Generally, “bad knees” is the term people use when they have arthritis in their knee joints.
Osteoarthritis is a condition used to describe the degeneration of knee cartilage. (Cartilage is the rubbery connective tissue between the bones that acts as a shock absorber and facilitator of movement.)
At least 60% of Asians suffer from knee osteoarthritis. That number decreases to about 30-40% of the population in Europe and the United States.
Knee arthritis is the most common condition I deal with as a physiotherapist. More than half of my patients come in complaining of bad knees.
And the questions I get from them are usually the same.
So in this article, I’ll answer them all and give you a bit of context (all backed by research) about the answers.
Let’s dive right in.
Can Bad Knees Be Fixed?
That depends on what ‘fixed’ means to you.
Once the degeneration begins, it can’t be reversed. But you can reduce the pain and slow down the progression of knee OA with diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and sometimes medications.
Patients report reduced pain, improved physical function and better quality of life after physical therapy treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
How to Fix Bad Knees?
Proper footwear, ice, knee support or taping, nutrition, exercise, and weight management are some things that can help you fix bad knees.
You need to understand that knee osteoarthritis can never be fixed like a broken bone or a chipped tooth can. Management of the pain and limited mobility is the best you can hope to achieve with knee OA treatment.
The good news is that most patients who start their treatment on time tend to get back to their usual activities and stay pain-free for the most part.
Some people may need knee replacement surgery to fix bad knees.
However, research shows that physiotherapy treatment may delay the need for knee replacement surgery for approximately seven years – sometimes even indefinitely.
Hence, physical activity and appropriate exercise are some of the best ways to improve bad knees.
How Long Does It Take for Knee Pain to Go Away?
How quickly your knee pain goes away depends on your injury/condition and treatment regimen.
You can get temporary pain relief from bad knees in as little as a few hours by taking strong painkillers. Or you could have pain for way longer than you should if you don’t rest the injury and forget to do as your doctor advised you to.
For knee OA, the pain never fully goes away. You might have flare-ups that can cause mild to severe pain in your knees. That can limit your movements and make you feel like you’ve lost all your progress.
Each flare-up can cause pain for an average of eight days but these can last for as long as a month. You can manage the pain with icing, activity modification and medication.
So you’ll have good and bad days if you have bad knees. The key is to find ways to appropriately manage the pain.
What Problems Can Bad Knees Cause?
The pain and discomfort that comes with knee osteoarthritis isn’t the only thing you need to worry about. Bad knees can lead to other issues as well that you should be aware of.
Knee OA Can Cause Back Pain
Most people walk a bit differently when they have knee pain due to arthritis. That, along with a change in posture, can increase the load on the low back and lead to low back pain.(Reference) So this is an area that you’ll have to work on while getting rehab for your knees.
Knee OA Can Cause Hip Pain
Knees are part of the lower limb kinetic chain. It includes the hip, knee and ankle.
Hence knee pain also causes pain around the hip and calf. Also, studies show that people with bad knees tend to have a lower range of motion at the hips.
A proper exercise regimen prescribed by physical therapists can help you with this hip pain that comes on due to knee issues.
Knee OA Can Cause Balance Problems and Falls
Balance is another aspect that’s affected due to bad knees. That’s because the sensors in our body that are responsible for determining our position (medical terminology: proprioceptors) are affected due to the damage to knee cartilage. (Reference)
That can lead to falls and decreased confidence in walking. Oftentimes, it’s the fear of falling that prevents people with bad knees from being active rather than the knee OA pain.
Can Knee Osteoarthritis Cause Ankle Swelling?
Some patients often ask me about ankle swelling due to bad knees. It’s not directly related to knee pain but since arthritis can begin in other joints as well, the swelling in the ankles may be due to arthritis developing there.
Also, if you’re limiting your activities due to knee pain, then the ankle swelling might be because of inactivity so you can get rid of that with a little bit of exercise.
Stuck in bed? Here are some exercises you can do.
Are Bad Knees a Disability?
Disability is anything that stops you from moving freely and restricts your activities. For some people, bad knees are a disability but for most of them, it’s not.
Nevertheless, knee OA is classified as a disability under the Social Security Administration (SSA) but not everyone gets financial compensation for it.
Again, that’s because there are different levels of knee OA. And not everyone is physically limited because of bad knees. It’s important to note that exercise can improve most of the osteoarthritic factors that lead to disability. (Reference)
Knee OA is the 11th biggest contributor to global disability.
Are Bad Knees Genetic?
Yes, knee osteoarthritis has a genetic component. You could inherit the markers that lead to bad knees. But studies have found that genetics plays only a small part in the risk of developing knee OA. (Reference)
There is insufficient evidence to suggest that the genes that determine how intense your bad knees will be, or how much pain they’ll cause are also inherited.
How to Prevent Bad Knees
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and putting your knees through appropriate movement regularly are great ways to prevent bad knees.
You should perform light to moderate exercises for at least 30 minutes every day to maintain joint health. That’ll strengthen the muscles of your leg and in turn stabilize your knee joint.
Wearing the right shoes that have good shock-absorbing capacity and support is also helpful for preventing bad knees. (Reference)
What Should You NOT Do With Bad Knees?
Ignoring knee pain is one of the biggest mistakes you can make with bad knees.
Jumping too much, walking or running on uneven trails, and sitting on low chairs are some more things you shouldn’t do with knee osteoarthritis.
If you have knee pain, swelling around the joint, excessive and unusual popping sounds (remember, some popping sounds are normal), then you should see a physical therapist.
Does Losing Weight Help Bad Knees?
Yes, reducing your weight can help improve bad knees. But that’s mostly for people that are overweight. (Reference)
Every pound of extra weight on your body adds about four pounds of pressure to your knees. Removing that can take a significant burden off of your knees.
Studies have found that a high Body Mass Index (BMI) is a strong risk factor for knee OA. Long-term obesity is one of the many contributing factors of early-onset knee osteoarthritis. (Reference)
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number that calculates the relationship of your body’s fat, height and weight to determine if your weight is within normal ranges.
What Will Help My Bad Knees?
Taking the weight off of your knees by strengthening the surrounding muscles and improving the range of motion can improve bad knees.
Exercise is generally great for doing just that. A common question I get as a physical therapist when I prescribe exercises for knee OA is: won’t exercises make my pain worse because I’ll be loading my knees? Well, no.
Doing exercises that are easy on the knees, such as cycling and walking, can improve muscle strength. Stronger muscles can support the joint better and act as shock absorbers which ultimately takes some of the load off the knees.
Does the Weather Affect Bad Knees?
Generally, patients report an increase in knee OA pain during cold weather. And that seems to be a global phenomenon. There’s an increase in joint stiffness, decrease in mobility and reduced adherence to exercises as well during cold weather. (Reference)
But we can’t say that weather has any change on the structure of the arthritic joint because we couldn’t find any studies that support that.
The synovial fluid (the stuff that lubricates your joints) becomes thicker in cold weather so that could explain why your joints might feel stiffer during winter. (Reference)
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Bad Knees?
Common signs of bad knees include pain and difficulty in climbing up and down the stairs, sitting on the floor, squatting, and standing for too long.
When there’s less cartilage in the joint space, the bones at the junction begin to wear, the shock-absorbing quality of the knees decreases and that results in pain.
You might also experience stiffness in your arthritic knee joint in the mornings or after you’ve been in the same position for too long. Knee OA can also cause some swelling around your knees and decrease the range of motion.
A few of the early signs of bad knees include
- Morning stiffness
- Knee pain after usual physical activities
- Swelling, warmth and redness around the knees
- Unusual popping sounds from knees when you move them
- Weakness around the knee
Can I Get Bad Knees From Driving or Sitting All Day?
A sedentary lifestyle is a contributing factor to knee osteoarthritis. (Reference) But this alone can’t cause bad knees.
However, if you already have bad knees then driving or sitting all day can make them worse. Staying in one posture can increase joint stiffness and make your muscles weaker.
I’ve Got Bad Knees. What Exercises Can I Do?
Doing light exercises that don’t overload your knee joint can help your bad knees.
These can be aerobic exercises for your cardiopulmonary health, or you could do strengthening exercises for muscles around the knee specifically.
The goal of leg exercises for bad knees is to decrease the pain, increase the range of motion and strengthen the muscles of the legs.
Here are some exercises which are easy on the knees, so you can do them with bad knees: (Reference)
1. Static Quads
This exercise works on the big thigh muscle (medical term: quadriceps/ quads). Your knee can become more stable if this muscle is strong. That can improve your balance and help with going up and down the stairs.
To perform a static quad, put a pillow or a rolled towel underneath your knee while keeping your leg straight on a bed. Then press down on the rolled towel with your knee such that your heel is raised off the bed. Hold for 10-15 seconds. Then relax your quads. Repeat about 10-15 times in one set.
2. Partial Squats With Bodyweight
Partial squats also work on the quad muscles. Doing this exercise has two benefits – it opens up the range of motion of your knee and also strengthens the quads without overloading your knee joint.
Hence it is one of the best leg exercises for bad knees.
To perform a partial squat, find a chair or a desk that you can hold onto for support. Bend your knees as if you were trying to sit in a chair and your hips should move back. Make sure that your back isn’t bent forward.
Keep looking forward instead of at your feet. You can do the partial squat exercise in front of a mirror so you can make sure that your back is not bending, only your hips and knees are.
3. Straight Leg Raises (SLR)
This is the best quad exercise for bad knees because an SLR places almost no load on the knee joint. So if you want a leg workout with bad knees, an SLR is the way to go.
Straight leg raise (SLR) is the best exercise to strengthen quads without hurting your knees.
To perform straight leg raise exercise, lie on your back with your legs straight on the bed. Lift one leg in the air as high up as you can go. You can place your hands under your hips if you need support to lift your legs. As you progress, you can try lifting both legs at the same time. Hold for 3-5 seconds then relax and bring the leg(s) back down.
4. Press Down on Your Knees
Improving the range of motion of your knees can help reduce pain. And this exercise helps you do just that. It’s great for people whose knees always remain slightly bent when they straighten their legs.
To perform, sit in a chair or bed and place your foot on a stool in front of you. Push down on your thigh area that’s closest to your knee (see the video attached) and also on the lower leg portion that’s closest to the knee joint. Apply pressure for just 2-3 seconds and then relax.
Don’t apply too much pressure. Start with minimal pressure and increase your force only as much as your body allows it.
To perform, sit in a chair or bed and place your foot on a stool in front of you. Push down on your thigh area that’s closest to your knee (see the picture attached) and also on the lower leg portion that’s closest to the knee joint. Apply pressure for just 2-3 seconds and then relax.
Don’t apply too much pressure. Start with minimal pressure and increase your force only as much as your body allows it.
This exercise might hurt when you do it the first few times, but then the pain should go away as your range increases. Stop if it continues to hurt.
This will create a separation between the two ends of the knee and increase your range of motion.
5. Seated March Exercise
This is a low impact exercise that works on your hips as well as the quads without stressing your knees. It can improve your stair climbing as it targets all the muscles that you need for going up and down the stairs.
Since it can be performed from a chair, you don’t have to sit on the floor as that can be difficult for people with knee osteoarthritis.
To perform a seated march exercise, sit in a chair, lift one knee towards the ceiling, hold for a second or two, bring it back down. Repeat the same with the other knee and keep going for a few minutes.
Try not to move your torso/ trunk side to side. And keep your knees as in line with your body as possible.
6. Hip Abductor Strengthening Exercise
The muscles on the outside of your thigh (medical term: hip abductors) are generally weak in patients with bad knees. (Reference)
Hip abductor strengthening is a good exercise for bad knees because good strength here can take some pressure off the joint. For that, you can perform a clamshell exercise or a hip abduction exercise.
- Lie on your back on the edge of the bed.
- Move your leg outwards such that it goes out of the bed. Keep your knees straight.
- Hold the leg in the air at the level of the bed as shown in the picture.
- Return to the starting position and rest the leg for 5 seconds.
- Perform the same movement on the other leg.
- Lie on your side with your knees slightly bent.
- Lift the top knee towards the ceiling.
- Hold for 5 seconds. Slowly bring it back to the starting position.
7. Light-Weight Aerobics
Water aerobics, swimming, light walks, cycling – all these produce fewer forces on your knees than running. (Reference) So performing these regularly can help you slow the progression of your knee osteoarthritis.
Which Exercises Should I Avoid If I Have Bad Knees?
If you have knee osteoarthritis, then you should avoid high impact exercises, running on hard surfaces and deep squatting.
Generally, exercise is good for the knees. But repetitive stresses on the joint, as seen in running and lunging, can make knee arthritis worse.
That’s because these movements require excellent shock absorption from the knee joint which it can’t provide. That’s because osteoarthritis damages the rubber-like cartilage that absorbs shock.
Can You Get Bad Knees From Exercising?
Studies show that light or moderate exercises don’t cause bad knees. Regular exercise can prevent severe or early-onset osteoarthritis, or decrease the severity of the disease at onset.
Moderate running, squatting, and strengthening exercises are good for your bad knees.
Intensive exercises, however, could be a contributing factor for knee OA.
In Summary
Knee osteoarthritis is becoming a global problem. Increased sedentary lifestyle, changes in diet quality, the epidemic of obesity, decreased muscle strength, and some other factors are causing an increase in the prevalence of knee OA.
We hope that the answers we’ve given in this article can help you find some clarity about your questions. If we’ve missed something, feel free to ask us anytime.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only. We provide well research and authentic information. Do not consider this as personalized health advice. Please contact a licensed doctor for medical issues and health concerns.