Knee pain is often caused by weakness and tightness in the muscles and tendons that connect to the knees.

“This can lead to a negative interference with everyday life,” said Jeffrey Beck Intermountain Health exercise specialist.

Fortunately, he said, there are some simple things individuals can do to relieve pain that don’t involve surgery or medications.  Beck suggests doing the following stretches a few times per week to limber up the muscles supporting the knee.

1) Standing Hamstring Stretch:

• Stand on your right foot with your left foot in front of you, heel on the floor with toes pointed up.
• Hinge forward from your hips and bend your right knee as you sit back a bit, keeping your left leg straight.
• You should feel this stretch up through the hamstrings.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
• Repeat 3 times per leg.

2) Calf Stretch:

• Stand in front of a wall with one leg straight behind you and the other in front of you slightly bent.
• Place your hands on the wall and push against it, keeping your back leg straight with your heels planted on the floor.
• You should feel this stretching the calf muscle.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
• Repeat 3 times per leg.

3) Quad Stretch:

• Lie on one side and keep the bottom leg straight and bend the top knee so your foot is by your butt.
• Hold the top foot with your hand, pulling it toward your butt.
• You should feel this stretching your quadriceps.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then switch legs.
• Repeat 3 times per leg.

“The beauty of it is it doesn’t take a whole lot of time or expensive equipment,” said Beck. “If you have knee pain, you can repeat these as often as needed throughout the day to help loosen up.”

For other suggestions on living the healthiest life possible, see Intermountain Health LiVe Well.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., www.intermountainhealth.org is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,900 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called SelectHealth with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information or updates, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.

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