Men and women of all ages can develop knee pain from a variety of injuries and medical conditions. Because women have wider hips, they are more likely to develop knee pain at some point. Depending on the cause, physical therapy and exercise may help alleviate knee pain. Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise regimen.
General
Building stronger muscles around your knee can help stabilize the joint, and physical therapy will likely include strengthening exercises that focus on your quadriceps, the muscles on the front of your thigh, and your hamstrings, the muscles on the back of your thigh. Balance-improving exercises may also be recommended.
Strengthening
Strengthening activities may include isometric exercises in which you push or pull against a static, unmoving object. Isometric exercises can strengthen your muscles as well as help burn fat, maintain bone density and improve digestion.
Flexibility
Flexibility or range-of-motion workouts are typically stretching exercises that increase the scope of your knee's movement. Yoga and tai chi are stretching exercises that focus on flexibility, balance and breathing technique. HealthCenter reported that one study showed a group of older adults who practiced tai chi for 10 weeks reported less pain than a similar group that did not practice tai chi.
Aerobic
Low-impact endurance exercises may help reduce inflammation in joints, as well as helping you lose or control your weight. Aerobic exercise can also strengthen the muscle groups that support your knee. Non-weight-bearing activities such as swimming and water aerobics are low-impact aerobic exercises. Other aerobic activities include bicycling and walking.
Frequency
Start slowly and build up endurance, especially if you aren't used to physical activity. Stick to low-impact activities and warm up first with a five-minute walk before you begin exercising. With your doctor's consent, try to work your way up to three stretching exercises and three strengthening exercises three or four times a week. Daily stretching exercises are ideal to help keep your knee from aching and stiffening up, and can be spread out over an entire day.
Tips
If you are overweight, you can do your sore knee a big favor by losing weight and taking extra pressure off your joints. Dropping even a few pounds will reduce stress on your knees. Consult your doctor to see if pain medication may help your knee pain. Don't lose your incentive to keep up with your exercise regimen even if a pain reliever makes you feel better, but arthritis sufferers who use pain medication need to be careful or may actually harm their knees by overusing them.
