Does Exercise Help With Osteoarthritis of the Knee?

Five Types of Exercise that Strengthen and Relieve Arthritic Knees

There are a lot of mixed messages when it comes to dealing with knee osteoarthritis (OA). We’re often told to exercise and engage in physical activity, but do knee arthritis exercises really make things better or worse? Which exercises are best? And which ones should you avoid?

An exciting study came out that summarizes all the high quality research ever undertaken on exercise as part of osteoarthritis treatment for knees.

Research Shows Exercise is Best for Knee Osteoarthritis

So what were the findings? Well, first off, we can definitively say that exercise is 100 percent beneficial for knee OA. That part is easy. Second, regarding which activities are best, it turns out that endurance and strength exercises help the most; but coordination, stretching, and balance play an important secondary role too. I know what you’re thinking: “Thanks for narrowing that down.”

“We can definitively say that exercise is 100 percent beneficial for knee osteoarthritis.”

Five Types of Exercise for Arthritic Knees:

So let’s get a little more specific. Here are examples of the five types of exercise that help with knee OA:

1. Endurance exercise refers to activities like walking, cycling, swimming, cardio machines at the gym, and jogging

2. Strength exercises can include squats, lunges, bridges, and calf-raises

3. Balance training can be as simple as standing on one leg

4. Coordination exercises can include single leg squats and/ or agility drills

5. Stretching tight tissues might look like a hamstring, quadriceps, calf, or hip stretch.

Tailor Knee Exercises to Your Weak Spots

Clearly, there are a lot of options. Every individual is different, and for the best results the exercises should be tailored to your weak-spots. For example, you can start by strengthening muscles that are weak, stretching muscles that are tight, and performing endurance exercises that you find particularly challenging.

Avoid Exercises That Are Overly Painful

The other guiding light is pain. Try to avoid exercises that are overly painful. It’s okay for there to be some discomfort, but start slow and try to find exercises that are hard on the muscles but easy on the pain. If you’re in a great deal of pain after exercising, that's a strong indication for you to pick different exercises or to adjust them to the point where they don’t cause you so much irritation (notice I didn’t say “stop”).

Try Manual Therapy for Knee Pain

If you find yourself struggling or needing a little guidance, hands-on manual therapy is another extremely effective intervention for knee OA, especially in the earlier stages. For this and for assistance with picking an ideal exercise program, a well trained Physiotherapist or Kinesiologist can be a great help.

Nathan Hers, Physiotherapist

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