Knee problems can arise over the course of time, or they can be acute. Surgery-related incidents stemming from skiing accidents, car accidents, and hits on the football field can all lead to residual knee pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, almost one in three Americans older than age 45 report some type of knee pain. To help treat knee problems, corrective exercises can be done to strengthen the nearby muscles--the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and hips.
Seated Leg Raise
The quadriceps are the front thigh muscles. They cause the knee to extend, which moves your lower leg from a bent to straight position. A simple exercise that can be done to strengthen this muscle is a seated leg raise.
Sit in a chair with your right foot slightly elevated, extend your right leg in front of you, and hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Slowly lower and repeat with your other leg. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions. For added resistance, attach a rubber exercise band around your ankle and a leg of the chair. Carefully extend your lower leg forward as far as possible, and hold.
Knee Bends
Knee bends are standing exercises that are variations of squats. The main goal of these exercises is to strengthen the quads and hamstrings without causing excess stress or pain.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and place your hands on your hips. Slowly lower yourself down by bending your knees. Once you feel a strong contraction in your quads, slowly rise back up and repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions. When doing knee bends, do not let your knees go past your toes, and keep your back straight and core tight.
Isolated Hamstring Exercise
The isolated hamstring exercise is also an isometric exercise, which means it is done without a repetitive motion. Sit on a chair with your legs extended in front of you, heels on the floor, and toes pointing up. Steadily push your heels down into the floor and slightly towards you. Once you feel a strong contraction in the backs of your thighs, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, and release. Repeat 10 to 12 times. This exercise can also be performed from a seated position on the floor.
For a standing variation to this exercise, attach a rubber resistance band to a leg of a chair and your lower leg. With your hands supporting the chair, keep your leg straight, and push backwards by contracting your hamstring. After holding for five to 10 seconds, lower your leg, and repeat for 10 to 12 repetitions. To strengthen your hips, do the same band exercise with your body turned sideways and your leg moving laterally.
Calf Strengthening
The two-part calf muscles start behind the knees and run down to the heels. The upper segment is the gastrocnemius, and the lower segment is the soleus. The calves can be strengthened with calf raises from a seated or standing position.
While seated, hold two dumbbells vertically on your thighs as you lift and lower your heels 12 to 15 times. When lifting up, go as high as you can, and hold for a full second. To do standing calf raises, place your feet shoulder-width apart while holding dumbbells at your sides, and then lift up onto your tip toes. The additional weight of the dumbbells is optional. The exercise will still be effective if you only use your body weight.
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