Knee Friendly Exercises: A Lying Down Lesson, No Kneeling

These knee friendly exercises are one short lesson you do lying on your back, and your knees are mostly along for the ride. The feet press lightly into the floor, the pelvis rolls, the spine answers, and the ankles rock. Nothing asks you to kneel, squat deeply, or jump. The lesson comes from the Feldenkrais Method®, a way of learning through slow, attentive movement. You notice what the body does rather than push it. If you have been told to keep moving but your knees complain at most of the usual options, this page is for you.

Why knee friendly exercises can move the whole body

A knee sits between the hip and the ankle, and much of what it feels comes from what happens above and below it. Most lists of knee exercises load the joint on purpose: squats, lunges, step ups, kneeling stretches. That can be useful work when a knee is ready for it. When it is sore, though, loading is often the one thing it does not want. So this lesson turns the usual plan around. The knee stays bent and quiet, and the moving parts are the hips, the pelvis, the back and the feet.

Try one small thing before you begin. Lie down, bend your knees, and press one foot into the floor so lightly that it barely counts. Many people feel the pelvis tip, the lower back change, even the head shift on the floor. The knee did almost nothing, yet a lot of the leg took part. That is the whole lesson in miniature. We go slowly so there is time to feel each piece. Each piece is small enough that a grumpy knee has little to object to.

There is a quiet reason to bother. Worldwide, roughly one adult in three, 31 percent, falls short of the recommended amount of physical activity (WHO, 2024). Sore knees are a common reason people drift into that group. A way of moving that asks little of the knee is a way of staying in the habit of moving at all. Our Feldypedia entry on knee stiffness looks at why a knee that is used less tends to feel stiffer rather than more rested.

When to try these knee friendly exercises

The lesson suits the end of a day of sitting, when the knees have been bent at one angle for hours. It also suits the evening after a walk that left them grumbling, or a morning when the stairs feel like more than they should. Once a day is plenty. On a busy day, a few of the steps on their own, done slowly, are enough. If a knee is in a louder phase, you can do the whole lesson in your imagination and still take something from it.

For a different flavour, our lesson on exercises for stiff knees lets the hip and the whole leg share the work of bending. Here, the knee hardly bends at all. Feldy offers this kind of lesson as audio, so your eyes can stay closed while a voice sets the pace. The free trial is a simple way to try that, and the knee and hip program carries on from there.

Who should skip these knee friendly exercises for now

Small and slow covers a great deal, but some knees need a clinician before they need a lesson. Please wait and get the knee checked if it is hot, red or clearly swollen. The same goes for a knee that locks, catches or gives way under you. An injury or an operation in the last few weeks is also a reason to wait. So is knee pain that wakes you at night. A hot, swollen knee with fever or feeling unwell needs to be seen the same day, at urgent care or an emergency department. If you have had a knee replacement, your surgeon's guidance on positions and timing comes first. This lesson can wait until they are happy for you to lie on the floor and move freely.

For everyone else, let discomfort be information. If a press of the foot or a rock of the ankle is unpleasant, make it smaller, or only imagine it. In this work an imagined movement is a real part of the practice. Many people are surprised how much they can feel without moving at all.

Other knee friendly options alongside this lesson

This lesson is not meant to be the only moving you do. Walking on level ground is the most knee friendly exercise most people already own, and short walks count. Cycling with the seat high enough that the knee never folds deeply suits many sore knees. Swimming and exercise in water take most of your weight off the joint, and the water sets a gentle pace on its own. None of these needs to compete with the lesson on this page; they ask the body different questions.

If you are seeing a physiotherapist, this lesson sits alongside that care, and it is worth telling them you are doing it. Other movement methods are fair options too, each with its own way of working. Tai Chi moves slowly in standing and is often taught with the knees soft rather than deeply bent. Yoga can be adapted with a chair and props so that kneeling is never required. Pilates on a mat keeps much of the work lying down. Feldenkrais® puts attention ahead of effort, which is why this lesson keeps asking what you notice.

Find where to start

A lying down lesson is one door into gentle movement, and it suits people who want to feel first and read later. If you are weighing up several methods and want a quicker steer, a short quiz can do that.

Not sure which movement method fits you? Take the 60 second Movement Match quiz, say what bothers your knees and how you like to learn, and it names one method worth a try.

Common Questions about knee friendly exercises (FAQ)

What are the best knee friendly exercises for sore knees?

The best ones are the ones your knee tolerates today and that you will repeat. Walking on flat ground, cycling with a high seat, and moving in water are the usual low impact choices. All three are reasonable. The lying down lesson on this page is a different kind of option. The knee barely moves, while the hips, pelvis, spine and ankles do the work. Many people use it on the days the other options feel like too much.

What exercises should I avoid with a sore knee?

Avoid anything that makes the knee sharper during or after. The same goes for anything that needs you to kneel on it, squat deeply under load, or jump. Deep lunges, running downhill and twisting on a planted foot are the common culprits. This is not a rule for life, only for the sore phase. Small, slow and well short of pain is the safer direction while the knee settles.

Are knee friendly exercises safe if I have arthritis in my knee?

For most people with knee osteoarthritis, a lesson this gentle is a reasonable choice. It is tiny, slow and stays below any discomfort, and it asks very little of the joint. Skip it for now if the knee is hot and swollen, locks or gives way, or has had a recent injury or operation. If you have had a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's advice on what you may do and when. Should any step feel unpleasant, shrink it, or do that step only in your imagination.

How often should I do knee friendly exercises?

Once a day is plenty, and a few minutes is enough. Short and regular tends to teach the body more than a long session once a week. Many people pair the lesson with something they already do, like the end of the working day or the time before bed.

How long until my knees feel different?

Some people feel a change in how the leg rests on the floor during the first session. A steadier sense of the knee as part of the whole leg often builds over two to four weeks of easy practice. If nothing has changed after a month, that is useful information. It is a reason to try a different approach, or to ask a clinician to look at the knee.

How is this different from low impact exercise like cycling or swimming?

Cycling and swimming move the knee through its range many times with little load, and they build fitness over weeks. That is valuable, and the two can live in the same week. This lesson hardly moves the knee at all. It moves what is above and below it, slowly, so you can feel how the whole leg takes part. Some people notice a difference within one session. One works on capacity; the other works on what you can sense.

When should I see a professional about my knee?

See a doctor or physiotherapist if the knee is hot, red or swollen, or if it locks, catches or gives way. Go too if the pain follows a fall or an injury, wakes you at night, or has been getting steadily worse for more than a few weeks. If a hot, swollen knee comes with fever or feeling unwell, or you cannot put weight on the leg, get seen the same day at urgent care or an emergency department. A knee that is stiff but stable usually does not need an urgent visit. Clinical care and gentle movement sit well alongside each other.