Straight leg raise exercise ยท knee pain
The straight leg raise exercise builds thigh strength without asking a sore knee to bend.
The straight leg raise is a home knee exercise: on your back, one knee bent and the other leg long, you lock the long leg with your thigh muscle and lift it level with the bent knee, pause 2 seconds, lower slowly, and repeat 10 times.
Skip this one unless it is marked on the home program your physician gave you. Unless your instructions say otherwise, do your marked exercises twice a day, every day, and tick off each session in your log.
Step by step: the straight leg raise
- Set up: Lie on your back. Bend one knee with the foot flat and keep the other leg straight.
- Move: Firm up the thigh so the knee locks, then lift the entire leg to the bent knee’s height and lower it under control.
- Count and hold: A two-second pause up top, 10 times. Twice a day.
Why the straight leg raise matters after a procedure
Because the knee stays straight, the joint surfaces are not ground together while the thigh works. That makes it a safe way to load the quadriceps early, while bending still hurts. It is the bridge between the thigh squeeze and the standing exercises that come later, and it suits a bone-on-bone knee as well as a fresh injury.
Which mistakes undo it?
- Letting the knee bend as the leg rises.
- Swinging the leg up fast or too high.
- Arching your low back off the floor.
When to stop for the day
Expect a mild stretch, some effort, and maybe a little soreness the next morning. Quit for the day and phone (314) 886-5620 if you get:
- Numbness, tingling or weakness that was not there before
- A sharp, stabbing pain
- Pain that rises 2 points or more above your starting number and does not settle within an hour
- Lightheadedness, or your vision changing
Fainting, chest pain or a struggle to breathe: dial 911, not our office.
What to remember
- Lock the knee first, then lift.
- Up to the height of the other knee, no higher.
- Lower slowly. The way down counts.
Last step. Show us you have it: Right here in the clinic, do one raise for your technician and keep the knee perfectly straight. Unsure about any step? We run through it with you again next time.
Why bring your exercise log?
The log is how we tell the difference between an exercise that is not working and an exercise that is not being done. At each visit your technician counts the sessions you checked off, notes your daily pain number, and watches you do one exercise to correct your form before small errors become habits.
Related reading
- The painstl.com physiotherapy program, every station and test
- Thigh squeeze (quad set), another knee exercise
- Heel slide, another knee exercise
- Sit to stand, another knee exercise
Need the plan built around your injection?
A physician examines you first and decides which knee exercises fit your diagnosis and the procedure you had.
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St. Louis, MO 63134
Next to St. Louis Lambert International Airport, off I-70 at Woodson Road.