What Types of Exercise Are Best for People With Knee Problems?

What Types of Exercise Are Best for People With Knee Problems?
Ideally, everyone should get three types of exercise regularly:
• Range-of-motion exercises to help maintain normal
joint movement and relieve stiffness.
• Strengthening exercises to help keep or increase muscle
strength. Keeping muscles strong with exercises
such as walking up stairs, leg lifts, dips, or riding a
stationary bicycle helps support and protect the knee.
• Aerobic or endurance exercises to improve function
of the heart and circulation and to help control
weight. Weight control can be important to people
who have arthritis because extra weight puts pressure
on many joints. Some studies show that aerobic exercise
can reduce inflammation in some joints.
If you already have knee problems, your doctor or physical
therapist can help with a plan of exercise that will help the
knee(s) without increasing the risk of injury or further damage.
As a rule of thumb, you should choose gentle exercises
such as swimming, aquatic exercise, or walking over jarring
exercises such as jogging or high-impact aerobics.