According to the Harvard Medical School, the goals of exercises for osteoarthritis are to increase range of motion, strengthen the muscles and build endurance. The specific exercises that are good for arthritis in the knee vary somewhat depending on a person's other health and personal factors.

Range of Motion

According to the Arthritis Foundation, gentle stretching exercises for range of motion are most important. These exercises help reduce the risk of joint injury, prepare you for more strenuous exercise and release tension from your body. Range of motion exercises can be as simple as moving your knee joint as far as it comfortably moves and then going for a slight stretch.

Strengthening

The Harvard Medical School reports that research shows strengthening the thigh muscles is just as effective as NSAIDs for decreasing pain and disability from knee arthritis. One simple exercise is to sit in a chair, lean forward and stand up by pushing up with your thigh muscles without using with your arms. Then sit back down, using only your thigh muscles.

Endurance

Aerobic activities such as walking, swimming and bicycling build endurance. The Harvard Medical School notes that you should choose activities with low impact on your knee joints and avoid high-impact activities such as jogging.

Considerations

Exercising in water is a great way to take the impact off the knee joints.

Caution

If you are having an arthritis flare-up, back off the strengthening and endurance exercises for a few days and focus on gentle range of motion.

Source:

Relieve arthritis pain naturally with exercise

Arthritis Foundation -- Types of Exercises