Tackling Knee Joint Pain With Low-Impact Exercises

As I've been exercising more recently, I've started to feel jolts of pain in my knees followed by achiness. It turns out this site asked (and answered!) exactly what I was wondering: joint pain during menopause – is this normal?! While pain in the joints is an unfortunate part of us getting older, women like us can also get joint pain because of hormone changes during menopause.
I don't want knee pain to get in the way of my exercise routine, so I'm now incorporating some gentle, low-impact stretches, which don't put pressure or force on my joints. The best part is that they are done sitting or lying down!

Now, Moving onto the Exercises…

This site has a lot of good stretches with photos on how to do them. Since right now my pain is only nagging and not severe, I'm focusing on the exercises that strengthen the leg muscles and joints, which will hopefully prevent knee pain when I do my aerobic exercises.

CALF STRETCH

Start by holding onto the back of chair. Bend one leg and step back with the other, aiming to press your heel on the floor for 10 seconds. You should feel the stretch in your calf muscle. Don't forget to switch legs!

LEG RAISES

Lie down on your exercise mat and keep yourself supported on your elbows. Bend one knee and then lift up the other leg, pointing your toes toward the ceiling. Hold it for 3 seconds and then lower your leg to the mat slowly.

HAMMY STRETCH

You need a towel or sheet for this exercise. Lie down on your mat and hold an end of the sheet in each hand. Loop in around your foot and use it to pull your leg up at a 45 degree angle. Hold it up for about 20 seconds and then bring it down slowly.

PILLOW SQUISH

This one is my personal favorite because it's fun and promotes knee support. You can do this lying on your back or sitting in a chair. Put a pillow between your knees and then squeeze your knees together for 5 seconds.  I usually do 15 or 20 reps. My cat loves sleeping on the pillow after it's gotten all squished up! (or maybe I've just been using her favorite one for this exercise…)

This is just a handful of the exercises you can do to manage and prevent knee pain. I just go with whatever set of stretches tickles my fancy that day. Good luck!