My Two Most Effective Knee Pain Relief Exercises at Home | Support Natural Healing
Natural healing for knee - If you’ve been living with persisting knee pain, you’ve likely tried it all. Have you tried exercises, cortisone injections, knee braces, dry needling and yet the pain and the restrictions comes back? Maybe you’ve been told that surgery is the only option left?
It’s frustrating when you want to stay active, go for your morning walk, or travel, but your knee just won’t cooperate.
I’m Simran Choudhary, an Australian Physiotherapist with over 20 years of experience in biomechanics and movement. I spent five years struggling with my own knee pain until a major turning point during a trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. That experience changed how I look at recovery forever.
I realised that the joint itself is often just the “messenger.” The real issue is often how the knee is being loaded. When your muscles are tight or imbalanced, they create a “tug-of-war” on the joint, leading to restriction and pain.
By relaxing these tight muscles, you can not only get some pain relief for your knee but also create the right conditions for your body to support natural knee healing.
Here are my two “go-to” knee pain relief exercises at home that I recommend to almost all my clients—whether they are dealing with osteoarthritis, meniscus issues, patellar pain or a Baker’s cyst. I have tested these two exercises out on over 500 clients over the past 15 years and when they are done correctly, they will almost always give relief. Maybe you may have come across them already, but you may not have done them the correct way or consistently for noticeable shifts to occur.
1. The Hamstring and Calf Release
The muscles at the back of your leg—the hamstrings and calves—are nearly always tight when you have persisting knee issues. When these are tight, they act like a shortened bungee cord, pulling on the back of the knee and making every step feel restricted. Most likely your hamstrings and calves will be tight if you test them right now. how to avoid knee replacement
How to test it: Try this stretch on your “good” side first, then compare it to your painful side. You’ll likely notice a significant difference in how much tension you feel.
The Stretch: Sit either on the floor or on a chair. Do one leg at a time – have one leg straight with the toes pointed towards you and lean forwards to feel a stretch at the back of your leg and calf.
2. The Seated Glute Stretch
Your glute muscles (your bottom) are the powerhouse of your movement. If they are tight, they don’t just contribute to knee pain; they often drive lower back pain too. When these muscles are relaxed and flexible, they can engage properly, which helps offload the pressure from your knee joint when you move.
The Stretch: Sit upright in a sturdy chair. Place the ankle of your affected leg onto the opposite knee. Gently lean your chest forward while keeping your back straight. You should feel a stretch deep in the hip and glute area.
The Big Mistake Most People Make
I see this all the time: people hold a stretch for five seconds, feel a tiny bit of relief, and stop. This is why most stretching doesn’t work.
To actually signal to your nervous system and the muscle fibres to relax, you must hold the stretch for a full minute. Yes, a full 60 seconds! I highly recommend timing yourself on your phone. If you don’t time it, you will almost certainly stop too early and miss out on the real benefits of the release.
Your Daily Routine for Better Movement
If you are experiencing moderate to high levels of pain, I recommend doing these stretches 3–4 times a day. Consistency is key. As your movement begins to feel more fluid and the restriction eases, you can drop back to 1–2 times a day as part of your normal maintenance.
The best way to succeed is to anchor these stretches to something you already do—like while the kettle is boiling or right after you finish your morning walk.
Take the Next Step
Correcting muscle imbalances to improve loading at the knee joint can significantly improve both pain and function. These exercises are a great start, but they are just one piece of the puzzle.
If you want to understand why these muscles get so tight in the first place—and more importantly, how to follow a step-by-step system to support natural knee healing and free up your movements —I invite you to watch my free masterclass.