A 20-Minute Pilates for Knee Pain Video

“There are numerous muscular attachments across the hips that help control the motion of the knee joint and your leg,” Jaclyn Fulop, PT, founding father of Exchange Physical Therapy Group, told Well+Good in 2020. “Knee pain is commonly as a consequence of muscle imbalances from tightness and weakness, and sedentary behavior for long periods of time may cause knee pain as a consequence of these imbalances.”

For instance, she explains that when your gluteus medius (one in every of your butt muscles) is weak, it allows your thighs to rotate and pull inwards, which causes excessive strain around your knee joint. And tightness in your vastus lateralis (a part of your quadriceps) can pull your kneecap in a wonky direction and damage the cartilage underneath.

When your muscles aren’t firing optimally, that also means your joints do not get all the good things they should thrive. “A weak muscle pumps less blood out and in of the joint, meaning the knee won’t have enough nutrients, and over time they will not have the ability to work properly,” Mitch Torres, PT, physical therapist and lead editor for Knee Force previously told Well+Good. Moreover, “strong muscles also act as shock absorbers. They protect the knee joint by absorbing the impact coming from the ground. Weak muscles won’t have the ability to do that, so the entire impact can be received by the joint tissues. Over time, this makes them susceptible to injury as well.”

So what’s a woman or guy in knee pain to do?

It should go without saying that any knee pain must be checked out by a health care provider, who can determine if there’s something more serious happening. But a great bet can be to keep your muscles strong. “You will help to correct muscle imbalances with strengthening of the gluteus medius and the vastus medialis, and stretching the lateral musculature,” says Fulop. Stretching and strengthening the hips can be useful, since strong, mobile hips will help prevent movement within the kneecap and protect the cartilage in your knee.

One smart choice to make this all occur: Doing this Pilates for knee pain workout. In the most recent episode of Well+Good’s “Trainer of the Month Club,” Chloe de Winter, a Pilates instructor based in Australia, walks us through her 20-minute Pilates for knee pain routine.

Each move is designed to create the strength your body must support those knees for the long haul—and not one of the exercises should provide you with pain. In the event that they do for any reason, try a variation, or skip ahead to the subsequent move. But we’re gonna bet you may find yourself stepping off the mat with an additional spring in your step.

A 20-minute Pilates for knee pain workout

Now, who’s able to kick knee pain to the curb? Here’s what you possibly can expect.

Format: A Pilates mat workout, all done on the ground.

Equipment needed: Nothing but a mat to lie down on (comfortable carpet works just wonderful, too). Though you possibly can increase the challenge of a few the exercises with a booty band or Pilates ball (or rolled-up towel) in the event you want.

Who is that this for?: This can be a beginner-friendly workout for anyone who desires to strengthen the muscles that support their knees.

Clam series

De Winter starts off her Pilates for knee pain routine with an outer-hip exercise she swears by: clams. The movement consists of lying in your side (pick a side, any side), with one leg atop the opposite with a bend within the knees, and pulsing one knee up toward the ceiling while keeping the heels touching and the pelvis stacked.

“We’re really going to work into the muscles of the hip,” says de Winter. “Now the glute muscles throughout the hip help support those knee joints. Strong glutes mean supported knees.” By strengthening the hip and glute muscles, de Winter says that you’re going to feel more supported during walks, runs, and even while standing.

Just in case clams alone do not get those glutes burning (though they likely will), de Winter ups the ante by progressing to clams from a heels lifted position with the feet a number of inches off the ground so which you could access a greater range of motion. She eventually adds kickouts at the highest of every clam to essentially challenge those buns.

Want much more? De Winter says you possibly can add a resistance band. An excessive amount of? Don’t hesitate to take a break and punch out those glutes each time you wish. (Trust us, you are gonna feel it.)

To be sure you’ve got got the clam basics down, try this demo: 

Bridge series

The subsequent way de Winter works the muscles across the knees is with the Pilates bridge, which works the backs of the legs, including the glutes and hamstrings. “Really necessary muscles to essentially strengthen,” says de Winter, adding that they are particularly good for the knees.

To do that exercise, lie down in your back, place your feet flat, raise your hands into the sky, and lift your hips as much as form a straight line out of your shoulders to your knees, keeping a neutral spine. “Press through your heels such as you’re attempting to dig a hole,” says de Winter.

For those who’re feeling lower back pain during bridges, one tip de Winter gives is to scoop the tailbone to take the pressure off. Remember, “It is not concerning the height that you just lift. It’s about really getting the muscles to activate and fan the flames of,” she says.

The workout continues with three different variations of the bridges: pulses at the highest, bridges with heels lifted to interact the calves, after which alternating leg lifts to march with the hips in a bridge position (hello, hamstrings!).

Start by nailing that Pilates bridge form:

Abdominal work

De Winter tops off this knee-friendly Pilates series with abdominal work to essentially engage the core and supply the bottom and foundation so that you can move concerning the world in a single solid piece, without putting undue pressure on other parts of the body (just like the knees!).

This final section includes slow, gentle crunches; alternating marches that eventually add in an upper body twist to construct into bicycles. Then de Winter caps all the pieces off with triceps dips so that you get a little bit of a full-body burn, and he or she ends all of it in a delicious butterfly pose to stretch those hips, inner legs, and your back.

For those who find that ending pose leaves you craving more stretches, you possibly can make it a double feature by moving into Well+Good’s stretch series for knee pain, led by East River Pilates instructor Brian Spencer. Because, as Spencer says, “If it surrounds the knee, it’s a great idea to attempt to release it.” Expect deep calf massages, a series of lunges to open up your hips and quads, some hamstring and IT band stretches to make it easier to get the backs and sides of your legs, which can support your knees from 360 degrees. Test it out, and thank us later:

Additional reporting by Zoe Weiner