Pain-free knee strengthening exercise

If you have painful knees you know the challenge of finding exercises that can strengthen them without causing additional pain. This standing exercise may sound or look at first glance like something you can’t do. Give it a try with the tips below that will help reduce the chance of pain. Since you likely have to sit and stand multiple times a day it makes sense to do a standing exercise.

A few simple strategies can help make the single leg squat both safe and comfortable for you while you gain some strength. Start by using a chair, countertop, or wall for support and observe the following tips.

• Keep your weight shifted to the heel of your weight bearing leg.
• Sit back creating the majority of your flexion at your hip .
• Don’t allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes.
• Just squat a few inches and then come back to a standing position.
• Repeat the small range of motion 15-20 times on each side.

You want to feel the work primarily in the side of the hip (the gluteus medial muscle) and also the top of your thigh (the quadriceps).  When the hips are strong they’ll help to stabilize the knee joint.