4 exercises to eliminate knee pain

Knee pain is a common complaint among runners. While there are a variety of potential causes, it can often be attributed to weak muscles in your hips, which place a strain on your IT band and cause pain in your knees. If you’re struggling with knee pain, try adding these four exercises to your daily routine to strengthen your hips, so you can get back to running pain-free.

Is your knee pain arthritis, or something more treatable?

The following exercises are very simple and require minimal equipment, making them easy to do wherever you are. (If you’re experiencing a lot of pain on your run, you should stop, and make an appointment with a physiotherapist, sports doctor or chiropractor, who will likely be able to pinpoint the cause of your pain and provide an effective treatment plan.)

Exercise 1: Side-lying leg lifts

1. Lie on the ground on your left side, supporting your head with your arm for comfort.
2. Bend your left knee at 90 degrees and extend your right leg out straight.
3. Squeezing your right glute muscle, slowly lift your leg in the air, keeping your leg straight. Lift your leg as high as you can without using your obliques or moving your upper body.
4. Pause at the top, then slowly lower back to the ground.
5. Repeat for 10-15 repetitions, then switch sides. Do this three times on each side.

Exercise 2: Standing hip hikes

1. Stand on one leg on a step or block, with the other foot in the air to the side of the block.
2. Keeping your supporting leg straight, lower your foot to the ground by dipping your hip downward.
3. Hike your hip to raise your foot back off the ground, bringing your hip up as high as you can without excessively leaning to the other side.
4. Repeat for 10-15 repetitions, then switch to the other side. Do this three times on each side.

Exercise 3: Single-leg toe taps for glute stability

1. Standing on one leg, lower into a semi-squat.
2. Slowly extend your opposite leg out to the side and tap your toe on the ground, then return to the starting position. Use a chair or post for balance if you need it. Repeat this five times.
3. Remaining in that semi-squat position, reach your opposite leg behind you and tap your toe on the ground, then return to the starting position. Repeat this five times.
4. Remaining in the semi-squat position, reach your opposite leg out in front of you and tap your toe on the ground. Repeat this five times.
5. Once you’ve done five reps of each variation, switch legs and repeat. Do each leg three times.

Exercise 4: Standing isometric hip abduction

1. Stand a few inches away from a wall, with your left hip pointed toward the wall.
2. Standing on your right leg, extend your left leg toward the wall until your foot is pressed against the wall, keeping your left leg straight.
3. Press your foot into the wall, applying as much pressure as you can, and hold for as long as you can (your goal should be to eventually hold that position for 45 seconds).
4. Repeat on the other side, for three on each leg.