Strengthening Exercises for Knee Pain

One of the keys to addressing knee pain and stiffness is to improve functional strength of the muscles that control knee extension and flexion.

This video demonstrates simple variations of the basic squat that are highly effective for improving functional strength of the knees.

The idea is to begin sitting on a stable surface, and to do the following squats:

1. Basic Squat on two feet.

2. One-leg squat with contralateral leg flexed about 90 degrees at the knee and hip joints.

3. One-leg squat with contralateral leg extended out with the ankle plantar-flexed (toes pointing forward).

With all three types of squats, return to the sitting position in a controlled manner - the slower you lower your body onto your sitting surface, the greater your gains in functional strength will be. Strive to keep good posture with your arms out in front of you and your core taut. Be sure to maintain steady breathing. For squats that you find too challenging, try starting on a higher sitting surface. When you feel that you can perform these squats with ease and in a controlled manner, try them from a lower sitting surface.