Best Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis

Published by Innovare Tx · Facts last checked September 23, 2026 · Educational information, not medical advice.

1. 1. Straight-leg raise

   Lie on the floor propped on your elbows, with the sore leg straight and the other knee bent and that foot flat. Tighten the front of the thigh on the straight leg, lift it about 6 to 10 inches, hold for 5 seconds, then lower it slowly. The AAOS program lists 3 sets of 10, four to five days a week, as a common starting point, adding a light ankle weight only once it feels easy.

   This works the quadriceps without bending the knee, which makes it a useful first exercise for an irritable joint. Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed. If lying on the floor is hard, ask a clinician about a version done on a bed.

   • Main muscle: quadriceps (front of the thigh)
   • Knee stays straight, so joint loading is low
   • Stop if you feel pain in the knee or low back during the lift
   Why quadriceps strength matters for a sore knee

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program · Arthritis Foundation: Knee Exercises

2. 2. Seated knee extension

   Sit tall in a sturdy chair. Tighten the thigh and slowly straighten the sore knee until the leg is as straight as you can comfortably make it, hold for 5 seconds, then lower the foot to the floor. The AAOS program lists 3 sets of 10, four to five days a week, as a starting point.

   Move slowly and do not swing the leg. If the kneecap grinds or aches at one part of the movement, work in the range that feels comfortable and mention it to your clinician.

   • Main muscle: quadriceps
   • Can be done at home with no equipment
   • Add resistance only once 3 sets feel easy

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program

3. 3. Sit-to-stand

   Sit toward the front of a firm chair with your feet flat and hip-width apart. Lean forward slightly and stand up, then sit back down slowly and under control. Use your hands on the armrests at first if you need them. The Arthritis Foundation describes this as practice for getting out of chairs, beds and cars, and progresses it from an easiest level to a hardest level.

   To make it easier, use a higher seat or push with your arms. To make it harder, use a lower seat, pause just above the chair, or hold a light weight. This is often one of the measures a therapist rechecks, because it mirrors something you do many times a day.

   • Trains the thigh, hip and balance together
   • Adjust difficulty by seat height and arm use
   • Have a stable chair that will not slide

   Checked on: Arthritis Foundation: Knee Exercises

4. 4. Half squat (mini squat)

   Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the back of a chair or a counter if you need balance. Keep your chest up and lower your hips about 10 inches, as if starting to sit, with your weight in your heels. Hold for 5 seconds and stand back up. The AAOS program lists 3 sets of 10, four to five days a week, as a starting point.

   Only go as low as is comfortable. A shallow squat done well is more useful than a deep one done with pain.

   • Main muscles: quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings
   • Do not bend forward at the waist
   • Stop if pain builds as you go deeper

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program

5. 5. Step-up

   Stand facing the bottom stair with a hand on the rail. Step up with the sore leg, straighten the knee, bring the other foot up, then step down slowly. Start with a low step. The Arthritis Foundation includes step-ups to make stair climbing safer and progresses them through three levels.

   Lowering yourself slowly is often harder than stepping up, so control the step down. If stairs are the main thing your knee stops you doing, this is usually worth practicing.

   • Practices a real-life task: stairs and curbs
   • Always use a rail or a steady support
   • Choose a lower step if the knee aches on the way down

   Checked on: Arthritis Foundation: Knee Exercises

6. 6. Standing hamstring curl

   Hold the back of a chair. Bend the sore knee and bring your heel up toward your buttock as far as you can without pain, hold for 5 seconds, then lower it. Keep your knees close together. The AAOS program lists 3 sets of 10, four to five days a week, as a common starting point.

   The hamstrings work with the quadriceps to control the knee. Add a light ankle weight only when the movement feels easy.

   • Main muscle: hamstrings (back of the thigh)
   • Keep your trunk upright and still

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program

7. 7. Side-lying hip abduction

   Lie on your side with the sore leg on top and the bottom knee bent for support. Keep the top leg straight but not locked and lift it slowly to about 45 degrees, hold for 5 seconds, then lower. The AAOS program lists 3 sets of 20, four to five days a week, as a starting point.

   Weak hip muscles change how the knee is loaded with every step, which is why knee programs train the hip too. Do not roll the leg or the pelvis backward to lift higher.

   • Main muscles: outer hip and glutes
   • Fewer, slower lifts beat many fast ones
   • Stop if you feel pain in the hip or back
   What a knee physical therapy program contains

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program

8. 8. Calf raise

   Stand holding the back of a chair with your weight on both feet. Rise up onto your toes, then lower slowly. The AAOS version is done on the sore leg alone, with 2 sets of 10 as a starting point; many people begin with both feet and progress to one.

   Strong calves help absorb force when your foot lands, and this exercise also asks for a little balance. Keep your weight over the ball of the foot.

   • Main muscles: calf (gastrocnemius and soleus)
   • Hold a support the whole time

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program

9. 9. Hamstring and quadriceps stretches

   For the hamstring, lie on your back, lift one leg, hold behind the thigh (or loop a towel around it) and straighten the knee until you feel a gentle stretch. For the quadriceps, stand holding a chair, bend the knee and gently bring your heel toward your buttock. The AAOS program suggests holding each stretch 30 to 60 seconds.

   The Arthritis Foundation's advice is to stretch slowly, only until you feel a gentle stretch, and never to the point of pain. Do not pull on the knee joint itself. Stretching after strengthening can ease stiffness.

   • Supports range of motion, including full straightening of the knee
   • Gentle stretch only; it should not hurt

   Checked on: AAOS OrthoInfo: Knee Conditioning Program · Arthritis Foundation: Knee Exercises

10. 10. Single-leg balance

    Stand at a kitchen counter with your fingertips resting on it. Lift one foot slightly and hold your balance for up to 30 seconds, then switch sides. As it gets easier, use less support. Do this with a counter or sturdy surface within reach every time.

    Balance exercises carry a conditional recommendation for knee osteoarthritis in the 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation guideline, and the AAOS notes that balance, agility and coordination work combined with regular exercise may help function and walking speed.

    • Conditional recommendation (ACR/Arthritis Foundation 2019)
    • Always within reach of a support
    • Skip it and ask your clinician if you have had recent falls

    Checked on: Kolasinski SL, et al. 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis Care Res. 2020 · AAOS OrthoInfo: Arthritis of the Knee