How to Exercise for Less Knee Pain

Exercise ranks as one of the most powerful therapies for relieving knee pain. No matter what causes your knee pain, you need exercise to promote healing and keep pain away.

But getting the right exercise is essential. The type, intensity, and frequency of your exercise regimen can improve or contribute to your knee pain.

As specialists in physical rehabilitation, our specialists at iMed Regeneration Center create individualized plans that work for your knee.

If you have questions about knee pain or need help with a customized exercise plan, call our office today. Meanwhile, this blog gives you a few tips to follow when exercising to relieve your knee pain.

Role of exercise in knee pain

Exercise is so important for easing knee pain that it's the first line of treatment for injuries, for degenerative diseases like arthritis, and for recovery from surgery. Moving your knee joint boosts circulation, reduces swelling, and supports your body's natural healing process.

Beyond healing activities, knee exercises reduce your pain by: 

• Strengthening the supporting muscles
• Restoring and maintaining the knee's range of motion
• Reducing the stress on your knee

The quadriceps and hamstring muscles absorb shock, reducing the load that reaches your knee. When these muscles are strong, your knee sustains less stress and your pain diminishes.

The muscles close to your joint aren't the only ones you need to strengthen. Your hip muscles control the position of your knees when you're active. Weakness or tightness in any of these muscles adds to the strain on your knees.

Exercise tips to reduce knee pain

Your exercise regimen should never add too much stress or be so intense that it triggers inflammation or makes your injury worse. Here are six tips to help you gain the benefits of exercise while protecting your knees:

Consult a physical rehabilitation specialist

You should always get clearance from your doctor or physical rehabilitation specialist before you begin exercising. Our team fully evaluates your knee and develops a plan that works for the cause of your pain, promotes healing, and progresses at a pace that doesn't cause excessive strain.

Depending on the cause of your knee pain, you may need to begin with passive exercises. With passive exercise, a therapist or machine moves your knee, restoring joint movement and muscle flexibility without adding stress to healing tissues.

Never ignore pain

You may have some discomfort while you exercise but you should never have serious pain. If you hurt, stop exercising, rest, and contact us so we can reevaluate your regimen.

You may feel a little stiff the next day, but if you feel too sore or have a hard time moving the next day, it's a sign that you overexercised.

Start with low-impact exercises

Walking, swimming, water exercises, and stationary or recumbent cycling avoid the stress of high-impact exercises that pound your knees. Walking also strengthens your muscles and bones because it's a weight-bearing exercise.

Watch out for excessive knee bending

Don't do full squats and leg presses unless approved by your rehabilitation therapist. Bending your knees beyond a right angle adds too much pressure and strain to a healing or painful joint.

Don't forget to stretch

Flexible tissues make it easier and less painful to move your knee joint. Target all the supporting muscles and the joint with stretching exercises that improve flexibility.

Avoid hard surfaces

Whenever possible, avoid walking or running on concrete or asphalt because they don't absorb shock. Dirt and crushed gravel reduce the pressure on your knee. 

Grass is also a soft, shock-absorbing surface but it can cause unusual stress and strain your joint if it has an uneven surface. Well-groomed sports fields and golf courses are good options.

When you need to recover from knee pain, our team at iMed Regeneration Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, can help. Call our office or book an appointment online today.