
Flexing your neck
Moving too quickly through the motion using momentum instead of your muscles
Where You Should Feel Leg Lifts Most
To know you’re performing the exercise correctly, you must pay attention to where you feel it most. You will want to feel it in the front of your thigh for leg lifts.
Learn More: Straight Leg Raising Exercise Progression After Knee Surgery
Standing Hamstring Curls
You will need a chair with a high back to hold onto for balance to perform standing hamstring curls. With your hands on the back of the chair, plant all your weight onto one leg.
Lift the other leg off the ground, bringing your heel towards your buttocks, and hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat on both sides 20 times.
What Not to Do
To avoid further injuring your knees while doing this exercise, your knee on the supporting leg should not be locked but slightly bent.
Also, you want to avoid bringing your foot up too high. If you’ve reached a 90-degree angle, that is as far as you should go.
Where You Should Feel Standing Hamstring Curls Most
You should feel hamstring curls at the back of your thigh.
Hamstring Curls on a Weight Bench
If you have a weight bench available, doing hamstring curls on it can be a great help when trying to strengthen your knee. To perform this stretch, you will sit up straight on the bench with one leg straight out and the other planted on the floor next to the bench.
With your knee straight, hinge over from your hips, keeping a straight and neutral spine, slowly pushing your chest towards the leg that is straight out on the bench. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. This exercise helps with overall strength, stamina, and balance.
What Not to Do
During the hamstring stretch, you want to avoid curving your spine to get closer to your thigh. It differs from how far you can bend down but how deep of a stretch you get.
If you are not yet flexible enough to go all the way down, bend until you are comfortable but can still feel a good amount of stretch in the hamstring. Over time, your flexibility will improve.
Where You Should Feel Hamstring Curls on a Bench Most
This stretch has the muscle it targets in its name, and you should feel it most in your hamstrings.
Step Exercises
Step exercises, also known as step-ups, involve using a platform at least 6 inches high. To perform the exercise, you will put one foot onto the platform and use that leg to lift your other foot off the floor.
Hold the position with your foot hanging loosely for 3 to 5 seconds, then set the foot back on the floor. You can repeat each motion 20 times on each leg.
Related: 11 Quad-Focused Exercises for Strength and Muscle Building
What Not to Do
As with most knee exercises, you should avoid locking the knees when you step up on the platform. Locking your knees ends up switching off the muscles you’re trying to strengthen.
Where You Should Feel Step Exercises Most
Step exercises work in various areas of the leg. Your thigh, hip, and buttocks should be where you feel this exercise most.
Single Leg Dip
For a single-leg dip, you will need two chairs with high backs to hold onto for balance. To perform the exercise, place one chair to your right and one to your left with the backs facing you, placing a hand on each chair.
When you feel stable, lift one leg about 1 foot off the ground in front of your body, planting all your weight on the heel of your opposite foot.
Once in place, hold for 3 to 5 seconds before moving the leg back down onto the ground. You can repeat this movement 20 times on both legs.
What Not to Do
When performing this exercise, paying attention to your supporting leg is essential. It should be straight but not locked, and the knee in your supporting leg should not move past the toes of the supporting foot.
Where You Should Feel Single Leg Dip Exercises Most
The front and back of your thighs, along with your hip and buttocks, should feel the most resistance when performing this exercise.
Wall Squats
Wall squats allow you to perform a squat motion but provide you with support against the wall.
To perform a wall squat, you will stand straight against the wall, with your back, head, and hips touching it. With both feet, step two feet forward away from the wall, keeping your feet hip-width apart.
Once there, you can slowly slide down the wall into the squat position. It will feel as if you’re sitting up against the wall. Hold the position for 5 to 10 seconds and then straighten against the wall. Repeat 20 times.
What Not to Do
You want to avoid sliding down the wall too far during a wall squat. Your hips should be aligned with your knees or higher.
Your knees should also not move forward over your toes when squatting.
Where You Should Feel Wall Squats Most
The front of your thighs will be where you should feel wall squats most if done correctly.
Learn More: Exercises to Keep Your Knees Healthy
Post-Exercise Stretching
Post-exercise stretching is a vital piece of the physical activity puzzle. When you stretch after you exercise, you:
Reduce post-exercise soreness
Improve recovery times
Increase range of motion in the knee
Stretching every time you finish the exercises mentioned above can help improve how quickly and effectively you strengthen your knees.
The best post-exercise stretches for knee pain and weakness include:
Quadricep Stretch
The quadriceps stretch targets your quad muscles, which are located in your thighs. To perform this stretch, you will:
Stand with your feet planted flat on the floor, spaced at the same width as your shoulders
Bending your left knee, grab the foot with your left hand and pull your heel toward your buttocks
Hold for 5 to 10 seconds and repeat on both sides
What to Avoid During a Quadriceps Stretch
Do not pull your heel too far into your buttocks if you can feel a deep stretch before then. You want to improve your flexibility and knee strength, but pushing it too far can lead to injury.
Toe Touches
Toe touches will help stretch calve muscles and hamstrings. To perform this stretch, you will:
Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you
Bend your body over your legs at your hips, reaching for your toes in front of you while keeping a straight back
Relax your shoulders and keep them away from your ears
Once you are touching your toes, hold the stretch for 15 seconds
What If I Can’t Reach My Toes?
If you cannot yet touch your toes in this stretch, you can do the same steps, reaching out as far as you comfortably can. Over time, repeating this stretch will improve your flexibility, and you will eventually be able to touch your toes.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
To perform this stretch, you will:
Extend one leg in front of you and place your heel on the floor with your toes pointed up toward the ceiling
With a straight spine, bend at the hips over your extended foot, bringing your chest to your thigh
Hold for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat as necessary
What to Avoid During a Standing Hamstring Stretch
To ensure you’re doing this stretch properly, keep your standing leg (the leg not being stretched) straight with a slight bend in the knee. Locking the knee should be avoided. If you feel pain in your back while doing this, let off the stretch somewhat. Also, remember to keep your back straight as you fold forward from the hip.
Learn More: Why Is Flexibility Important?
Summary
Knee stretches and exercises are great for people with sore knees but can also be done if you do not struggle with knee pain or stiffness. If you have pain, inflammation, or a health disorder that affects the strength of the knees, you'll likely be given these types of exercises by a healthcare provider.
Consistently performing these exercises is proven to help improve knee strength and the symptoms that go along with weakened knees. If you have knee pain and are unsure if the exercises are right for you, speak to a healthcare provider before you adopt a new routine.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
