Bone on Bone (Osteoarthritis) Knee Pain Exercises & Treatment Options

Crunching or grinding on the knees isn’t always a cause for concern.

My knees have painless little “speed bumps” that I’ve had for years. They haven’t gotten any worse so I don’t give them much thought.

However, they may not be innocuous, so it’s important to make sure you’re doing what you can to ensure your body is aligned and the right muscles work when you move.

Alignment and activation issues can result in cartilage continuing to degenerate, which can eventually lead to pain and limitation and real bone-on-bone. (Note: this is also referred to as chondromalacia patellae)

In this video Dr. Boynton outlines the background and shares insights from her 30+ years of surgical practice on what the issues are and whether surgery is a viable option or not.

Then, Coach E walks you through 5 exercises to strengthen the knees and get the feet/ankles and hips working properly so there is less load going through the knees, keeping them healthier for longer.

IN THIS VIDEO

00:00 - Intro
00:45 - What is bone-on-bone osteoarthritis?
02:05 - Is surgery necessary?
03:15 - Treatment options
05:10 - Thoughts on knee braces
06:00 - Is exercise safe?

EXERCISES

08:44 - ASMR: Anterior Thigh / Quads
10:32 - Quad Ramping
13:05 - Short & Skinny Foot
14:32 - Slumpy Psoas Activator
17:04 - Hip & Foot Focused Squat

RESOURCES

Medical Disclaimer

The medical information on any/all of our content is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. Please consult your health care provider before making any health care decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.

[ljw]

I am 65 years old with a torn meniscus that happened last summer, in addition to increasing osteoarthritis in my left knee. To make things worse, I carried something that was much too big and heavy a couple of weeks ago and further messed up my left leg with inside thigh pain that radiates down through that bad knee. Your videos and the exercises shown here that help with strengthening the psoas and the sacroiliac – SI pain is another issue – are extremely helpful because they pull everything together, quite literally. I'm afraid to get down on the floor. I'm trying to preserve this left knee for my lifetime. I'm an avid hiker and don't want any downtime. Floor exercises I'm afraid would be the death of this knee. In your videos, if you have alternatives to the floor exercises that people like me can do sitting or standing to not run that risk of putting direct pressure on the knees, it would be much appreciated. Thank you for the countless ways you have helped me!

[trishwest]

Thank you for having the Dr discuss the knee compartments with remedies and for the great demo on the isometric exercises.

[carrie]

Informative discussion thank you. I’m 64 with bone on bone inner knee and don’t want surgery if I can avoid it but I’m in almost constant pain. Thank you for your sensible advice

[tennisbumch]

Dr B & Coach Eric, Really thankful for your knowledge and instructions.

[MichaelBennett-ql]

That is superb video and to do correctly is really technical. I love it 👍

[jaquelinederozario]

I am 61 years n suffering from bone on bone knee please send more videos of exercises to relief pain stiffness n swelling tks

[james]

Hi guys. Loving the clearly reasoned advice here.

I’ve been dealing with a feeling of numb discomfort and weakness in the medial portion of my right knee for the past 1.5 years. I was an avid runner covering big distances for years prior to this. I never had any problems, then nagging knee pain came along and never went away. I’ve been through a long and convoluted journey of trial and error. I think I've seen 6 different physical therapists at the last count. Now I have orthotic insoles and have been able to build back some running. But areas of discomfort and weakness still persist. I suspect there is some osteoarthritis as I started to notice a crepitus like crackling sound about 3 months into all this, but never had my knee scanned so can’t confirm. I know I have tight immobile hips and an over pronated right foot. So there are issues to fix above and below. I'm a parent with a young child and working full time so it's hard to know what to focus on the make the biggest impact.

Back at the beginning of this year I started on your lower limb control course. I’ve loved doing the course, I find the approach completely unique. It’s been so worthwhile trying reawaken my dead flat feet. No other therapist I interacted with even prompted me to look at the feet in this way. Now I see you also have a different course called the knee pain solution which I wonder if I would be better off following. My question: is the knee pain course significantly different to LLC. Is it worth my while to purchase the knee pain solution course and follow that instead? Am I missing anything significant that could really help me? Or would you recommend I stick with LLC?

Thanks for all the clear headed and well reasoned guidance 🙏 (it’s especially appreciated when many therapists firing generic, untested ‘knee jerk' advice at you!)

[sgall]

I had excruciating pain in my knee (severe medial arthritis). Then, I did 10 repeitions of quad ramping, and the pain disappeared. Nothing else worked. Thanks so much.

[DeanHenry-hmbd]

My X rays show that I have bone on bone arthritis in both my knees, I’m scheduled to have knee replacement surgery a month from today, I’m going to do the exercises that are in your video, i’ve tried everything I could to avoid surgery, but I guess I’m going to have to have it done. Your videos are great. Your channel is great and I am subscribing to it. Thank you for a great video.

[djpmicd]

Great video! I’m 38 years old and was told I’ve early signs of arthritis in my left knee. I feel it now playing basketball and running which is sucks because I love playing basketball. Hopefully these exercises will help me.

[hockeydave]

Thank you both for sharing such useful knowledge!

[acquasea]

Great content and advice here! Thank you. I'm 56 YO male, lifelong trail runner and very active. I've developed osteoarthritis in my left knee that now prevents me from running. Previously had two prior meniscus repairs by docs who treat the US Ski Team. My assumption is that they're up to speed on the latest research. But now I'm being told I'm probably looking at a knee replacement eventually. These exercises are definitely helping me. Do you or Dr. B have any opinions about red light therapy for pain, inflammation, and mitochondrial function - such as the Kineon device? Thanks!

[Knud]

Thanks a lot! Can I please put in a petition for a video on hip osteoarthritis? 😀

[kieranalessi]

Can you recommend a similar video for the hip joint? Been ‘centrating’ with the resistance band move, also looking to slow cartilage wear and strengthen what’s there post-labrum tear. Thanks very much!

[noorfarhana]

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation .

[edwigcarol]

6:32 a huge proponent of isometric exercises. Contracting the muscle with the joint not moving. "Excellent to release pain and...will help you to control the movements of your joint, so you are not overloading it"

An exercise id good as long as the movement pattern is functional, the alignment is kept and no compensation needed.

[karenvaldez]

Thank you for such a thorough video. Can you tell me the type of foam roller you use in the video?

[jaspersanfellipo]

GREAT video. Can you give an example of the type of knee brace Dr. Boynton recommends. I'm not sure if she says, "unloader knee brace" or something else. Thank you.

[larrymoran]

Thank you! I was diagnosed with bone on bone bilaterally . I've also been dealing with hip and groin pain for many weeks. The Slumpy Psoas exercise helped after one session! How often should I do this exercise and the other ones on this video ?

[christinajames]

Hello! I have bone on bone and I can't do squats at all!!! Suggestions for other types of exercise to replace the ones with the weighted bended knees?