Therapist's Exercises for Knock Knee

Knock knee is a condition in which your legs bend outward from your knees so that, when standing, your knees touch and your ankles are positioned farther apart than is considered normal, says the website for the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York -- Presbyterian. Knock knee is not usually treated in children because it is a relatively normal growth condition that tends to rectify itself. However, in adulthood and serious childhood cases, exercises to strengthen and stabilize the knee joints can help.

Straight Leg Lift

Before doing any of these exercises, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends warming up with five minutes of light aerobic activity, such as walking or cycling. Once you’re warm, lie on your back on the floor with one leg straight out along the floor and the other knee bent with the foot flat on the floor. Tighten your thigh muscles in the straight leg and lift it about a foot off the floor and hold for five seconds. Make sure you keep your back and torso relaxed and avoid arching your back. Repeat the leg lift at least two times on both sides. This exercise primarily works your quadriceps at the front of your thighs, which help support your knee joints.

Wall Squats

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Stand with your back to a wall and your heels far enough away so that when you slide down the wall to a squat position, your knees are in line with your toes, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and you should squat to 90 degrees but no lower. Keep your stomach muscles slightly contracted as you hold the squat for five to 10 seconds, gradually increasing the hold as your strength improves.

Hamstring Curls

Holding on to the back of a chair, shift your weight to one leg bend the other leg back, resting just your toes on the floor, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Tense your hamstrings to lift your heel toward your buttocks. Hold in the curled position for about five seconds then lower your leg and repeat 10 curls on each leg. Keep the movements controlled so that you are using your hamstring muscles rather than momentum to lift your leg.

Knee Press

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Sit on the floor or a bench with one leg straight out in front of you and a rolled up towel behind the knee, says PhysioAdvisor.com. Contract your quadriceps in the outstretched leg and press the back of your knee into the towel. Hold for three seconds, release then repeat 10 times on both legs.