Do you find yourself with chronic aches and pains in your  knees during exercise or day to day activities? Then give  these exercises a try to get you feeling better and up and  

running so you can participate in the activities that you  enjoy!

Here are some simple exercises that you can do  anywhere that will help correct the problem: 

1.) Clam Shells - One of the root causes of the most  common knee related issues is hip weakness. The hip  abductors and hip external rotators are very important for  knee control and stability. When weakness is present in  these groups of muscles, pain is often felt particularly in  the knee.  

Lay on your side. You can use a pillow or towel rolled up  to support your neck if desired. Bend your knees toward  your chest, keeping your back straight and your feet  aligned with your body. Keep your feet together, lift your  top knee toward the ceiling. Keep your hips straight, not  allowing yourself to roll forward when you lift your leg.  Pause briefly, then slowly lower your knee back down to  the start position. Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions on each  leg, 2-3 days per week. 

2.) Glute Bridge - Having weak glutes contribute to knee  pain, as well as having a negative effect on posture. The  glute bridge is a great low impact exercise to strengthen the glutes, but also take any unnecessary pressure off of  our knees.  

Lay on your back and bend your knees so your feet are  flat, and your fingertips can touch your heels. Keep your  knees, feet, and hips in line with each other. Lay your  arms by your side, keeping them relaxed. Tighten the  muscles of your glutes and lift your hips toward the  ceiling. Only raise your hips as high as you can without  causing back pain. Pause, then slowly lower your hips  down to the start position. Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions  2-3 days per week. 

3.) Hamstring Curls on Stability Ball - The goal with  hamstring curls is to target the hamstrings, because when  you contract them, the hamstrings help to stabilize the  knee during compound movements such as squats and  lunges, as well as prevent any excessive force on the  anterior part of the knee during extension. This is a key  factor when working to prevent knee pain and maximize  lower body movements. 

Lay on your back, placing the backs of your lower legs  and heels on the top of a stability ball. Position your feet  hip-width apart on the ball with your ankles, toes pointing  towards the ceiling. Then contract your abdominal/core  muscles to flatten your low back into the floor. Try to  maintain this muscle contraction throughout the exercise.  Extend your arms out to your sides with palms turned to 

the floor to help stabilize your body. Then press your hips  upwards off the floor into extension by contracting your  glutes. At the same time press the backs of your lower  legs and heels into the ball for additional stability.  Continue to press upwards until your legs and hips are  straight with your torso and legs in alignment. Then  contract your hamstrings to move your heels towards your  hips while toes point away from your shins, while the soles  of your feet are on top of the ball. Continue to pull your  heels towards hips, raising your hips further off the floor.  Maintain a stable torso, keeping it parallel with your upper  thighs. Then repeat the process in reverse on the way  back down. Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions 2-3 days per  week.  

4.) Wall Sits - Isometric exercises like Wall Sits are an  excellent and safe way to build strength in your legs  without having a heavy impact on your knees. Your risk  for injury is the highest when a force is placed on your  muscles that exceeds the muscle's capacity to handle  the load. Depending on the position of the joint, the  muscles surrounding it can have different load capacities  to handle stress. When we hold a position at a specific  range for a specific period of time, also known as time  under tension, we are able to strengthen the muscles,  tendons, and ligaments. 

Stand with your back against a wall, with your feet about shoulder width apart. Slowly bend your knees, and keep  your back and pelvis against the wall. Don’t bend any  deeper than parallel. If you feel pressure or discomfort in  your knees, adjust your position above parallel. Do 3 sets  of 10 second holds 2-3 days per week. Increase by 5  seconds as you the difficulty decreases.  

5.) Step Ups - Knee pain is more often than not an  imbalance in the quadricep muscles. This imbalance  leads to the patella, or kneecap, tracking getting pulled  out of line which results in pain. Step ups are a great way  to strengthen the muscles around the knees, and even  out any muscular imbalances in your legs that could be  contributing to your knee pain.  

Place one foot on a box, bench, platform, or the lowest  step on a staircase. Keeping your pelvis level, bend your  knee and slowly lower the opposite foot to the floor.  Lightly touch your toe to the floor, then rise back up. Do 3  sets of 10 repetitions each leg 2-3 days per week. If this is too easy, use a higher step.