Pes Anserine (Knee) Bursitis Rehabilitation Exercises
You can stretch your leg right away by doing the first 3
exercises. Start strengthening your leg by doing the last 4
exercises.
- Hamstring stretch on wall: Lie on your back with your
buttocks close to a doorway, and extend your legs
straight out in front of you along the floor. Raise
one leg and rest it against the wall next to the door
frame. Your other leg should extend through the doorway.
You should feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.
Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times
and then switch legs and do the exercise again.
- Standing calf stretch: Facing a wall, put your hands
against the wall at about eye level. Keep one leg back
with the heel on the floor, and the other leg forward.
Turn your back foot slightly inward (as if you were
pigeon-toed) as you slowly lean into the wall until you
feel a stretch in the back of your calf. Hold for 15 to
30 seconds. Repeat 3 times and then switch the position
of your legs and repeat the exercise 3 times. Do this
exercise several times each day.
- Quadriceps stretch: Stand an arm's length away from
the wall with your injured leg farthest from the wall.
Facing straight ahead, brace yourself by keeping one
hand against the wall. With your other hand, grasp the
ankle of your injured leg and pull your heel toward your
buttocks. Don't arch or twist your back. Keep your
knees together. Hold this stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
- Hip adductor stretch: Lie on your back, bend your
knees, and put your feet flat on the floor. Gently
spread your knees apart, stretching the muscles on the
inside of your thigh. Hold this for 15 to 30 seconds.
Repeat 3 times.
- Quad sets: Sitting on the floor with your injured leg
straight and your other leg bent, press the back of the
knee of your injured leg against the floor by tightening
the muscles on the top of your thigh. Hold this position
10 seconds. Relax. Do 3 sets of 10.
- Isometric knee flexion: Sitting on the floor with
one leg slightly bent, dig the heel of your other leg
into the floor and tighten up the back of your thigh
muscles. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Do 3 sets of
10.
- Heel slide: Sit on a firm surface with your legs
straight in front of you. Slowly slide the heel of your
injured leg leg toward your buttock by pulling your knee
to your chest as you slide. Return to the starting
position. Do 3 sets of 10.
Written by Tammy White, MS, PT, and Phyllis Clapis, PT, DHSc, OCS, for RelayHealth.
Published by
RelayHealth.
Last modified: 2009-02-08
Last reviewed: 2008-12-01
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
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