Here are your 3 FREE exercises

to reduce and eliminate knee pain!

Walk Backward

It sounds so simple, but 10 minutes of walking backwards is the optimal warm up. Focus on keeping your toes behind your heels as you step back. Initially, this is a movement we are not accustomed to doing. Be careful and go slow. Try to find a level surface and be sure to look backwards every few steps to see where you are going. This exercise focuses on building stronger feet and lower legs. It puts attention on the front of the knee to develop the patellar tendon.

Tibialis Raises

The tibialis anterior is the muscle on the front of your shin. The muscle acts to both flex our toes up and more importantly to decelerate our feet when walking, running, or jumping. We use the tibialis anterior muscle with every step we take. When playing sports like pickleball where we are in motion and then come to a stop by planting our feet before returning the ball, we may put thousands of pounds of force into this muscle. Whatever force is not handled by the tibialis goes directly up to our knee. The tibialis is a critical defense against knee injuries.

Find a wall and make sure you have safe footing (no socks or slippery floor). Put your backside against a wall and stand out a comfortable distance with your legs straight making sure NOT to bend your knee. Flex the toes up and hold at the top for a 2 second count. Slowly lower back down.

The further away your feet are from the wall, the more difficult the exercise. The closer your feet are to the wall, the easier it will be. Work at a comfortable distance for YOU. This distance will be different for everyone.

Goal: Work up to completing 25 consecutive reps.

You will feel the burn with this one! That is normal. It is never ok to work through PAIN when exercising. There is a difference between discomfort and pain. Only work through your pain-free range of motion.

Modification 1 - Easier

Modification 2 - Harder

Flexor Hallucis Longus

This powerful muscle runs from the bottom of your big toe along the bottom of your foot up to your mid-calf. It helps stabilize your ankle when weight is on the ball of your foot. To say this muscle is highly activated during pickleball play would be an understatement! The foot is the first line of defense for your knee when decelerating. This type of calf raise provides for more ankle stretch than a traditional calf raise, which helps with ankle mobility. And ankle mobility is a major player in knee health!

Put your hands against a wall and back your feet out until your ankles are under enough stretch that your heels come slightly off the ground. Be sure to keep your hips and knees straight - no bending. Raise your heels up until your weight is on your big toes. Hold for 2 seconds at the top and slowly lower down making sure to feel the stretch in the ankle at the bottom position.

GOAL: Perform 25 consecutive reps

If this is too easy, then try doing this exercise one leg at a time. Work your way up on each leg making sure to stay balanced on both sides. For example, if you can do 25 reps on your right leg but only 20 reps on your left leg, then start by going to 20 reps on your left, then 20 reps on your right, then back to the left leg to see if you can get the last 5. Maybe you only get 3 on the left, then do 3 more on the right, and so on switching back and forth between legs until you are able to do the same number of reps on both legs.

We are only as strong as our weakest link!

Modification - Single Leg

This is not medical advice. You should always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.