Protect Yourself From Knee Injuries With the 14 Best Knee Stretches 

Muscles worked: Hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, lower back

Benefits: The knee-to-chest promotes knee health by targeting and stretching your hamstring muscles, one of the most integral muscle groups to proper knee function. It’s also classified as a “Williams back exercise,” which, according to StatPearls², may help relieve lower back pain by hitting your lower back, glutes, and hip flexors.

How to do it: 

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended.
2. Lift one leg, bend your knee, and bring it toward your chest.
3. Grab your shin with both hands and gently pull your knee into your chest.
4. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat the stretch for your other leg.

RELATED: Best Hip Flexor Stretches

Muscles worked: Hamstrings, glutes, calves, back, neck

Benefits: Again, your hammies play a major role in knee function since they’re one of the most important muscles for knee flexion. So, the hamstring stretch ranks as one of the best stretching exercises for your knees. According to Heliyon³, “Multiple bouts of [static stretching] can significantly improve hamstring ROM [range of motion],” so you should do this one regularly.

How to do it: 

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Tuck your left foot into your right thigh, keeping your right leg straight.
3. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in the back of the thigh.
4. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat the stretch, this time tucking your right foot into your left thigh.

RELATED: Best Hamstring Stretches

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hip flexors, core

Benefits: The straight-leg raise is a simple exercise that also serves as a test, the aptly named “straight-leg raise test⁴,” that healthcare professionals use during an initial diagnosis of leg or lower back pain. The straight-leg raise predominantly targets and strengthens the quadriceps, which, according to the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery⁵, are so effective that they may help recent recipients of a total-knee arthroplasty recover faster.

How to do it: 

1. Lie back on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Lift your right leg in the air, keeping your left leg on the floor (or knee bent).
3. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release and return to the starting position.
4. Repeat the stretch for your other leg.

Muscles worked: Quadriceps

Benefits: “Your quads are one of the largest muscle groups in your lower body, and they play a critical role in extending and stabilizing your knees,” says Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, “so, the quadriceps stretch is one of the best stretches for improving knee flexibility and mobility.”

How to do it: 

1. Stand with a strong upper body posture and your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Lift your left foot behind you and grab the top of it with your left hand.
3. Pull your foot toward your glutes until you feel a stretch in the front of the thigh.
4. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release with control.
5. Repeat the stretch with your right foot.

RELATED: Best Quad Stretches

Muscles worked: Hip adductors 

Benefits: The side-lying adduction exercise strengthens your hips and inner thigh muscles, which, in turn, lightens the load on your quads and knees and thus promotes knee health. 

How to do it: 

1. Lie on your right side with your right hip and right forearm resting on the mat.
2. Bend your top leg and place the foot on the floor in front of your bottom leg.
3. Put your left hand in front of your body for support.
4. Brace your core and lift your right leg to close the gap between your thighs.
5. Squeeze your thigh muscles at the top, then slowly return to the starting position.
6. Repeat for reps, then switch sides and repeat the set.

Muscles worked: Quadriceps, hip flexors, core

Benefits: The seated leg raise is a fantastic strengthening exercise for your quads, hip flexors, and core, which can help alleviate some of the stress you put on your knee joints during daily activities like walking, running, or jumping. Doing these in a chair is especially helpful for individuals with chronic knee joint pain or those recovering after a knee injury or operation.

How to do it: 

1. Sit in a chair with your knees bent at 90 degrees.
2. Place your hands palms-down on your seat.
3. Straighten one leg by slowly lifting it toward the ceiling.
4. Continue until your leg is nearly parallel with the floor.
5. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.
6. Repeat the movement using your other leg or perform the movement with both legs simultaneously.

Muscles worked: Glutes, hips

Benefits: It’s a bit tricky to get into the position when you’re first learning the figure-four stretch. But when you do, this stretching exercise loosens your glutes, namely the gluteus medius and often-overlooked piriformis muscle, to relieve pressure on your quads and, as a result, your knees.

How to do it: 

1. Lie supine (face up) with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Raise your left leg and place your left ankle just above your right knee.
3. Extend both of your arms forward, reaching your left arm through your legs, and grab your leg just below your knee.
4. Pull your knee into your chest until you feel the stretch.
5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release.
6. Repeat the stretch for your opposite side.

RELATED: Best Glute Stretches

Muscles worked: Glutes, piriformis

Benefits: Piriformis weakness or tightness puts extra strain on the knees when you walk, so loosening up this often-overlooked gluteal muscle helps reduce that impact and move with less nagging aches and pains.

How to do it: 

1. Sit in a chair or a bench with your left foot flat on the floor and your right ankle crossed over your left knee, creating a figure-four shape.
2. Gently push down on the knee of your top leg until you feel a stretch in your glutes.
3. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release.
4. Switch legs and repeat the stretch.

Muscles worked: Calves

Benefits: “Stretching your ankles improves ankle flexibility and mobility, relieves calf tightness, and improves your overall movement efficiency,” says Kate. “That helps lighten the load on your knees, promoting greater overall knee health and function.”

How to do it:

1. Enter a half-kneeling position: right knee bent at a 90-degree angle, left knee and right foot planted flat on the floor.
2. Drive your knee forward past your toes and hold for approximately 5 seconds.
3. Return to the starting position, then drive your knee outward for 5 seconds.
4. Return to the starting position, then drive your knee inward for 5 seconds.
5. Switch legs and repeat the stretch for your other side.

RELATED: Best Mobility Exercises

Muscles worked: Calves

Benefits: A 2020 study in the Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences⁶ recommended that patients with knee osteoarthritis incorporate calf strengthening exercises to reduce symptoms of the condition. Stretching your calf muscles isn’t only for individuals with osteoarthritis; everyone can benefit from the added stability provided by loosening up their calves.

How to do it: 

1. Stand in a staggered stance in front of a wall with your toes pointing forward.
2. Place your hands on the wall at approximately shoulder height for support.
3. Straighten your back leg, keeping your back heel on the floor at all times.
4. Lean forward, bending your front knee as you move, until you feel a light stretch.
5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release.
6. Switch legs and repeat.

RELATED: Calf Exercises

Muscles worked: Hip flexors, glutes

Benefits: Opening up your hips with stretching exercises like the half-kneeling hip flexor stretch can help reduce pressure on your quadriceps and knees. That means less soreness and knee joint pain during your daily activities, as well as overall improved movement mechanics, thanks to the reduced lower-body muscle tightness.

How to do it: 

1. Enter a half-kneeling position: left knee bent at a 90-degree angle, right knee and left foot planted flat on the floor.
2. Lean into the front knee, opening your hips so that they’re squared with the front of the room.
3. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release.
4. Switch legs and repeat.

Muscles worked: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, core

Benefits: According to a study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise⁷, “The squat can be effective in developing hip, knee, and ankle musculature” because of the muscle activation in your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Standard bodyweight squats may be difficult for beginners, so the wall squat can be an excellent modification.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with the back of your head, shoulders, and glutes resting against a wall.
2. Step forward so that your feet are roughly one or two feet from the wall.
3. Bend your knees and slowly slide your back down the wall.
4. Continue until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor.
5. Pause, then drive through your heels to slide back up to the starting position.
6. Repeat for reps.

Muscles worked: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, core

Benefits: Some studies⁸ caution against the squat exercise, especially if you’re working around knee pain, because the peak stress squats may place on your knee joints put you at a higher risk for developing knee injuries and conditions like patellofemoral pain syndrome. Others disagree with this notion; for example, Sports Medicine⁹ found that “Squats do not contribute increased risk of injury to passive tissues” and “present an effective training exercise for protection against injuries and strengthening of the lower extremity.”

How to do it: 

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Position your arms either down by your sides, extended in front of your body, or across your chest. Squeeze your glutes, engage your core, and keep your head neutral. 
3. Squat toward the floor by bending your knees, ensuring that your knees align with your toes. Then pause momentarily when your quadriceps are at least parallel to the ground.
4. Drive your heels into the floor to slowly return to the standing position.
5. Continue for the desired number of reps.

RELATED: Proper Squat Form

Muscles worked: Hip flexors, hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, lower back 

Benefits: The lunge exercise strengthens various lower body muscle groups, meaning you’ll enjoy improved lower-body strength, mobility, and stability that promotes greater overall knee health. Performing lunges and getting into a nice deep lunge stretch both provide these benefits, so don’t be shy about programming a few sets of lunges and close out your training session with a deep lunge stretch to loosen everything up.

How to do it: 

1. Stand with your chest tall, back straight, and feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Step forward to enter a wide lunge stance, bending both knees as you move.
3. Lean forward into your front knee until it’s at a 90-degree angle.
4. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, then release and return to the starting position.
5. Switch legs and repeat.

RELATED: Your Guide to Lunges Exercise