Knee Arthritis Exercises to Avoid

Being diagnosed with knee arthritis can prove difficult, particularly when living an active lifestyle. While exercise also plays an important part in controlling arthritis symptoms and maintaining overall joint health, there are specific movements that can even lead to further pain and damage.

This is a guide to the exercises and movements to be taken by knee arthritis patients with caution or not at all.

Knee Arthritis and Exercise

The most common form of knee arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is the wearing out of cartilage that covers the joint. This results in pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.

Exercise is an important part of treating the symptoms of arthritis since it will cause the muscles that are around the joint to contract, increase flexibility, and help keep the right weight.

Not all exercises, however, are suitable for arthritic knees. The challenge is to be in the middle ground between being active and overloading the joints.

High-Impact Activities: The Perpetrators

High-impact activities involve intense knee joint loading, which induces pain and additional cartilage degradation. These should be avoided or done with care:

Running on Hard Surfaces

Running on pavement or asphalt, especially, will be extremely hard on arthritic knees. The constant jarring of every step sends shockwaves into the joint that can worsen inflammation and pain. If you are a frequent runner, consider substituting it with lower-impact aerobic exercise like swimming, cycling, or an elliptical trainer.

Swimming is a great full-body exercise without jeopardizing your knees. The buoyancy of the water decreases the body weight and enables a pain-free or even hard-to-maintain full range of movement on land.

Stationary bike or road bike cycling is yet another low-impact activity that can enhance cardiovascular conditioning while keeping the muscles in and around your knees strong.

Jumping and Plyometric Exercises

Jumping up and down on a box or squats put the knee joint under unimaginable stress upon impact. This kind of impact is especially hard for individuals with arthritis. Instead, do controlled, low-impact strength training exercises that are specific to the same muscle groups without placing excessive stress on your knees.

For example, substitute jump squats with squat or wall sit. These exercises engage your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes without impact landing.

If you enjoy the cardiovascular excitement of jumping movements, substitute jumping motions with movement alternatives like stepping up and down over low height or mini-trampoline bouncing in soft, gentle bounces.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) using Jump-Based Movements

While HIIT is a great way to build cardiovascular conditioning and burn calories, much of HIIT training is impact movement like burpees or jump lunges. Those are the worst thing you can do for arthritic knees.

If you enjoy doing HIIT exercises, attempt replacing with low-impact exercises that don’t raise your feet off the ground or use a stationary bike.

Modified HIIT training is also able to produce rigorous cardiovascular conditioning without impacting the joints. To illustrate, switch between fast and slow treadmill walking, or use a rowing machine to switch between high and low-degree intervals.

You have to keep switching between the high and low-degree intervals without having to depend on jumping or shock-impact motion.

Deep Knee Bends and Excessive Flexion

Excessive flexing or deep knee bends may cause knee joint stress, particularly if you suffer from patellofemoral (kneecap) arthritis.

Deep Squats

While squats are good for leg strengthening, squatting too low (beyond a 90-degree angle) will stress your knee joint even further. Instead, do partial squats or wall sits in which you maintain your knees at a lower angle.

Always try good form, with knees in front of your toes and never crossing your toes.

Feet shoulder width apart, partial squat and slow into the lowering of your body as if sitting in a chair. Hold at floor level or above at your thighs and slowly back up to the beginning position.

This variation of the squat still working your leg muscles without aggravating your knees.

Lunges with Back Knee on the Ground

Deep back knee lunges put too much stress on the back and front knee. Try doing shorter stride lunges or stationary lunges in which your back knee doesn’t hit the ground.

This modification allows you to build stronger legs without stressing the joint too much.

To perform a modified lunge, step forward shorter than a regular lunge. Bend the front and back knees to approximately 90 degrees without bending your front knee past your toes.

Leave your back knee in the air above the ground.

The modification stays true to leg strength and balance support of lunges without placing too much stress on your knees.

Full Arc Leg Extensions

Squatting in the entire range of motion on a leg extension machine, especially with high loads, is very stressful for the knee joint. In case you are compelled to utilize the machine, you may limit the range of motion to the last 30 degrees of extension or use closed-chain movements like leg presses that provide increased stability for the joint.

Closed-chain movements, whereby your feet stay on the ground, are not as stressful to individuals with arthritis of the knees. Leg presses, for example, allow you to work your quadriceps without sacrificing control of the movement or the weight. Start light and gradually increase weight as you increase strength, yet always stop in case of pain or discomfort.

Repetitive Impact and Twisting Movements

Exercises that involve the application of force as well as twisting might be particularly difficult for those with knee arthritis.

Certain Dance or Aerobic Classes

Step aerobics or high-impact dance classes will definitely involve fast turning, jumping, and sideways movement that can strain arthritic knees. Take low-impact aerobics or dance classes where one foot is always on the floor and does not involve quick changes in direction.

Water aerobics classes are also a great choice, a whole body exercise with minimal stress on your joints. The water resistance develops your strength and the buoyancy of the water disperses your body weight out, putting less stress on your knees.

Chair aerobics or seated dance classes are also available at most health clubs, both of which can be great choices for being cardiovascular fit without straining your knees.

Tennis or Racquetball

The quick starting, stopping, and direction changes in racquet sports are stressful to arthritic knees. If this is your game, play doubles to cut down on the court coverage or switch to pickleball, which is lower impact.

Pickleball, a mixture of the three sports described here, on a shorter court with a lower net and little running and stop-starting around. Good cardiovascular training and good social mixing without doing half as much damage to your knees.

Table tennis is also a good one, good hand-eye co-ordination without doing half as much damage to your joints.

Skiing on Challenging Terrain

While downhill skiing is a low-impact type of exercise in the case of easy-hill cruising, black diamond slopes or moguls may be too much for your knees to handle. Take groomed smoother trails and opt for cross-country skiing as the knee-friendly alternative.

Cross-country skiing is an excellent full-body workout without jeopardizing your movement, keeping it less stressful and controlled than downhill skiing. It engages your leg muscles, improves your cardiovascular endurance, and allows you to get out in the winter.

Downhill skiers can choose to stop frequently, turn with the aid of poles, and avoid hard icy and bumpy terrain that will affect your knees.

Exercises with Wrong Form or Technique

Sometimes, it’s not necessarily the exercise that is bad for you, but rather the way in which it is executed. Good form must be used in order to maintain healthy joints, especially with people who suffer from arthritis.

Improper Cycling Position

Bicycling is an excellent low-impact exercise for patients with knee arthritis, but improper bike fitting is knee-achingly excruciating. Get your seat adjusted so your knee barely bends when you’re pedaling at the stroke’s bottom. If you’re unsure, get a professional bike fit.

A professional bike fit can make a big difference in your comfort level and the efficacy of your cycling training. They will not only set your seat height and handlebar position, pedal alignment, etc. to best fit your riding position.

This can ease knee stress and enhance your overall cycling experience.

For stationary bicycles, the majority of new equipment comes with adjustable resistance and terrain simulation software. Start with low resistance and flat “terrain” programs and increase the level of difficulty as your strength and endurance grow.

Listen to your body at all times and modify the settings if you experience any pain in your knees.

Incorrect Weightlifting Technique

Strength training is beneficial in the stabilization of arthritic joints, but possibly more harmful if done with poor technique. On the top of lifts such as squats or leg presses, avoid locking your knees and have your knees still pointing in the same direction as your toes.

When leg pressing, begin light and concentrate on transferring control through the range of motion. When pushing out your legs, go only almost fully extended, not fully extended, so as not to strain your knees too much.

In the same way, when squatting, keep your back straight and your chest up, down only as far as feels comfortable without pain.

Consider using a personal trainer who is experienced with working with patients with arthritis. They can provide you with correct form during exercise and assist in designing a strength training program that is both effective and safe for your condition.

Changing Your Exercise Routine

While this list may appear restrictive, remember that physical fitness is at the heart of knee arthritis care. The problem is finding methods to perform an activity without worsening your symptoms.

Make sure to listen to your body and stop an activity that pains or injures you.

Low-Impact Cardiovascular Exercises

In addition to swimming and cycling, try an elliptical machine or a rowing machine for cardiovascular exercise. These machines exercise your whole body with less pounding on your knees.

Walking is another good option, especially on softer surfaces like grass or a padded track.

Start with short distances and progressively increase your walking time and pace as your level of fitness improves.

Strength Training Modifications

Resistance band exercises can be a low-impact, joint-friendly way to build strength in the muscles that guard your knees. Seated leg extensions using a light resistance band, for example, can build up your quadriceps without the extraneous weight and motion stress of a machine.

Bodyweight exercises such as calf raises, straight leg raises, and modified planks can also be used to develop strength without subjecting your knees to too much stress. Be sure to begin slowly and gradually increase repetitions as your strength increases.

Flexibility and Balance Exercises

Range-of-motion and stretching exercises will maintain your knee joint and the surrounding muscles flexible. Tai chi and yoga are flexibility, body-aware, and balance exercises.

Look for joint-friendly or arthritis-friendly classes since they will include the variations in the various poses and movements.

Aquatic Exercises

Water therapy is ideal for people with knee arthritis. Water buoyancy makes your joints less stressed and offers resistance for performing strengthening exercises.

In addition to water walking, include aqua jogging or attend water exercise classes for joint health.

Mind-Body Practices

Routine body exercise like yoga and regular breathing also remove the fear and anxiety that are usually found with chronic pain disease conditions like arthritis. They will also be contributing to your daily exercise besides preparing your body even more in general.

Working with Professionals

Try exercising with a physical therapist or an experienced fitness professional who has been trained to treat arthritis rehabilitation. They will be able to lead you through a useful and safe exercise program that will be good for your individual needs and limitations.

A physical therapist can assess your case and develop an exercise program tailored to you based on your arthritis problems and the level of fitness you are at. They can show you proper form for a variety of different exercises and work with you one-on-one so that you will be doing it correctly.

Special arthritis exercise sessions are also available in all of the large hospitals and most community centers, taught by experienced professionals. It’s a wonderful place to get some exercise in a safe setting and meet others like you.

Listening to Your Body

The idea is just to keep doing things good for your overall joint health and your overall health. Not having high-impact activity, not overflexing the knee, twisting and impact, you can protect your knees but stay active.

Observe what your body does before, during, and after exercise and later on. Slight soreness cannot be avoided, especially when starting a new routine, but cutting pain or swelling in the joints are signs that you need to make some adjustments in your activities.

Keep a journal wherein you can write down your exercises and symptoms.

This way, you can look for patterns and make adjustments on your regimen.

Remember, more frequently is more effective than harder. Daily regular exercise will be more useful and harmless than intermittent forceful exercise.

Select an overall well-balanced regimen of a mixture of cardiovascular conditioning, strengthening, and stretching exercises with variable intensity and duration based on the reaction of your knee.