Think Squats & Lunges Are Bad For Your Knees? Watch This

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, the arthritis specialist physio, shows us what we can do:

The movements that work for you

Squats and lunges are very valuable for building and maintaining mobility (flexibility and strength) in ways that are important, and knee pain with traditional versions doesn’t mean you need to stop strengthening your legs.

Dr. Kuhn presents the following alternatives/adjustments if you need to make some accommodations:

• Raise the seat for sit-to-stands: use a cushion, firm pillow, or higher surface such as a bed to reduce how deeply your knees bend, then gradually move to a lower surface as your knees become more comfortable with the movement.
• Use your arms for sit-to-stands: push from the chair, your legs, or a suspension strap to help you stand while keeping your chest upright and good form, rather than forcing your legs to do everything and potentially increasing pain.
• Step back and march: hold onto something stable, step one leg back, shift your weight onto the front leg, and march back up, gradually increasing the front knee bend as you become more comfortable, to build single-leg strength while getting used to the lunge position.
• Elevate your front foot: place one foot on a step stool or stair and the other behind you, then bend and straighten both knees while keeping most of the work on the elevated front leg, using support for balance if needed.
• Try reverse lunges: when progressing toward a full lunge, step backwards rather than forwards so your weight is distributed more evenly between both legs and there’s less tendency to shift your weight forwards onto the front knee.

Do note that some initial dull discomfort that settles during the movement can occur with a new exercise, but sharp or significant pain during or after the exercise, or swelling afterward, means the variation is currently too demanding and should be modified further. In such cases, wherever it is safe to do so, simply change the movement in one of the above ways to make it easier while you need that, rather than just not strengthening your legs at all.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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For a much deeper understanding of treating knee pain, here’s a great book that we reviewed a little while back:

Treat Your Own Knee – by Robin McKenzie ← he’s a physiotherapist and not a doctor, and/but with 40 years of practice to his name and 33 letters after his name (CNZM OBE FCSP (Hon) FNZSP (Hon) Dip MDT Dip MT), he seems to know his stuff. His work is very well-respected, and almost any English-speaking physiotherapist will have read his books.

Take care!