Knee

Frequency and repetition

  • Each exercise should be repeated  3 times,  before you move on to the next.
  • Each body part has 7 core exercises, some with variations.
  • We recommend that you do all exercises once per day. If you feel improvement you may increase the frequency to two times per day. If you feel pain, consider doing the exercises every other day.
  • The exercises should be performed in the following sequence: Warm-up  »  Coordination  »  Mobility  »  Stretching  »  Stability  »  Strength  »  Balance

Exercises

Warm-up

  1. Stand up an firmly grab the inner sides of your knees with both your hands
  2. Move your knees rhythmically down and up 7 times
  3. Place your hands on top of your knees and maintain your position
  4. Move your knees clockwise and counter-clockwise 7 times in a circular pattern
  5. Rotate your knees in a circular inside-out pattern 7 times
  6. Change direction and rotate another 7 times

Note: You may want/need to release tension in your knees – Push hard on all your muscles around the knee with the tips of your fingers. The inner parts of your thigh muscles are normally very sore. If you find soreness in this area, apply even more pressure, so you can release tension.

Coordination

  1. Stand up and focus your eyes straight ahead
  2. Squat slightly and allow your arms to rest and hang down in front of you
  3. In one movement; lift both your arms out to each side, shift your balance to one leg, stretch your balancing leg while you lift the opposite leg up behind you.
  4. Return to the squatting position and repeat

Repeat 7 times for each leg

Stretching

  1. Stand up with your feet parallel to each other
  2. Bend down on your right knee and place your left foot in front of you with your heel on the ground
  3. Lean forward and down and touch your toes with the tips of your fingers
  4. Return to the start position

Stretching

Alternative Version
  1. Stand up in front of a chair or elevation, and place your left foot on the chair
  2. Make sure your left knee is not totally extended and your right foot is pointed toward the chair
  3. Keep your back straight, bend your upper body forward and exhale slowly
  4. Maintain this position for at least 10 seconds, then lean back and release tension

Repeat 3 times for each leg

Stability A

  1. Stand up with your back straight in hip width stance with your feet parallel to each other
  2. Bend your back and knees
  3. Move your hands to the outer side of your knees and apply pressure inward. Push for 7 seconds
  4. Move your hands to the inner side of your knees and apply the pressure outward. Push for 7 seconds

Repeat 3 times

Stability B

  1. Stand up in a walking position with your left foot in front of you
  2. Bend your upper body forward, while you reach for your toes
  3. As you bend forward, lift your rear leg off of the ground and maintain this position for 3 seconds
  4. Return to the start position

Repeat 7 times for each leg

Stability B

Alternative Version
  1. Stand up in a walking position with your left foot in front of you, while you hold on to a chair
  2. Bend your upper body forward, while you reach for your toes
  3. As you bend forward, lift your rear leg off of the ground and maintain this position for 3 seconds
  4. Return to the start position

Repeat 7 times for each leg

Strength A

  1. Stand up in a long walking position with your left foot in front of you
  2. Bend your left knee forward and shift your weight forward slowly
  3. Hold your position for a second and return to the start position 

Note: When you push forward, make sure not to push your knee beyond your foot, and do not lock your left knee when you pull back

Repeat 7 times for each leg

Strength A

Alternative Version
  1. Stand up in a long walking position with your left foot in front of you, while you hold on to a chair
  2. Bend your left knee forward and shift your weight slowly forward
  3. Maintain your position for a second and return to the start position

Note: When you push forward, make sure not to push your knee beyond your foot and do not lock your left knee when you pull back.

Repeat 7 times for each leg

Balance

  1. Stand up in a walking position and bend your knees
  2. Inhale and lift your right leg as high as you can, then turn your head to the left
  3. Maintain this position for a second, then return to the start position and exhale

Repeat 7 times for each leg

Additional Exercises

While you're here, why not take a look at some of our other exercise sections?