Exercises for Bad Knees: A Gentle At-Home Routine

The best exercises for bad knees are low-impact moves that build strength without deep bending or pounding, such as heel slides, short-arc quad lifts, side-lying leg lifts, supported mini squats and seated marches. Done slowly at home a few times a week, they ease stiffness and help your knees feel steadier.

A bad knee usually isn’t broken. More often it is sensitive, stiff, or short on support from the muscles around it. This routine is built for exactly that, with every move done lying down, seated or holding onto something steady.

What Exercises Are Good for Bad Knees?

Good exercises for bad knees share three traits. They keep impact low, they let you control how far the knee bends, and they build the muscles that support the joint.

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That rules out a lot of what people think of as a workout, like jumping, running hills or heavy squats. It leaves plenty of options. Lying, seated and supported standing moves can build real strength without much grinding or aching.

A question I hear a lot is whether bad knees mean you should stop exercising. For most everyday aches, the answer is the opposite. Muscles that stop working get weaker, and weaker muscles leave more strain for the joint to handle.

Why the Hips Matter: Exercises for Bad Knees and Hips

In my corrective exercise work, I almost always check the hips when someone’s knees hurt. The hip decides where the thigh points, and the thigh decides where the knee goes.

When the muscles on the side of the hip are weak, the knee tends to collapse inward on steps, stairs and getting out of the car. That puts the kneecap and the inner knee under more stress. Strengthening the hips often helps both joints at once.

That’s why several moves below target the glutes and outer hip. If your hips feel tight as well as weak, my guide to hip mobility exercises for women over 40 pairs well with this routine.

Easy Exercises for Bad Knees at Home: The Routine

These easy exercises for bad knees go from lying down, to seated, to standing with support. Do them in order, three days a week. Move slowly, breathe normally, and stop any move that causes sharp pain.

1. Heel Slides (2 Sets of 10)

Lie on your back with both legs straight. Slowly slide one heel toward your seat, bending the knee only as far as feels okay, then slide it back out.

This gently restores bend without any weight on the joint. It’s a good warm-up for stiff mornings.

2. Short-Arc Quad Lifts (2 Sets of 10 Each Side)

Lie on your back with a rolled towel or firm pillow under one knee. Tighten your thigh and straighten the knee to lift your heel off the floor, hold for 3 seconds, then lower.

This trains the last bit of knee straightening, which is often weak in sore knees. The knee only moves a small amount, so it is easy on the joint.

3. Bridges with a Pause (2 Sets of 10)

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Lift your hips until your body forms a line from shoulders to knees, hold for 3 seconds, then lower slowly.

The pause builds glute strength without needing more reps. Keep your feet close enough that the knees stay bent at a comfortable angle.

4. Side-Lying Leg Lifts (2 Sets of 10 Each Side)

Lie on your side with your bottom knee bent and top leg straight. Lift the top leg about a foot, keeping your toes pointing forward, then lower slowly.

This targets the outer hip muscles that keep the knee lined up. Go slow and keep your hips stacked rather than rolling back.

5. Seated Knee Extensions (2 Sets of 10 Each Side)

Sit tall in a sturdy chair with feet flat. Slowly straighten one knee until your leg is out in front of you, squeeze your thigh for 2 seconds, then lower.

This builds the quads with no body weight on the knee. Only straighten as far as feels okay.

6. Seated Marches (2 Sets of 20 Total)

Sit tall near the front of the chair. Lift one knee a few inches, lower it, then lift the other, like marching in place.

Marching works the hip flexors and gets blood moving around the knee. It’s a good choice on days when standing moves feel like too much.

7. Supported Mini Squats (2 Sets of 10)

Stand behind a sturdy chair with your hands resting on the back. Bend your knees a few inches as if to sit, keeping your heels down, then stand tall.

Only go a quarter of the way down at first. As your knees settle, you can lower a little further over the weeks.

8. Standing Hip Abduction (2 Sets of 10 Each Side)

Stand tall holding the chair back. Keeping your body upright, lift one leg out to the side a few inches, then lower slowly.

This trains the outer hip in a standing position, which carries over to walking and stairs. Avoid leaning your upper body away from the lifting leg.

The Routine at a Glance

Use this table to pick a shorter version on busy or sore days. The first column shows where you do each move.

Exercises Not to Do with Bad Knees (for Now)

Very few moves are off limits forever. These are the exercises not to do with bad knees while your joints are sensitive. Bring them back gradually once the routine above feels easy.

1. Jumping and high-impact cardio. Jump squats, burpees and running on hard surfaces send big forces through the knee. Try low-impact cardio instead.
2. Deep squats with weight. Keep squats shallow and supported for now. My guide to squat alternatives for bad knees has options.
3. Kneeling on hard floors. Use a thick cushion or skip kneeling moves until your knee settles.
4. Twisting under load. Pivoting sports and fast direction changes can wait.
5. Long, deep forward lunges. They load the front knee hard. Step back into a short reverse lunge later instead.

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How to Make the Routine Easier or Harder

Every move here can be scaled. Make it easier with fewer reps, a smaller range, or more support from your hands. Make it harder with more reps, a slower lowering phase, or less support.

Change only one thing per week. If your knee feels the same or better the next morning, keep going. If it feels worse, step back to the previous level.

When you’re ready for more, my guide to knee strengthening exercises is the natural next step, and the gym version lives in strength training with bad knees.

When to See a Doctor

Gentle exercise suits most achy knees, but some signs point to an injury or condition that needs a proper exam first.

See your doctor or a physical therapist if your knee swells quickly, locks or catches, gives way, or can’t take weight. Also get checked for pain after a fall or twist, a hot and red joint, pain with fever, numbness, or pain that wakes you at night.

Quick Questions

Your This-Week Plan

1. Day 1: Do the full routine at the lower rep numbers and note how your knees feel.
2. Day 2: Take a 10 to 15 minute walk on flat ground and do heel slides at home.
3. Day 3: Repeat the routine, adding a pause or a couple of reps to any easy move.
4. Day 4: Rest, or do seated marches and heel slides only.
5. Day 5: Repeat the routine and try going slightly lower on supported mini squats.
6. Days 6 and 7: Walk or cycle gently and plan next week’s three sessions.

This guide is part of my knee pain and knee-friendly workouts guide, where you’ll find routines for stairs, squats, runner’s knee and stiff, achy knees.

The Bottom Line

Exercises for bad knees don’t need to be hard to work. Lying, seated and supported moves that build the quads, glutes and outer hip can ease stiffness and make everyday movement feel steadier.

Start gently, progress slowly, and give it six to eight weeks. Most achy knees respond well to steady, patient strength work.

This article is for general education and isn’t medical advice. If your knees hurt after an injury, or you notice swelling, locking, giving way, redness, fever, numbness, or pain at night, see your doctor or a physical therapist before starting these exercises, and stop any move that causes sharp pain.