The 5 Best Stretches For Knee Pain

No matter your age or activity of choice, it seems like almost everyone deals with knee pain at some point. Stretching, however, offers one possible solution to avoid it. “Light stretching can help reduce muscle guarding or tension as a result of pain and help restore joint mobility,” saysLauren Loberg, DPT, a physical therapist at TRIA Orthopaedic in Bloomington, Minnesota.

While stretching won’t resolve knee pain, it can offer short-term relief to make movement and exercise more enjoyable, she adds.

To start, stretching is most beneficial when your knees are stiff or immobile. To ease stiffness and improve mobility, it’s important to target the muscles and joints that surround the knees. This means focusing on the hips, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, according toPhilip Higgins, DPT, clinical director of Bespoke Treatments in Seattle, Washington. When these areas are flexible and mobile, your knees will be better equipped to bend, straighten and rotate safely and effectively.

According to these experts, the following five knee stretches check all the necessary boxes to reduce knee pain. Do them daily or incorporate them into your post-workout cooldown routine to reap the benefits.

Tight hamstrings limit movement at the knee, which adds pressure to the joints. The supine hamstring stretch increases flexibility, helping relieve tightness and pain.

How to do it:躺在你的背上，膝盖弯曲，脚平放在地板上。将毛巾，皮带或皮带缠绕在您的右大腿上，并用双手握住末端。不抬起头或肩膀从地板上抬起，慢慢拉毛巾，皮带或皮带，将右腿抬到胸部。拉直右腿或保持略微弯曲。抬起腿，​​直到腿筋柔和。释放之前，请保持10–20秒。重复5-10次重复，然后切换到另一只腿。

希金斯说，大腿前部的髋屈肌和股四头肌肌肉可能会限制膝盖屈曲或压缩膝盖帽，从而导致膝盖疼痛随着时间的流逝。这种拉伸可能会通过延长紧绷的髋屈肌和四肌来缓解疼痛和僵硬。

How to do it:Begin in a half-kneeling position with your left knee on the ground, and your right knee bent 90 degrees in front of your body. You might want to place a cushion or towel under your bottom knee. Reach back and grip your left foot with your left hand. Gently pull your foot up until you feel a gentle stretch in your left quadriceps. Intensify the stretch by squeezing your right glute to press your hip forward. Hold for at least 30 seconds before switching sides.

iliotibial（it）带是一块厚厚的筋膜，从臀部的外部延伸到膝盖的侧面。洛伯格说，过度使用时会变得紧绷和发炎。

How to do it:Sit on the ground with both legs extended out in front of you. Bend your left knee and cross it over your right, placing your left foot flat on the floor. Keeping your legs in place, rotate your torso to look to your left until you feel a stretch. To assist you in the stretch, you can hook your right elbow on the outside of your right knee and place your left palm on the floor behind you. Hold for at least 30 seconds. Release and repeat once or twice on the same side before switching to the other side.

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CLICK TO TWEET THIS ARTICLE> Have knee pain? Use these stretches from @myfitnesspal to ward off nagging pain and stiffness.

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当您的臀部无法旋转它们的原本方式时，您的膝盖往往会旋转。希金斯说：“膝盖上的许多旋转应力都来自臀部及其无法恢复的良好运动。”图4拉伸通过增加臀部运动范围来减少膝盖上的旋转应力。

How to do it:躺在你的背上，膝盖弯曲，脚平放在地板上。Cross your right ankle over your left knee and bring your left knee toward your chest. Interlace your fingers behind your left hamstring or left knee and gently pull toward your chest. Stop when you feel a stretch in your right glute and hip. Hold the stretch for up to 2 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

Moves like the standing calf stretch can help knee pain if ankle stiffness is causing changes in knee mechanics. To see this in action, imagine if you’re trying to squat with tight ankles. Tightness at the ankle can cause your knees to creep over your toes when you get into the bottom of the squat, which puts more load (Read: stress) into the knee joints, according to Loberg.

How to do it:站在髋关节宽度的脚上站立。在保持双腿笔直的同时，向后一英尺，然后将后跟压入地面，直到您在小腿上柔和。保持30–60秒。开关侧。重复1-2次。

伸展运动可以提供短期的缓解，但是为了永久固定膝盖，您必须解决疼痛的根源。最好的选择是与物理治疗师合作，以查明故障点并找到长期解决方案。如果您患有关节炎或肌腱撕裂或肌腱，这一点尤其重要。确保避免任何使疼痛恶化的拉伸。

Make progress every day while you work on mini fitness and nutrition goals, like walking more steps or learning to track macros. Go to “计划” in the MyFitnessPal app for daily coaching and easy-to-follow tasks to keep you motivated.