Knee Swelling Exercises

Swelling of the knees can be a result of many situations such as joint problems, an injury or the result of knee surgery. With the correct exercises, you can relieve a lot of your knee pain.

Sitting Exercises

• If it is difficult to stand due to knee swelling and pain, you can do knee exercises while sitting down. The first exercise, the knee bend, entails sitting at the edge of a chair with your back straight. With the knee bent, lift one leg straight off the floor 3 to 4 inches. Hold the leg for five to ten seconds then lower. Do the other leg, then repeat until you have done both legs ten times. A kick back exercise requires you to sit at the edge of the chair, kick your leg back toward the back of the chair. If your toes touch the floor, that is fine. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds then repeat on other leg until you have completed 10 on each leg. The leg raise entails you lifting your leg one at a time, straight up from the chair. Try to keep the leg straight and hold it to a count of 5 to 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Standing Exercises

• Standing exercises for the knee can begin with marching in place. Try to bend your knees as high as possible and do this exercise for at least two minutes. The next exercise is the knee bend. This one requires you to stand with your feet about 1 foot apart. Gently bend at the knees like you are going to sit down, then straighten back up. Repeat this exercise 10 times. There is a kick back exercise that requires you to stand while holding on to the back of the chair. Gently kick your leg back behind you and hold for 10 seconds, bring your leg forward again then repeat the kick back ten times. Also holding on to the back of the chair you can do knee squats. While bracing yourself, gently squat down about a quarter of the way down. Hold for about 10 seconds then stand back up. Repeat this exercise 10 times. If your knees allow it, try stepping up and down onto a small step stool. One foot up on the stool, then the other, then one down followed by the other foot down. Repeat 10 times. f you have trouble with balance, try holding onto a chair while you step up and down.

Other Knee Exercises

• There are some knee exercises that can be done lying down. Lie on your back and lift one leg off the ground, keeping it straight, and holding it above the ground about 3 to 4 inches. Hold it to a count of 10, then lower the leg and repeat with the other leg. Another knee exercise that can be done is to stretch the knees and quadricep muscles. Pull one leg behind you, pulling your foot up toward your buttocks. This stretches the quad muscle above the knee, as well as stretches the knee and its ligaments and muscles. If your knee allows, you may also want to try gently riding on a stationary bicycle. Slowly push the pedals around, see how your knees do, and ride for five minutes to start. You can increase your time daily or weekly as your knees allow.