Knee Osteoarthritis: Exercises To Reduce Pain & Stiffness In The Knees

Knee osteoarthritis causes pain and stiffness in the knee joints and muscles. Although, knee osteoarthritis is commonly caused due to ageing and gradual wear and tear of the joints. It may also affect people from younger age groups.

Your lifestyle, daily routine, diet, and workout routine can greatly influence your knee osteoarthritis and its symptoms. In this article, we discuss some easy-to-follow exercises to ease discomfort and pain from knee osteoarthritis.

4 exercises that help reduce pain and discomfort from knee osteoarthritis:

Single-leg dips

Single leg dips are a great way to increase flexibility in your knees. This exercise does not require any particular gym equipment and can be performed with the help of a chair or table. Here's how to perform single-leg dips:

• Grab a chair and stand straight next to it
• Keep your right leg straight and lift it slightly, with your toes facing the ceiling
• At this point, try to bend your left leg in an attempt to practice a squat
• However, this would be a ‘half' squat, you are not expected to bend lower than 2-4 inches
• Repeat this 10 times on both sides, one at a time
• Practice this exercise into 3-5 sets or however much you can

Half squats

Half squats are the name suggests are similar to squatting but are a less intensive modification. As the goal is to exercise and stretch the knees and not tone the thighs, you do not need to practice proper squatting. Here's how to perform half squats:

• Similar to squatting, you are expected to stand straight with your legs slightly farther apart from your shoulders
• Slowly bend your knee up to 3-5 inches lower
• Switch back to standing and repeat for at least 10-20 times in between 3-5 sets

Leg stretches

Leg stretch is another effective stretching exercise that can help you ease off knee osteoarthritis symptoms such as stiffness, knee ache, and discomfort. Here's how to perform leg stretches:

• Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front
• Now, bring your left leg towards yourself
• At this point, your thighs should be touching your torso and should be forming a mountain-like structure
• Repeat this 10 times on both sides into 3 sets or more

Leg lifts

Leg lift is another easy-to-follow exercise that can help you reduce the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Here's how to perform leg lifts:

• Stand straight with your feet neck to each other
• Your hands should be resting on your waist
• Now, lift your right left towards the sides at least at a 30 to a 45-degree angle
• Now come back to your initial position
• Repeat between these 2 positions at least 10 times on both sides into 3-4 sets

In conclusion, regular exercising and movement of your joints can help you reduce and even avoid knee osteoarthritis altogether. In addition to this, we also encourage you to consume a well-balanced diet and eat foods rich in protein and calcium as they help maintain the health of your bones, joints as well as muscles.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.