Hiker’s Knee, or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, is a fairly common overuse symptom that is especially painful when walking downhill, hence the name. The issue can be caused by weak quadriceps or by not properly stretching or training. It can sometimes leads to serious knee problems if not taken care of properly.

Strengthen the hip flexors—which help lift your upper leg —while stabilizing deep core muscles to prevent the patella from rotating and causing pain when hiking.

1. Lie on your back and bend your right knee, keeping your right foot on the ground.
2. Engage your abs and lift your left leg until your knees are in line.

How to avoid knee pain on the trail

1. Use trekking poles.
2. Try a knee brace or kinesio tape.
3. Drink plenty of water.
4. Avoid locking your knees when hiking downhill — keep them slightly flexed, and go slow.

1. Straight Leg Raises. If your knee’s not at its best, start with a simple strengthening exercise for your quadriceps, the muscles in the front of the thigh.
2. Hamstring Curls. These are the muscles along the back of your thigh.
3. Prone Straight Leg Raises.
4. Wall Squats.
5. Calf Raises.
6. Step-Ups.
7. Side Leg Raises.
8. Leg Presses.

5 Great Exercises to Strengthen Your Knees

1. Exercise 1: Knee Extension.
2. Exercise 2: Knee Flexion (standing)
3. Exercise 3: Heel and Calf Raises.
4. Exercise 4: Wall Squats.
5. Exercise 5: Swimming.

Squats aren’t bad for your knees. In fact, when done properly, they are really beneficial for knee health. If you’re new to squatting or have previously had an injury, it’s always a good idea to have an expert check your technique.

Myth: Don’t do ANY exercise if you have any knee pain If you have knee pain, you need to be careful when doing weight-bearing exercises, such as body pump classes, Zumba, step aerobics, jumping, running and sprinting, as these can all put a strain on your knee joints. But you can still exercise!

Do walk. Moderate walking is recommended for people with knee pain because it’s a low-impact activity. If your joints are painful and stiff, start slowly and work up to 20 minutes of walking per day, recommends Stuchin.

How Is It Treated?

1. Rest your knee.
2. Ice your knee to ease pain and swelling.
3. Wrap your knee.
4. Elevate your leg on a pillow when you sit or lie down.
5. Take NSAIDs, if needed, like ibuprofen or naproxen.
6. Do stretching and strengthening exercises, especially for your quadriceps muscles.

“We expected that walking on a treadmill, which is more controlled, would be better than biking [in terms of low impact to the knee],” the researcher noted. But biking actually won out, he said. Other details on the results: Biking generated the least force, producing impact of about 1.3 times the person’s body weight.

Cycling is more efficient than walking, so you’ll probably work harder by walking briskly and probably exercise your heart, lungs and major muscles more. On the other hand, cycling is probably less hard on your hips, knees and ankles than walking.

Walking is a low-impact activity that doesn’t put too much stress on your knees and can help strengthen the muscles in that area.

Why Cycling Is Good for Your Joints “Cycling is a low-impact exercise,” says Shroyer. This means that cycling limits impact stress on weight-bearing joints, like your hips, knees, and feet. Plus, the movement helps lubricate the joints, which reduces pain and stiffness.

Some people use supplements to try to help manage joint pain from arthritis. Glucosamine, chondroitin, omega-3, and green tea are just a few of them. Glucosamine helps keep the cartilage in joints healthy and may have an anti-inflammatory effect.