Editor’s note: Before starting any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you experience pain.

CNN
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Knee pain is surprisingly common. While you may be tempted to sit on the couch if one or both of your knees hurt, exercise—Pilates in particular—can be a much better option. It all depends on the reason for your pain.

About 25 percent of adults experience knee pain, according to a 2018 study published in the journal American Family Physician. The report also found that the prevalence of knee pain has increased by 65% ​​over the past 20 years.

Osteoarthritis is often the cause of knee pain, especially for women and older adults, according to Arthritis Foundation. But knee pain can also result from injury, weak or tight muscles, obesity, overuse or muscle imbalances.

“Getting a correct diagnosis is very important,” said Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine physician at Rheumatology Therapeutics Medical Center in Tarzana, California. “You’ll want to know if the pain is from, say, a fracture, meniscus tearor osteoarthritis rheumatoid arthritis.”

Knee pain from the poor biomechanics it’s the driving force behind many of the knee problems seen by Shari Berkowitz, a biomechanist and founder of The Vertical Workshop, a studio in Westchester County, New York, that offers continuing education to Pilates instructors.

“People have misalignment and then irritation or strains occur,” Berkowitz said. “Over many years, it can turn into a catastrophic injury, like a muscle tear, or it can become something that affects the cartilage and turns into osteoarthritis.”

If you have sudden knee pain, it’s probably best to rest the knee initially, Kreitenberg said. But you don’t want to sit still for too long. “In the long term, this leads to muscle weakness and atrophy,” he said. “Working on strengthening the support structures of the knee, especially the surrounding muscles, can often help relieve stress on the injured area and help with flexibility and pain.”

Pilates exercises can be beneficial to avoid knee pain. The regimen was found to be effective in reducing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, back pain, and neck pain in a systematic review published in the March 2022 issue of the journal. Musculoskeletal care.

Even those without knee pain can benefit from strengthening the structures that support the knees, as these joints are the largest in the body and quite complex. They are also extraordinarily strong, absorbing a lot of force from daily activities, a process known as knee load.

Your knees absorb about 1.5 times your body weight while walking on level ground. This increases to 316% of body weight while climbing stairs and 346% while descending stairs, according to a August 2010 study published in the Journal of Biomechanics.

To avoid knee pain, you first need to be strong quadricepshamstrings, glutes and calves, Kreitenberg said. It is also helpful to have strong hip joint muscles. “It’s all connected,” he said. “If you have a weakness in any area of ​​your body, it can cause misalignment and excessive force in areas you don’t want.”

The simple, low-impact movements of Pilates have been found to improve people’s mobility, gait and postural stability in a Meta-analysis September 2021.

Here are five easy exercises to try.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Make sure your feet are parallel and a fist apart, Berkowitz said. Breathe from the diaphragm and engage your corethen lift your pelvis and spine off the floor. Hold for five breaths and then lower your back down.

WATCH: Do you have tight hamstrings? The breathing bridge can help

In this Pilates exercise, start by sitting straight on a mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your knees with your elbows at your sides, Berkowitz said, then gently wrap around your spine. Inhale and roll your pelvis and spine away from your legs until your arms are straight, then exhale and roll your pelvis and spine back up.

Stand with your feet and legs parallel to each other and shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself as if you were sitting on a chair, making sure to press your heels into the floor.

It is also important to keep the middle of the knees in line with the middle of the feet, which is the space between the joints of the second and third toes. Hold, then stand up.

“You want that proper knee and leg alignment,” Berkowitz said. “That’s a huge component of why knee problems develop.”

Lie on your back with your right knee bent.

Engage the abdominal muscles and, keeping the chest open, squeeze the muscles of the left thigh and raise the left leg to the same height as the bent right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat on the opposite leg.

Standing hamstring curl

Stand straight with your knees 1 or 2 inches apart. Holding on to a stable chair or counter, slowly bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower your leg to the floor. Repeat with the other leg.

You can train for up to three sets of 10 to 15 reps for these exercises, though Berkowitz said to generally do three sets of three to five reps of a Pilates exercise.

The most effective Pilates experience to reduce knee pain would also include reformer exercises, a Pilates machine that facilitates precise movements, muscle engagement and body alignment, and additional mat exercises.

Experts agree that these five exercises should help relieve knee pain, although they are not cure-alls.

“Although it’s impossible to say how much they’ll help any given person, incorporating these exercises could help relieve about 20 percent to 30 percent of knee pain,” Kreitenberg said.

Berkowitz agreed. “When you have something serious, like a joint injury or a disease like osteoarthritis, there aren’t five exercises that can fix it,” she said. “I’m just a little extra. You also need to do things like only wear shoes that stay on your feet themselves – no flip flops, slides, or backless shoes. Eat protein because you need muscle to support your joints. Get enough sleep. And keep moving. You have to keep moving.”

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Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance writer specializing in hiking, travel and fitness.