Joint pain affects a large chunk of the world population and is one of the main causes of disability, with knee pain being one of the top problem areas. However, you may be able to manage knee pain with the help of a few simple exercises:

1. Calf Smash using Lacrosse Ball: First of all, sit down on the ground and move your right foot close to your buttock, so that the knee is bent. Sandwich a lacrosse ball between your calf and hamstring, right below your bent right knee. A compression force should be created by pulling your shin toward you followed by rotating the foot in alternating circular movements for creating space in the knee joint. Continue doing this exercise until you feel tightness in the areas that are being relieved, after which you should switch legs.

2. Wall Calf Stretch: Stretching the calf muscles is important, especially for those who do high-impact exercises. Due to impact, the calf muscle can become very tight and will need to be stretched for relieving pain that could go up to the knee. Firstly, face a wall that can be leaned against, and place your heel where the floor meets the wall. Keep your heel on the ground and your leg as straight as you can – while doing this, lean towards the front leg, and hold the stretch. Stretch for 5 seconds at a time before releasing it, trying to deepen the stretch each time. After this, go for your next leg. Try to go for 10-15 repetitions per leg. If you are still experiencing tightness, you can do more repetitions.

3. Hamstring Stretch: Your knees can be greatly affected by your hamstrings, which is why stretching your hamstrings can help to keep knee pain at bay. Firstly, lie down with your face up, your left leg on the floor, and your right leg propped up against the wall/a table. You can also use a resistance band instead of a wall/table. Go for 5 second holds of stretching at its deepest point and go for your left leg after 10-15 rounds.

4. Quad Stretch with Foam Roller: What you will need to do is to lie face down with your right leg over a foam roller, with the foam roller being right under your quadriceps muscle. Roll slowly while putting most of your bodyweight on your leg. Do not just roll up and down, but also roll from side to side. After rolling with your right leg, switch to your left leg. Keep doing this for 5 minutes.

While all of these exercises can help to minimize knee pain temporarily, many a times, the only solution for knee pain is total knee replacement surgery (TKR). If you are advised for total knee replacement surgery, make sure that you only approach a reputed hospital like Shalby Hospitals in Ahmedabad – a multi-speciality hospital chain, well known in India and across the world for Joint Replacements, with a record of over 85,000 successful joint replacement surgeries with “Zero Technique, a revolutionary surgical innovation by Dr. Vikram I. Shah, founder, Shalby Hospitals.