Best Exercises for Knee Pain in Overweight People

Best Exercises for Knee Pain in Overweight People focus on gentle, low-impact movements that reduce stress on the joints while improving strength, mobility, and stability. These exercises help ease pain, support weight loss, and enhance daily function safely.

Best exercises for knee pain in overweight people

It seems sensible that 20% of adult Americans have knee discomfort, since two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. The increased weight puts more strain on your knees, which can lead to long-term discomfort and other knee-related issues, such as osteoarthritis. Thankfully, exercise may help you maintain healthy knees, increase muscle, and reduce weight and fat!
You’re probably thinking, “Exercise? Really? Will exercising merely exacerbate my knee pain?
Regular exercise can actually lessen and relieve the edema, stiffness, and knee discomfort that come with being overweight or obese. Strengthening the muscles surrounding your knee is essential for both preventing and treating knee pain. Strong muscles help absorb shock, reducing additional strain and discomfort in your knee joint.
Since we use our knees for nearly every daily activity, it should come as no surprise that they eventually sustain some wear and strain. Years of standing, bending, walking, climbing, and crouching may put a lot of strain on the knees, making them vulnerable to pain, stiffness, and swelling.
Knee pain can affect people of any age; however, it is more common among the elderly. According to Everyday Health, 16.5 percent of American males and 25 percent of American women over 70 report having knee pain. Exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are two crucial actions that can help avoid and manage knee pain, regardless of age.
The force applied to your knees when walking is approximately 1.5 times your whole body weight, according to Harvard Medical experts. When you climb stairs, that force grows to two to three times your body weight; when you squat, it increases to an astounding four to five times your body weight. Your knees are under a lot of strain every day if you are currently overweight. Even a small weight loss can relieve a lot of strain on your knees and potentially ease your symptoms.
Low-impact exercises are also essential for joint lubrication and knee strength. To manage knee pain, try including these exercises in your routine:

Easy Exercises for Overweight People with Knee Pain

Maintaining your mobility and muscle strength can be achieved through regular exercise. For the treatment of OA and other causes of knee pain, it is a vital instrument.
While restricting activity or resting the leg may help you avoid discomfort, it can also harden the joint and impede healing. In the case of OA, inadequate exercise may accelerate joint deterioration.
Experts have shown that training alongside someone else might be particularly helpful for those with OA. This might be a workout partner or personal trainer. Additionally, experts suggest that people select an activity they enjoy.

Activities with little impact are an excellent choice, like:

Walking,
cycling,
swimming, or water sports
Tai chi or yoga
But you may need to refrain from exercising if you have:

Significant knee pain caused by an injury, such as a sprain or strain a symptom flare-up. When you continue your activities following an accident, you may need to utilize something softer than usual.

Ask your physician or a physical therapist to help you create a regimen that works for you and modify it if your symptoms change.

Regardless of your level of experience, exercise can often seem overwhelming, especially if you have a weak knee. Thankfully, exercise doesn’t have to be difficult or painful in order to be useful! Actually, the greatest exercises for your knees are mild, low-impact ones. These seven exercises improve your strength and flexibility while reducing strain on your knee joints.

Up and Downs (Take a seat)

With your feet level on the ground and your arms crossed or loose at your sides, depending on what feels more balanced, take a solid, armless seat.
Using deliberate motions, slowly rise to your maximum height.
After holding for a few while, carefully return to your seat. For a minute or so, repeat.

Hamstring Stretch

Sit at the edge of your chair and extend one leg straight out in front of you with your heel on the floor and your toes pointed skyward.
Next, without bending your body’s trunk forward, try moving your navel toward your thigh while sitting upright.
Do this three times for each leg.

Calf Raises

Put your back against the chair in this posture.
Raise your heels as high as you can, slowly, then bring them down.
Perform three sets of ten to fifteen repetitions.

Calf Stretch

With one leg straight behind you and the other slightly bent in front of you, face the back of your chair.
Gently place your hands over the top of your chair.
Lean your body toward the top of your chair while maintaining a straight back leg and both heels on the ground. This should be felt in your rear leg’s calf.
After a few seconds of holding, switch legs. For approximately a minute, repeat.

Straight Leg Raise

Straight Leg Raise Steps:

With one leg bent at a 90-degree angle and your foot flat on the ground, lie down. Your other leg should be completely extended.
To raise your leg to a 45-degree angle, contract your quadriceps, or thigh muscles.
After holding your leg up for one or two seconds, carefully bring it down to the floor.
Perform 8–12 repetitions in 3 sets.

Hamstring Curls

On your stomach, lie flat.
Bring your heels as near to your butt as you can, slowly, and maintain that posture.
Perform three sets of fifteen reps.
Advice: You may also perform this exercise while standing, lifting one leg at a time while holding onto the back of your chair.

Knee Rolls

**Active knee extension and flexion in supine**

Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground while lying on your back.
Keep your gaze on the ceiling and your arms by your sides.
As you gradually lower both knees to the right while keeping them together, look to the left simultaneously until your thighs and lower back begin to softly stretch.
After five seconds of holding this stretch, carefully bring your knees back to the center. Take brief breaks in between each of the ten repetitions on either side.

Wall sits

Wall sits can assist in maintaining strong and healthy knees by strengthening the muscles that support the knee joint. Place your feet hip-distance apart and lean back against the wall.
Lower your body gradually until you are sitting, then maintain the posture for 30 seconds.

Low-Impact Cardio Workouts for Knee Pain

Swimming

One of the greatest aerobic activities for your knees is swimming. It increases your flexibility and strengthens weak muscles and bones. In addition, it’s enjoyable, so jump in your neighborhood pool!
Your body is buoyant in water, which reduces the impact and pressure on your knee joints compared to weight-bearing activities that put strain on your knees as your feet strike a hard surface. Furthermore, most people can exercise in the water for extended periods of time without suffering from joint pain or exerting a lot of effort!

Elliptical Exercise

You might want to try an elliptical trainer if you don’t enjoy swimming. When utilizing an elliptical trainer, you will burn around the same number of calories as when using a treadmill. Additionally, there is less possibility of knee injury because your feet are always on the pedals. Consider this workout to be running without the impact!

Walking

Walking is a fantastic low-impact aerobic exercise that offers several health advantages, including the potential to reduce knee pain.

Avoiding Certain Exercises If You Have Knee Pain

If you are overweight, obese, or at a healthy weight, stay away from the following workouts if your knees hurt:

Running,
Lunges
Deep Squats

We understand that exercising may be difficult if you have knee discomfort. That being said, this knee brace is a pleasant solution to lessen knee pain, stiffness, and tension if you are overweight and want to start exercising but might use some extra support.

FAQs

How to relieve knee pain from being overweight?

Treat acute pain with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E.) and focus on diet and exercise to reduce weight-related knee discomfort. Low-impact activities like cycling, supportive shoes, over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen, and possibly physical therapy are further alternatives.

What exercises are good for obese people with bad knees?

Walking, cycling, aquatic exercises, and particular quad and hamstring strengthening exercises, including quad sets, straight leg raises, and bridges, are good low-impact workouts for overweight people with knee pain. To increase range of motion and flexibility, stretching is also essential.

Does knee pain go away with weight loss?

Will arthritis and knee pain be cured by decreasing weight? Losing weight won’t treat severe arthritis. However, exercise and weight loss limit the pace of cartilage deterioration. It may seem paradoxical, yet it has been demonstrated that loading a joint with exercise protects joint cartilage!

What happens to your knees when you are overweight?

Obesity frequently makes osteoarthritis, a progressive joint wear-and-tear condition, and soft tissue damage worse. Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joints is particularly affected by obesity. Each knee joint experiences four to six pounds of pressure for every pound of body weight.

What vitamin deficiency causes knee pain?

Knee pain can result from weakening bones, increased inflammation, and impaired muscle function caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Other potential deficiencies, such as magnesium and potassium, may also have an impact on bone health and muscular performance. If you experience knee pain, a doctor can order blood tests to check for deficiencies and recommend vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent potential harm, suitable supplements, or dietary adjustments.

References:

Llewellyn, J. (2021, November 22). Are You Overweight with Knee Pain? Learn These 7 Easy Exercises Even Obese People Can Do. BraceAbility. https://www.braceability.com/blogs/articles/exercises-for-overweight-knee-pain
5 exercises to relieve knee pain. (n.d.). Pioneer Valley Surgicenter. https://pvsurgery.com/news/5-exercises-to-relieve-knee-pain
Burtchell, J. (2023, February 3). 8 natural home remedies for knee pain. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/pain-relief/knee-pain-home-remedies#tai-chi

Best Exercises for Knee Pain in Overweight People

Best exercises for knee pain in overweight people