5 Easy Exercises to Prevent Knee Pain from a Personal Trainer

About 25% of adults have knee pain – a number that is rose almost 65% over the past two decades – and if you’re one of them, you know how much it can interfere with daily life. Climbing stairs, getting up, and even taking an evening walk with your pup can seem like painful tasks when your knees start to hurt. Although knee pain can develop with age, knee injuries can occur in people of all ages. As a personal trainer and strength and conditioning specialist, I see a lot of knee pain issues, even in high school athletes.

Throughout the day, the knees support the weight of the body and deal with different types of pressure, tension and stress. Doing the same daily movements can cause wear and tear on the joint and its supporting structures, Marcos Gugliottiassociate professor of physical therapy at the New York Institute of Technology, told Yahoo Life.

Because the knee is sandwiched between the hip and ankle joints, which have more mobility than the knee, if one of the joints is unstable or does not have enough mobility, the knee can suffer most of the damage due to its stable design, according to Jake Schaake, chiropractor and CrossFit coach at PALM Health in St. Louis, tells Yahoo Life. “Imbalances in the quadriceps and hamstrings can also lead to ‘pulling’ in certain parts of the knee,” he adds.

Injury, arthritis, weak hip muscles, and limited ankle mobility can all contribute to knee pain. Identifying the cause of knee pain can help prevent it, but sometimes this is easier said than done. The good news is that there are effective exercises to help prevent knee pain that work for most people.

5 exercises to prevent knee pain

Strengthening exercises can help control pain for people with knee osteoarthritis and can prevent the onset of pain. These exercises make the muscles around the knee stronger and better at handling resistance. As a result, this increases joint stability and will give you more confidence in your movements.

It’s important to use proper form to avoid injuring yourself. If you’re new to these exercises, it may help to work with a trainer or trainer to make sure you’re doing them correctly. If any new movement causes you discomfort, stop doing it or try going at a slower pace.

Wall slides

Wall slides are a quick and affordable exercise you can do anywhere that packs a lot of punch. They strengthen the main muscles that support the knee joint, improve balance and posture, and increase the knee’s range of motion without putting too much pressure on the joints.

They will also help with knee pain, injury recovery, and daily knee function. What this means? Walking, getting up from a chair and climbing stairs will become easier and less painful.

Here’s how to make a basic wall slide:

1. Stand with your back against the wall and your feet hip-width apart.

2. Raise your arms, pressing your shoulder blades against the wall. The back of your hands should touch the wall and your thumbs should be at head height. Your arms, from shoulders to elbows, should be perpendicular to the floor.

3. Inhale. Slowly bend your knees and slide your back down the wall until your knees are bent at a 45-degree angle. Bending further can strain your knees.

4. As you bend your knees, straighten your elbows until your arms are extended above your head, still against the wall.

5. Hold this position for five seconds.

6. Exhale as you straighten your knees to slide back up the wall until you are fully upright, with your knees straight and elbows bent back to the starting position.

7. Repeat this five times and gradually increase to 10 or 15 repetitions as your quadriceps strength improves.

Glute bridges

If you want a simple, single exercise that you can strengthen your glutes, knees and core muscles while relieving knee pain and improving balance, try glute bridges. By strengthening the glutes and lumbopelvic region (which includes the spine and pelvis), glute bridges help stabilize the lower back and improve knee stability. It’s a relatively simple exercise that almost anyone can do, regardless of their fitness level.

Here’s how to make them:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet resting on a mat or the floor. Your feet should be close enough to touch with your fingertips.

2. Press your lower back into the mat and tighten your stomach muscles.

3. Place your hands on the mat, palms up or down. Lift your hips, squeezing your buttocks and keeping your chest open.

4. Do not arch your back or tuck your chin. Lower your hips until your lower back touches the mat.

5. Repeat the movement, exhaling as you raise your hips and inhaling as you lower them.

6. For a more challenging version, lift one leg, keeping your knee in line with your hip while maintaining good form and alignment.

Monster walks

Hiking with monsters not only looks fun, but it’s also a cool way to increase strength in the muscles that help stabilize the hips and pelvis – the same joints that, if unstable, will lead to knees joining the party of pain. This banded stepping exercise can relieve knee pain because it also strengthens the muscles around the knee joint.

Monster walks also work your thigh and core muscles, which are also crucial for healthy knees. These funky banded steps also increase hip mobility and create stability and balance to prevent falls.

Here’s how to go hiking with monsters:

1. Wrap a resistance band around your thighs, ankles, or both.

2. Bend your knees into a squat position.

3. Step forward with one foot and then the other, keeping tension on the band.

4. Continue this walking motion for 10 to 15 steps.

5. You can also walk backwards the same way.

Jumping

High-impact exercises like jumping and jumping may seem like the last thing you’d want to do to prevent knee pain, but it’s quite the opposite. Impact exercise helps build and preserve your muscle and bone fabric for healthy joints.

Discoveries published in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research show that impact exercises, especially jumping from one side to the other, can improve the strength of the thigh bones, the amount of minerals in the bone and even its shape in women who have already gone through menopause – all without causing damage to the cartilage of the knee. Keep in mind that these exercises may not be appropriate for people with osteoarthritis or current knee pain.

Skipping and jumping are part of many types of sports and exercises, but there is an easy way to incorporate jumping into your exercise routine.

See how:

1. Do 30 double leg jumps

2. Do 15 repetitions of alternating single-leg hops for each foot

3. Do 10 reps of each leg double forward, side and back hops. The distance should be 15 to 30 centimeters.

4. Do 10 repetitions of single-leg jumping

5. Do five repetitions of double-legged rotational jumps (i.e. spin) with a 90-degree turn in the air

6. Do five reps of double-leg rotational jumps with a 180-degree turn in the air

Split squat

Split squats – and in fact all types of squats – are excellent for strengthening the muscles around the knees. Stronger muscles help absorb shock and reduce stress on the knee joints. Split squats, in particular, improve balance, stability, and mobility in the knee joint, and the unilateral nature of the exercise works to correct any muscle imbalances between the legs.

A warning: “If your knee pain arises from patellofemoral syndrome”, which is a condition characterized by pain around the kneecap, “you can avoid squatting and lunging activities until you can strengthen the other muscles around the knee joint that help keep the kneecap in proper alignment,” Dr. Helfrich, certified physiotherapist and orthopedic specialist Hinge Healthhe told Yahoo Life.

Here’s how to make them:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step forward with one leg, creating a split stance. Keep your heel off the floor, chest up and shoulders back.

2. Bend both knees to lower your body until your back knee is close to touching the floor. Keep your upper body upright and your front knee in line with your ankle. Avoid letting your knee cave inward.

3. Push through the front heel to return to the starting position. Keep your core tight and maintain balance throughout the movement.

4. Complete the desired reps on one leg before switching to the other.

Rachel MacPherson is a personal trainer, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and exercise nutritionist.