After a knee injury, or when a knee starts hurting, NHS inform says exercises that bring back movement and strength help recovery. The health information site run by NHS 24 in Scotland sets out 5 exercises with videos for knee muscle or joint problems: the lying knee bend, static quad strengthening, the supported leg raise and lying leg raise, all lying down, and a seated knee extension stretch using two chairs. Each move has its own hold — 2, 10 or 5 seconds. Keep pain within 0 to 5 out of 10, build to at most 2 sets of 15, and get advice if not better within 6 weeks. Here is the page as written.
1. 4 lying down + 1 seated stretch — 5 exercises; a bed is fine.
2. Holds: bend 2 seconds, quad and supported raise 10 seconds, leg raise 5 seconds, stretch up to 10 seconds → 20 to 30 seconds once comfortable.
3. Pain within 0 to 5; start with 2 to 3, at most 2 sets of 15; advice if not better within 6 weeks.
First — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Who for | Useful for people with a new knee problem. If you’ve been diagnosed with a knee condition or had recent surgery, follow your healthcare professional’s advice | After surgery, your clinician comes before this article |
| Why | Getting movement and strength back matters — it supports tissue healing and gets you moving again. You may not return to usual levels at once and progress may start slowly, but a gradual return to normal activities gives the best short and long term results | — |
| At first | Listen to your pain, especially early on. Symptoms may increase slightly at first but should ease with time; regular practice can improve movement in the knee. If there is discomfort, medication prescribed by a GP or pharmacist may help you keep exercising | In Korea, ask a doctor or pharmacist (our gloss) |
| Safety | The exercises in the videos are suitable for most people. In a safe place, only if you feel well enough. If you start to feel unwell, stop at once | First time? The page says to read the pain and repetition guidance first |
The 5 knee exercises — NHS inform
| Exercise (video title) | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lying knee bend (video 0:22) | Lying down; a bed is a good place. Bending and straightening is one repetition. With both knees straight, slowly bend your sore leg by sliding your foot along the floor or bed towards you as far as is comfortable. Hold 2 seconds, then straighten | — |
| 2. Static quad strengthening (0:20) | Lying down. The page counts “lifting and holding your leg once” as one repetition. Tighten your thigh muscle and gently push the back of your knee into the bed. Hold 10 seconds, then relax | The steps don’t mention lifting the leg — we give it as written |
| 3. Supported leg raise (0:13) | Lying down. Lifting and holding once is one repetition. Put a rolled-up yoga mat or blanket under your knees. Push your knee into the roll and straighten it as much as is comfortable. Hold 10 seconds, then relax | You need a mat or blanket |
| 4. Lying leg raise (0:15) | Lying down. Lifting and holding once is one repetition. One leg straight, the other bent; slowly lift the straight leg off the surface. Hold 5 seconds, then lower it to the bed | — |
| 5. Seated knee extension stretch (0:16) | Sitting, with another chair facing you. Put your foot on the opposite chair, gently push down and straighten your knee as much as is comfortable. Aim to hold up to 10 seconds. Release and repeat | The only one labelled a stretch |
The names are the page’s video titles and the times are video lengths. All five videos come to 86 seconds (1 minute 26 seconds) (our sum). The written instructions follow the videos in order, and we paired them that way.
Putting the page’s holds together: knee bend 2 seconds, quad 10 seconds, supported raise 10 seconds, leg raise 5 seconds, stretch up to 10 seconds. One of each is 37 seconds of holding (our sum). The first 4 are lying down; only the last uses two chairs. The stretching guidance further down says to hold longer, 20 to 30 seconds, once a short hold is comfortable.
How much pain is OK — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Pain score | Rate pain out of 10 (0 = none, 10 = the worst you’ve had). 0 to 3 minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable, 6 to 10 excessive | — |
| During | Keep pain within 0 to 5. If it goes above — fewer repetitions, slower movement, more rest between movements | Changing one of the three may be enough (our reading) |
| After | Exercise shouldn’t make your existing knee pain worse overall. New exercises can cause short-term muscle pain while the body adapts, but it should ease quickly and be no worse the morning after | The next morning is the test |
How many — NHS inform
Movement and strengthening
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start | New exercises: 2 to 3 repetitions at a time | — |
| Often | Small amounts through the day — for example every hour | — |
| Build | As it gets easier and if you feel able, add 1 or 2 repetitions every few days | “A few days” has no number in the source |
| Sets | When you can do more, break into sets — more at a time, less often. This builds strength. For example: 8 repetitions → rest a minute → another set of 8, 2 to 3 times a day | 2 sets of 8 = 16 at a time; 2 to 3 times a day = 32 to 48 (our sum) |
| Aim | Increase over time to a maximum of 2 sets of 15 — repeating strengthens muscles and tendons | 30 at a time is the ceiling (our sum) |
Stretching
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| When | Some videos on this page are labelled stretching exercises. Once a short hold is comfortable, hold longer as a stretch — over time this can improve your range of movement | — |
| Feel | A gentle stretch. It shouldn’t be sore or uncomfortable | — |
| Time | Hold 20 to 30 seconds if possible | 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds = 40 to 90 seconds at a time (our sum) |
| Sets | Do sets — for example 2 to 3 sets of stretches, 2 to 3 times a day | — |
| Change | As you stretch more, range improves and you can stretch further | — |
In numbers, the page’s example is 2 sets of 8 = 16 at a time, or 32 to 48 a day at 2 to 3 sessions. The target of 2 sets of 15 is 30 at a time. 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds of stretching is 40 to 90 seconds at a time (all our sums). You can do all the exercises together, or start with one or two and add more.
To count how many days it takes to reach your target from a starting number and step, use the planner in how to build up exercise when it hurts.
Three sums — our example
| Example (ours) | Result | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Start at 3, add 1 every 2 days | 12 steps → 15 in a set in 24 days | Our example, taking “a few days” as 2 |
| One of each of the five | 37 seconds of holds | 2 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 10 |
| The 6-week mark | 6 weeks = 42 days | Get advice if not better within 6 weeks |
When to stop and when to get advice — NHS inform
| Type | What NHS inform says | Worth noting (ours) |
|---|---|---|
| Stop | Stop if exercises make symptoms worse or cause new pain | — |
| Advice | If your knee pain worsens while following this advice, talk to a healthcare professional | In Korea, orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine (our gloss) |
| 6 weeks | If it hasn’t improved within 6 weeks, talk to a healthcare professional | 6 weeks = 42 days (our sum) |
Causes of knee pain and signs to get help straight away are in knee pain (NHS); knee exercises for runners are in knee exercises for runners (NHS).
Checklist
- ☐ A new knee problem? After a diagnosis or surgery, your clinician first
- ☐ A rolled mat or blanket for 3; two chairs for 5
- ☐ Holds: 2 · 10 · 10 · 5 · up to 10 seconds
- ☐ Start at 2 to 3; sets of 8 → a minute’s rest → 8, 2 to 3 times a day; at most 2 sets of 15
- ☐ Stretch 20 to 30 seconds once comfortable, never sore
- ☐ Pain 0 to 5; stop if worse; advice if not better within 6 weeks
Questions that remain
Are these for knee arthritis too?
The page says it is for a new knee problem. NHS inform has separate pages for osteoarthritis of the knee and patellofemoral (front-of-knee) pain, which we didn’t read this time. If you’ve been diagnosed, follow those or your clinician.
Is the stretch 10 seconds or 20 to 30?
The steps for 5 aim for “up to 10 seconds”, and the stretching guidance says to hold longer, 20 to 30 seconds if possible, once a short hold is comfortable. We read it as starting at 10 and building up (our reading).
Sources
- NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) — Exercises for knee problems — source (no update date shown on the page; checked 29 October 2026). Who it is for, why, at first, safety; 5 exercises (lying knee bend, static quad strengthening, supported leg raise, lying leg raise, seated knee extension stretch) with video lengths and written steps; the 0 to 10 scale and 0 to 5; pain after; 2 to 3, every hour, 1 or 2 every few days; the set example (8, a minute, 8, 2 to 3 times a day); at most 2 sets of 15; stretches 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 sets, 2 to 3 times a day; when to stop; 6 weeks.
- Not read. The 5 videos (titles, lengths and the page’s written steps only); the self-management page (linked only); the site’s osteoarthritis of the knee and patellofemoral pain exercise pages.
- What we added. The “worth noting” column, “our sum” and “our example”, and the Korean care gloss.
Where to check further
- Orthopaedics or rehabilitation medicine — no better after 6 weeks, or worse.
- A physiotherapist — form and how many.
Written on 29 October 2026. The content is from NHS inform; the glosses are ours.
