Types of Outdoor Exercises That Are Easy on the Knee

Exercising outdoors may positively influence all aspects of your health, including your physical, mental and emotional health. Active play in nature also helps you reconnect with your surroundings and your body in a unique way and gain insight about possible areas of weakness or discomfort. Your knees are an important part of your kinetic chain, and participating in outdoor exercises that are easy on your knee can help you avoid knee injuries or making your existing knee problems worse.

Walking

• Walking — especially walking on forgiving surfaces such as dirt, sand or grass — is one of the types of outdoor exercise easiest on your knee. With walking, you control your pace, and you can take as many breaks as you require to keep your knee pain or discomfort in check. Walking is a low-impact exercise, particularly when you use a mid- or forefoot strike. According to a 2005 study published in the journal “Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases,” aerobic walking can help reduce pain and disability from knee osteoarthritis, one of the most common knee complaints among older individuals.

  Nordic walking is a similar activity that provides a full-body aerobic workout. The American Nordic Walking Association notes that nordic walking — walking with poles — offers numerous health benefits, including reduced blood pressure, back pain and neck and shoulder pain. Decreased knee joint impact is another health benefit associated with Nordic walking, as body weight is more evenly distributed over the four contact points with the ground when using the poles. This weight redistribution may be particularly evident and beneficial on steep climbs and descents. Walking with poles also improves balance and reduces your risk of an errant — and injurious — footfall.

Cycling

• Athletes, especially runners, who have chronic knee problems often turn to outdoor cycling to help reduce the stress, strain and burden on knee joint tissues and structures. Weight-bearing exercise is important for maintaining bone and knee joint health, but sometimes it’s important to temporarily unweight your joints, including your knee joints, to help injured tissues heal. Cycling offers you the chance to continue exercising while reducing the impact forces on your knee. Assuming your bicycle is properly fitted to your unique body, any biomechanical issues that could contribute to knee pain while riding will be minimized or eliminated.

Aquatic Activities

• Swimming is a knee health-positive exercise that can be performed outdoors. Like other aquatic activities, swimming offers the possibility of a low-impact workout that is forgiving on your knees. If you have knee pain, you may find that you can exercise longer in water than on land. Because swimming can help reduce joint stiffness, and because the natural buoyancy of water helps support a large part of your weight, it is a particularly helpful exercise if you have an arthritic condition, such as osteoarthritis.

  Water jogging and water aerobics are two other aquatic activities that can be performed outside and are easy on the knee. The Arthritis Foundation notes that individuals with knee and hip osteoarthritis may experience reduced pain levels and improved daily function with regular bouts of aquatic exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds that people who participate in aquatic activities can exercise for longer periods than on land without increased effort or joint and muscle discomfort.

Moving Meditations

• Certain activities considered to be "moving meditations" can be performed outside and are easy on the knee. One such activity is tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art still practiced throughout the world for health and well-being. According to a 2009 study published in the journal "Arthritis & Rheumatism," tai chi is effective in reducing osteoarthritis-related knee pain and boosting physical function, self-efficacy and health-based quality of life in people who have this health problem.

  Qigong, another traditional Chinese medicine practice and moving meditation, may also be an effective exercise that is easy on the knee. A 2008 study published in the journal "Clinical Rheumatology" notes that qigong therapy might have a role in reducing pain and boosting functionality in patients with knee osteoarthritis.