Strengthening

• Strengthening the muscles around the knee, mainly the quadriceps and the hamstring muscles, will prevent injury from occurring and make the knee stronger. If you have weak knees already, perform easy strengthening exercises; then work your way up to more difficult activities. Strengthen the quadriceps first with a static quadriceps contraction. Sit on a bench with one leg up on the bench and the other on the floor. Place a rolled-up towel underneath the knee of the leg on the bench. Place a finger over the inner part of the knee, and try to contract the quadriceps muscle. You will feel it bulge in your leg. Hold this for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times. This will gradually strengthen the quadriceps, so you can perform more difficult exercises in the future.
  
  

Stretches

• Stretches are important to make sure the muscles in the leg do not get too tight. Tightness in the major muscles of the leg can cause pulling on the patella, popping it out of place and causing knee pain. Stretching the hamstrings and the quadriceps will prevent this from happening. Stretch the hamstrings by placing the feet shoulder width apart and bending down at the waist, hanging your arm, so they brush the floor. Work up to being able to place your palms firmly on the floor. Perform a quadriceps stretch by standing straight up with your gets together. Bend one leg and the knee, and grab the foot at the ankle behind your back. Hold the opposite hand from the one holding the foot out in front of you to keep balance. Hold this for 20 seconds; then repeat with the other leg.
  
  

Range of Motion

• When strengthening and stretching the knee, it is important to work on range-of-motion exercises to promote knee strength. Making the leg too strong on one side causes the patella to pull to one side as well, which can cause damage to the tendon underneath. Move the knee in all directions to prevent this. Perform knee circles to make sure you are working all sides of the patella. Stand up with your feet together, and lean over, placing your hands directly above your knees with the fingers spread out over them. Keeping your feet in place, move the knees in small counterclockwise circles. Do 10 to 15 circles then go in the other direction.