Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints, causing pain, stiffness, and inflammation. For people with arthritis in their knees, exercise can be an important part of managing their symptoms and maintaining mobility and is recommended in the National Institute of Health and Care guidelines in the treatment of Osteoarthritis.
However, not all exercises are suitable for people with arthritic knees, and it’s not as clear cut as it first looks. In this blog, we will discuss the exercises that people with arthritic knees should avoid or give careful consideration to.
Maybe it’s not a straightforward list?
If only it was as easy as ‘do this, and don’t do that’, this would then just be a simple list but in reality, this is not the case. Most exercises will aggravate an arthritic knee if done incorrectly, or if you have started with an exercise that is too challenging for you. Or maybe in your desperation, you begin exercising when your knee is sore and inflamed, instead of focusing on advice and management to first settle it down.
It’s all about doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. This is why I designed my Online Arthritic Knee Program where I guide you through a staged exercise program to build strength and improve function without aggravating your knee. Incorporating all the advice and management ideas you need to settle your knee down quickly, allows you to do the exercise with greater ease.
That being said let’s have a look at some of the common exercises that can aggravate your knee.
1. High-impact exercises
High-impact exercises like running, jumping, and plyometrics put a lot of stress on the knees and can exacerbate pain and inflammation in people with arthritic knees. These exercises can also increase the risk of injury, particularly if the arthritis is severe. Instead of high-impact exercises, people with arthritic knees would be better off trying low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling, or walking on flat surfaces.
2. Squats
I see the impact of badly done squats in clinic all the time, people start them in an attempt to improve their situation but instead managed to aggravate their arthritic knees.
However, I do squats with every single patient I see with an arthritic knee. This is because in everyday life we need to be able to squat for many of our functional tasks – Sitting down on a chair or toilet, getting in and out of the car, up and down off the bed, reaching something at low levels, then there are stairs where we do the equivalent of a single leg squat on each step.
The key to this is to start with a few 5-10 at first, not go too low, and make sure you have a good technique. I also use a resistance band to supercharge this exercise for better results. This exercise is in stage 2 of the Arthritic Knee Program, we only start it once the pain and inflammation have settled, this helps to further avoid this exercise aggravating your knee.
Deep or full squats, require the lifter to lower their body all the way to the ground, which can put a lot of stress on the knees, particularly if the movement is performed incorrectly or with too much weight. For people with arthritic knees, deep squats can exacerbate pain and inflammation and may even cause further damage to the joint. This would be something that I would advise avoiding in the general population as there are no real gains for an awful lot of risk.
3. Lunges
Lunges are popular exercises for building lower body strength, they can put a lot of stress on the knees, particularly if they are performed incorrectly or with too much weight. For people with arthritic knees, lunges can exacerbate pain and inflammation and may even cause further damage to the joint. The problem with lunges is that they are rarely done well, and in my experience tend to cause more problems than they solve. There are many more effective exercises to strengthen your knee.
However, if you are desperate to lunge then the key to lunging well is to make sure that you have good alignment and lower limb biomechanics. This is something that we assess and then address within the Arthritic Knee Program. This coupled with good strength would allow you a great starting point to begin lunging. Then keep the reps low, keep your lunges high, and begin with body weight.
4. Leg extensions
Leg extensions are an isolation exercise that targets the quadriceps muscles. However, leg extensions can put a lot of stress on the knee joint, particularly if the weight is too heavy or the movement is performed with poor form. For people with arthritic knees, leg extensions can exacerbate pain and inflammation and may even cause further damage to the joint. I incorporate a modified leg extension exercise within the Arthritic Knee Program that allows you to exercise your quadriceps without aggravating, we then build on this.
5. High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
HIIT workouts are popular for their effectiveness in burning calories and building endurance. However, HIIT workouts can be very intense and put a lot of stress on the knees, particularly if the exercises involve high-impact movements like jumping or running.
For people with arthritic knees, HIIT workouts can exacerbate pain and inflammation and may even cause further damage to the joint. Instead of HIIT, you and your arthritic knees would be better off trying low-impact cardio exercises like cycling or swimming.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s not as easy as just avoiding certain exercises as we have just learned. However, people with arthritic knees should be cautious with high-impact exercises, squats especially deep, lunges, leg extensions, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Instead, you can try low-impact exercises like swimming, cycling, or walking on flat surfaces, as well as specific exercises to help strengthen and improve the function of your knee. Have a look at my Arthritic Knee Program which includes all the advice and management strategies to help you quickly settle down your pain before beginning a staged exercise program to strengthen your knee.
I hope you have found this helpful and that it has inspired you to improve your knee function. I would love to help you achieve this and return to a full not limited life.
Take care, Helen
Helen Manders BSc (Hons) MCSP HCPC
