6 Amazing Yoga Poses for Knee Pain Relief

Do you suffer from knee pain?

If you do, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that frequent knee pain affects around 25 percent of adults. The good news is that you don’t have to live with this pain and suffering.

Yoga can actually help with your knee pain. But, you need to make sure you’re doing the right poses.

Check out this guide to discover the top yoga poses for knee pain.

1. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

The bridge pose, also known as Setu Bandhasana, is a great way to both soothe knee pain and strengthen your knee.

To perform this pose, focus your attention on your hamstrings and inner thighs. These are the power centers in your body when it comes to relieving knee pain. By consistently strengthening these areas, your knees, pelvis, and other surrounding muscles will rebalance.

Here’s what you need to do to perform this pose:

• Lie on your back with your feet forward on the floor in front of you, about a foot from your buttocks (aka, lie in a bridge position)
• Situate a yoga block between your upper thighs
• Squeeze the block to awaken your inner thighs
• Begin to lift your bottom off of the floor to go into the bridge pose
• Engage your core, squeeze the block, and hold for ten seconds

You can repeat this exercise several times.

2. Chair Pose (Utkatasana) 

The chair pose is another excellent yoga pose for relieving knee pain.

To perform the chair pose, stand with your chest lifted and your feet and legs together. Then, reach your butt back as if you’re about to sit in a chair. If you need extra support and stability, you can stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Make sure to keep your weight in your heels, and then raise your arms over your head and hold the pose for at least 10 seconds. Not only is this pose great for relieving knee pain, but it’s also great for strengthening your thighs, hips, and calves.

3. Banana Pose (Bananasana) 

The banana pose, also known as the Bananasana, is another great pose for relieving pain in your knee.

Here’s how you perform the pose:

• Lie on your back on your mat and bring your body into a banana-like shape by stretching the upper body and both legs to one side of the mat
• For a deeper stretch, clasp your wrists and cross your ankles
• Once settled into this position, release your clasped wrists and relax in this position for five minutes
• Repeat the same move on the other side

It may not seem like this pose may help with knee pain. However, as you open your hip, you’re able to relieve tension from your pelvis and open up your hip flexor muscles, which in turn relieves pain in the knee.

4. High Lunge Pose 

We all know that lunges are great for strengthening your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. However, lunge poses can also help you relieve pain in your knees.

To perform the high lunge pose, stand at the front of your mat. Then, step back with your right foot into a deep lunge. Bend your left leg to about 90 degrees.

Raise your arms straight above your head and look forward. If you have tight hamstrings, you can micro-bend your back legs. This will also make the pose less taxing on your knees.

This pose also works to strengthen the calves, glutes, and quads.

5. Peaceful Warrior Pose 

Another great pose to try out for knee pain is the peaceful warrior pose.

To perform this pose, step your left foot forward with your toes pointing straight forward. Turn your right toes to a 45-degree angle and extend your arms out with your palms facing up.

Then, bend your left leg at a 90-degree angle, making sure to keep it in line with your ankle. Then, place the back of your right hand on your right leg and arch backward. At the same time, reach your left arm overhead and back toward the wall, gazing toward the ceiling.

In addition to relieving knee pain, this pose also helps to strengthen your quads, glutes, and hamstrings- all the muscles that help keep your knees in good shape.

6. Reclined Hand to Toe Pose 

Another excellent pose to try for your knee pain is the reclined hand to toe pose, also known as the Supta Padangusthasana. To perform this pose, you’ll need a yoga strap.

Here’s how to practice this pose:

• Lie on your back and point your knees and toes straight toward the ceiling
• Choose one leg to be your grounded leg and keep that active
• Place the yoga strap around the ball of your foot on the other leg
• Pull down on the yoga strap and stretch from the back of your knee up toward your heel
• Next, bring the yoga strap to the heel of your foot and push through your inner heel to move the ball of the foot toward the ceiling
• Repeat on both sides multiple times

If you don’t have a yoga strap, you can also use your hand to pull your foot toward your chest. This pose is great for those who also want to awaken their hip flexors and hamstrings and prevent knee injuries.

Yoga Poses for Knee Pain: Are You Ready to Try These Poses? 

Now that you know about the top yoga poses for knee pain, it’s time to try these out. Before you know it, your knee pain will be a thing of the past.

For more pain relief tips and tricks, be sure to check back in with our blog.