Knee Pain: Getting Stronger in Spite of Knee Pain

If you have knee pain, don't know what to do about it, are sick of living in pain and discomfort and can't do some of the activities you would like to do, this blog is for you. 

Knee pain is a very common cause of complaint here at the clinic, whether you have pain related to wear and tear from normal changes seen from aging or you have had an accident and caused an injury, knee pain can be a painful and annoying problem to have. Unfortunately knee pain comes in many different ways, different movements make the pain worse for different people, there are different ways to help knee pain depending on the person and there are different outcomes for many different people therefore, exercises to reduce your pain and let you do what you want to do can vary. 
Below I will talk you through some muscles important in anyone's knee pain and how to build a strong robust knee. 
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Muscles important in knee pain and function.

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​The knee is made up of 3 bones: 

• Femur (the upper thigh bone above your knee)
• Tibia (the shin bone below your knee) 
• Patella (the knee cap)

The 2 long bones, femur and the tibia are covered in a layer of cartilage, this cartilage absorbs the impact from daily activities and protects the knee. Essentially, the knee is held together by tissues called ligaments, tendons and muscles which protect and support the knee. 

There are 2 main muscle groups that are important in knee function and other muscles that also help significantly with knee function. The 2 main muscle groups include:

Quadriceps - these muscles are located above the knee on the front of your leg and their primary role is to straighten your knee. 

Hamstrings - these muscles are located above the knee on the back of your leg and their primary role is to bend the knee. 

The other muscles that help with knee function are: 

• Glute muscles (bum muscles), some of these muscles make your leg go out to the side and some make your leg go toward the back. 
• Calf muscles or the muscles below your knee on the back of your leg.
• Adductor muscles or your groin muscles which are in the inside of your leg. 

Although these muscles don't all impact the knee joint directly they all work together to move the knee joint and provide stability to the joint. We like to refer to the muscles of the lower limbs as scaffolding for the knee. By building a strong scaffold for the knee, we can improve the strength of the knee and provide stability and protection. By building a stronger scaffold we can improve the health of the knee, improve the function of the knee and get you back to doing the activities you want with less knee pain. 

How do we build the Scaffold for the knee? 

Again, there are no exercises that are suitable for everyone that comes in with knee pain as everyone's pain is different. However below are some common exercises that are given here in the clinic that help with knee pain, help strengthen the scaffolding around your knee and build a resilient and robust joint.

Easy beginning exercises:  

​Knee Extension

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Step 1: Sit in a chair high enough so the back of your knees are touching the chair 
Step 2: Keep the back of your knee on the chair, straighten your leg, tightening the front of your thigh.
Step 3: Lower your leg slowing back to the beginning. 
Step 4: Repeat on both legs 

Calf Raises 

Step 1: Stand next to something for balance
Step 2: Raising onto your toes as high as you can. 
Step 3: Lower your heels back to the ground

Hamstring Curls 

Step 1: Sit in a chair high enough so the back of your knees are touching the chair.
Step 2: Tie a resistance band around a pole in a loop and put one leg in. 
Step 3: Keep the back of your knee on the chair, bringing your heel towards the chair, tightening the back of your thigh.
Step 3: Slowly bringing your back to the beginning. 
Step 4: Repeat on both legs 

More advanced exercises:

​Step Ups

Step 1: Standing behind a step
Step 2: Step up, one leg at a time, bringing both legs on top of the step
Step 3: Slowly step back down with the leg you stepped up with first. 
Step 4: Repeat on the other leg 

​Chair Squats

Step 1: Stand with a chair behind you. 
Step 2: Slowly lower your body as if you were squatting or sitting on the chair. 
Step 3: Rise from the chair prior to you sitting down. 

To begin these exercises, start by performing 3 sets x 8 repetitions. Gradually increase until you feel like you are working harder enough with only a small amount of knee pain. When you reach 3x15 it is time to increase the load by adding weight or resistance. 

Some people's goal around knee pain is to get out of pain, some people’s goal is to do activities such as walking or climbing stairs better again and for some people, their goal is to return to sport. Whatever you want to achieve, building those muscles surrounding the knee, is going to be an important factor in your road to better knee health. 

If anything that has been outlined above doesn't make sense to you or you feel you need a bit more extra attention, come in to see one of our exercise physiologists. 

Happy exercising!!

Izaac Boylan 
Accredited Exercise Physiologist