How to Fix a Stiff Knee: 5 Exercises and Stretches to Decrease Knee Stiffness

Knee stiffness is a common complaint with my physical therapy patients, and it can happen for many reasons, including post-surgical stiffness and arthritis. 

Over time, knee stiffness can become a serious problem, especially when it limits your mobility. A stiff knee can limit basic movements such as walking, going up and down stairs, and even sitting in a chair. But from what I’ve seen with my patients, performing a few exercises each day can improve the range of motion in your knee and make these daily activities much easier.

5 Exercises and Stretches for Knee Stiffness

Below are 5 exercises and stretches I use to treat my patients with knee stiffness. But before you try them, check with your physical therapist or physician, especially if you’ve recently had knee surgery or any other knee injury.

1. Heel Slide with Ankle Taps

Lie on your back. Slide the heel of your stiff knee towards your butt so your knee is flexed. Go as far as you can without sharp pain. You should already feel a stretch in your knee.

In this position, tap the toes of your right foot up and down slowly, as if you’re pressing a gas pedal. I call this a “fine tuning” stretch because you can really control the degree of the knee stretch by how much you bend or flex your ankle. After a few ankle taps, try to inch your ankle back further towards your buttocks and repeat the taps.

Perform 3 sets of 10 taps, and inch your foot towards your buttocks after every 10 taps.

2. Heel Slide on Wall

Every time I lead this exercise for a patient suffering from knee stiffness, they achieve three to four more degrees of knee flexion. That being said, approach this exercise gradually; you likely won’t gain back all of your flexion in one session. 

Maybe you think gravity is not your friend. But when you’re trying to achieve greater knee flexion, you can use gravity in your favor! 

Lie on your bed or the floor so that your feet are flat against the wall or headboard. Scoot close to the wall so that your legs extend onto the wall and your knees are softly bent. Let gravity draw your “bad leg” into flexion as you slide your heel down the wall.

You can control how much your knee bends by supporting the heel of your “bad leg” with the foot of your “good leg.” Once you’ve reached flexion and your knee is as bent as is comfortable, hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds before allowing it to flex even further. 

To take a break from the knee flexion, straighten out your stiff knee. You can use the foot of your “good leg” to help guide your heel back up the wall so your leg straightens. Just move carefully, because extending the knee can be very uncomfortable as you work into greater flexion with this technique.

3. Mini Squat

One of the most important movements we perform everyday is the basic squat. From sitting in a chair to using the bathroom, it takes strength and flexibility to squat down and return upright without assistance. So when your knee is stiff after a surgery, an injury, or even from arthritis, make sure you practice proper squat technique.

To perform mini squats, start with your feet shoulder-width apart. I recommend performing these with a counter in front of you for stability and a chair behind you for safety.  Lead with your butt, as if you are about to sit in a chair, and focus on distributing your weight evenly through both feet as you bend your knees. Squat as far as you can comfortably, focusing on symmetry and safety.  

Perform 3 sets of 5 to 10 mini squats 

4. Patellar Glides

If you have knee stiffness, you may experience irritation in your patella or kneecap, which is critical for knee mobility. In a healthy knee, the patella glides up and down along the knee joint as the knee flexes and extends. However, stiffness in the knee may prevent the patella from gliding as it should, which is why this exercise is so effective.

Sit tall in a chair, and trace your kneecap with your thumb and index finger. As you bend and extend your leg, feel how the patella moves up and down. It should move towards your hip as you straighten your leg and away from your hip as you flex or bend your knee. 

To perform the patellar glide exercise, with your fingers apply a small amount of overpressure into the direction your kneecap should be moving. Use this pressure to “assist” the kneecap and encourage proper gliding as you flex and extend your knee.

Perform this movement for 1 to 2 minutes at a time throughout the day.

5. Knee Distraction with Towel

This movement is a little more aggressive and can help achieve a full-range or end-range knee flexion.

Start by sitting up in your bed or against a wall with your legs straight out in front of you. Place a towel or pillow behind your stiff knee, and hold onto the ends of the towel. Carefully flex your knee and bring it closer to your chest applying overpressure with the towel, which is acting as a spacer behind the knee as well.

The towel or pillow behind the knee can provide a slight distraction to the knee joint, opening up the joint space to help you achieve a greater range of motion.

This exercise isn’t one that I’d use right after a knee replacement surgery, but it can be a great way to achieve increased knee flexion, especially if you’re suffering from arthritis.

More Exercises for Knee Stiffness

So there you have it: 5 exercises and stretches that will help you achieve greater flexion so that you can get back to doing the activities you love! Be sure to check out this video for more helpful knee exercises.