5 exercises to help reduce knee pain

Published May 2024 | 6 min read
Expert contributor Pat McNamara, physiotherapist; Heath Jones, exercise physiologist
Words by Lucy E Cousins

These simple exercises can help support your knees, reduce knee pain and increase your sense of balance. 

Our knees endure a lot and we use them almost every minute of the day. But many of us don't always look after them as well as we should, resulting in knee pain, and chronic conditions like osteoarthritis and knee replacements.

In fact, research shows knee replacement surgery is on the rise in Australia, increasing by 139% over the past decade. In 2022 alone, 67,742 knee replacement procedures were performed, increasing to 78,213 in 2023 – making it the most common joint replacement in Australia, followed closely by hip replacements.  

The most common causes of knee pain

According to physiotherapist Pat McNamara, who specialises in lower limbs, there are three main types of knee troubles:

• Inactivity and underuse: This is the most prevalent category for knee pain as studies show that obesity and old age can result in an increased risk of total knee replacement.
• Traumatic accidents: Sports injuries, like anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus tears, fractures, dislocations and broken bones have been shown to increase the risk of knee replacement surgery and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. There is some international evidence to suggest that genetic differences in the meniscus between men and women could be to blame.
• Overuse and too much exercise: This category includes repetitive workplace movements and intense high-impact exercises (which involve jumping or landing with force), as this can wear away cartilage. One study suggests that combat sports, soccer, yoga and basketball could be the most risky for our knees, as well as engaging in sports at a highly competitive level.

The importance of exercise for knee strength

If you have knee pain or problems with your knees, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be next in line to have knee replacement surgery, says Pat. That’s because our knees – like all joints in our bodies – are “living, adaptable and robust”.

“Most of the structures that make up our joints have a blood supply, meaning they are constantly fed with nutrients,” he explains. “They are living, growing structures that have the ability to change and adapt in response to the stress we place on them. As such, we need to maintain them and keep them healthy.”

In fact, adds Pat, one of the biggest mistakes we make that harms our knees is not using them enough. Movement is now considered key to delay or sometimes avoid surgery and is often a preferable treatment considering the risks of complications and recovery times associated with major surgery. A detailed explanation of having a knee replacement can be found in HCF’s Preparing for Hospital knee replacement guide.

“Nowadays, if you are diagnosed with knee pain, injury or osteoarthritis, exercise is the cornerstone to pain management, recovery and limiting disease progression,” says Pat.

Another study suggests that if you’re diagnosed with osteoarthritis in particular, exercise can help reduce pain and inflammation in your knee.

HCF’s Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight for Life program is designed for people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints. The program aims to support eligible HCF members^* who want to reduce the pain in their joints, improve their mobility or prepare for hip or knee surgery.

However, Pat is quick to point out there are some instances where exercise isn’t necessarily the best course of action. An acute knee injury or trauma, for example, requires a more cautious approach to help the knee joint settle down.

“If someone has just traumatically injured their knee, then we do need to protect the joint to facilitate healing,” he explains.

If this is the case, he recommends easing off exercise and resting before returning to gentle exercise. And if pain persists, consult with your doctor or physiotherapist to rule out or investigate other causes of pain.

If your doctor or physiotherapist has recommended an exercise or gym program to treat a specific medical condition, eligible HCF members may be able to claim towards the cost of your gym membership or exercise program^{^}.

5 exercises to strengthen your knees

When it comes to knee-strengthening workouts and exercises for knee pain, exercise physiologist Heath Jones, who specialises in fitness for over 50s, says that focusing on knee strengthening exercises can help in everyday life, whether it’s stepping off a curb or getting up from a chair.

“While you can't technically strengthen the knee itself, you can strengthen the muscles adjoining the knee capsule and they will help splint or stabilise the muscle, which in turn stabilises the joint, giving you more support,” he explains.

To help strengthen your knees at any age, Heath recommends doing a circuit like the 15-minute workout below, two or three times a week. Speak to your health professional before you change your exercise regime.

1. Leg extensions

Aim for: 2 to 3 sets, 12 to 15 reps each leg.

Why it’s good: Strengthening the quadriceps and stabilising the knee joint.

How: Start off by sitting on a firm chair with both feet on the ground. Targeting one leg at a time, extend your lower leg until that leg becomes straight and ensure you intentionally contract your quadricep muscle at the top, above your knee. You can use ankle weights or an exercise band for added resistance. You may also want to place a small rolled up towel behind your knees for support. 

2. Bridges

Aim for: 3 sets, 15 to 20 reps (holding for 20 seconds on last rep of each set).

Why it’s good: Strengthening lower body posterior chain muscles like hamstrings, gluteal muscles, lower back and core muscles. This is also beneficial for hip mobility and is a great lower body exercise that’s relatively easy and low impact.

How: Lying on your back with bent knees and feet planted on the ground, slowly raise your hips towards the ceiling by contracting your glutes. When lowering your hips back down to the ground, keep the movement controlled by continuing to contract your glutes. As you advance with the exercise, you can use a single leg only – but make sure hips remain level.

3. Shin raises 

Aim for: 3 to 4 sets, 10 to 15 reps (hold for 20 to 30 seconds on last rep of each set).

Why it’s good: Strengthening the lower leg muscle and helping support the knee joint, especially when walking. This move will also improve your balance and lower limb coordination. 

How: Stand with your back resting against the wall. Walk your feet out so both heels are around 20 to 30cm away from the wall (wear shoes if you get heel pain). Keeping both heels on the ground, raise your toes up as far as you can go and hold for a few seconds and repeat.

 4. Reverse lunge

Aim for: 2 to 3 sets, 15 to 20 reps each leg.

Why it’s good: Knee, hip and ankle mobility, strengthening of all major leg muscles and improving balance and coordination. 

How: Standing up with feet hip-width apart, step back with one foot, dropping hips until both knees are bent to 90 degrees and the rear knee is hovering just above the ground. Your torso should remain upright. Push through the front heel to get back to starting position and repeat on the other side. This is a challenging exercise, and you may need to hold onto something for support until you can do the exercise correctly. Do this move slowly: 2 to 3 seconds down and 2 to 3 seconds back up.

 5. Knee drive

Aim for: 2 to 3 sets, 12 to 15 reps on each leg

Why it’s good: Strengthening of all major lower limb muscles, improving hip, knee and ankle mobility, improving hip and knee stability, and balance. 

How: Place one foot on the ground and centre your pelvis to help with glute contraction (your glutes are the muscles that make up your buttocks). Then swing up the opposite knee until it reaches the height of the hip. Think of this as a running action but only concentrating on one leg at a time. Keep your glute activated in the leg that remains on the ground to help with balance. 

Peace of mind with no out-of-pocket costs

Our No-Gap Joints program for primary hip and knee replacements gives eligible members peace of mind, with no out-of-pocket costs from hospital admission through to discharge and post-surgery rehab⁺. We've partnered with selected private hospitals and clinicians in NSW and Victoria to give greater flexibility and continuity of care while keeping costs down.