At MRP, we treat many patients for knee pain. It often stems from repetitive movements like bending, squatting, or lifting, which put strain on the muscles and tendons around the knee joint.
While it’s commonly associated with sports that involve running or jumping, such as basketball or football, it can also develop from everyday activities like climbing stairs, gardening, or manual labour.
Symptoms include pain and tenderness around the knee, weakness, and difficulty with daily tasks like walking or standing for long periods.
Here are some tips from our expert physiotherapists – complementing your physio appointments with at-home exercises is always a good idea.
Isometric Extension:
1. Sitting on a seat or surface with your foot off the floor and knee at 90 degrees.
2. Push your foot forward into an immovable object, ie a wall or door frame, and create tension at the knee.
3. Push your foot into the wall as hard as you can without pain going above a 3 out of 10.
4. When the pain gets to 3/10 hold that pressure for 45 – 60 seconds. The pain should go away.
5. Rest for 1 minute and repeat x 3. If you can, do this set 3 times per day.
Wall Squat with Roller:
1. Place a foam roller against your lower back and lean back against a wall.
2. On a non-slip surface, walk your feet forward about half a metre. It can take some getting used to and trust, but the further forward your feet are the easier this exercise is.
3. Keeping your torso upright, slowly roll down the wall into a squat. We are trying to get to a 90/90 position (90 degrees at the hips and 90 degrees at the knees).
4. If you get any pain more than a 3-4/10 hold the squat at that point for 5 secs then return the start position.
5. Repeat 3 x 12-15. If you can get to 90/90 without pain then add some weight by holding a dumbbell of kettle bell.
Heel-Elevated Mini Squat:
1. Stand with your heels up on a block, a big book or a decline board.
2. Slowly lower into a squat, bending at the knee only.
3. Keep your hips and torso tall, don’t lean forward.
4. Decrease the depth of the squat if you get more than 3-4/10 pain.
5. Repeat 3 x 12-15
