One in three Americans over 45 reports having knee pain. Knee exercises and proper care can help you avoid being one of these people. If you already have knee pain, you can lessen or eliminate it with some simple steps and common sense. 
As you can see, your knees are complicated structures. Muscle, tendon, ligament and bone must coordinate smoothly over a wide range of motion for you to remain pain free. You can aid this process by what you do and also by what you avoid doing. Keep the Load Down Just like a truck that’s overloaded and under performs, your knees need the proper nutrition (like a truck’s gas, oil, grease and tire pressure) and to be used within their physical capacity (like a truck’s maximum load limit). Your knees love calcium and vitamins C and D. And if you suffer from knee pain or osteoarthritis, your cartilage would love a dose of hyaluronic acid. Calcium is abundant in dairy foods, as well as fortified cereals, soy, tofu. salmon, spinach, oatmeal and white beans. Vitamin C is found in red & green pepper, guava, kiwi, oranges, strawberries, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, broccoli. Vitamin D is principally manufactured by your skin and requires direct Sun exposure. In winter or if you wear sunscreen all the time, you should consider a supplement, as food sources are few. The best are fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel and fish oils. Hyaluronic acid is an essential component of cartilage, as well as your skin's collagen. Studies have shown that 95% of hyaluronic acid taken orally stays in your body, and only 5% is excreted. A marked increase was seen in joints in only 4 hours.
If you are overweight, you are putting too great a load on your knees’ structure. Start by evaluating where you stand physically using our three step approach. Lower the Stress When you choose knee exercises, or any exercise, lighten up until you build strength. If you have engaged in high-impact exercise such as running, dance, skiing or tennis, slow down a bit, particularly if you experience any pain. 
Consider changing to low impact knee exercises such as swimming, cycling or yoga. We recommend this reasonably priced cycle training resource for the amateur to the aspiring professional. It is written by pro coaches and features a variety of workouts, expert support, an articles library, video demonstrations and an online training log. Stretch & Strengthen Avoiding injury requires being limber while maintaining solid muscle groups around the knee. You do not need an expensive gym membership to do this. Simple home stretches will target the major muscle groups affecting your knees. Warm yourself by walking briskly (even in the house) for a few minutes before stretching. Outdoors, bicycling is one of the best knee exercises to build strength. Indoors, all you need is a wall and some comfortable, stable shoes or bare feet. For quadriceps, do simple leg lifts with your back against a wall, using ankle weights as you gain strength. Do three repetitions of 15-20 lifts. For hamstrings, face the wall and bend your leg at the knee until your lower leg is parallel to the floor. Hold for 3 seconds and lower. Do repetitions as before, and add ankle weights as you are able. When you are stronger, stand with your back against the wall and gently slide your back down until you are in a seated position, still with your back against the wall. Hold for 2-3 seconds and slowly return to standing. These wall squats are difficult, so take them slowly. You will be sore if you try too many at once. Gear Equipment will not substitute for weight loss, proper nutrition or knee exercises, but using well fitted sneakers, walking or cycling shoes with arch support will ensure that your knees are not placed in a compromised position from the start. These top-rated running and exercise shoes will provide you support, comfort and durability.
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