The short explanation
You can still be active in ways that are kinder to your knees. Low-impact options include cycling on a stationary bike, swimming or walking in water, chair exercises, gentle yoga, and strengthening exercises for the thigh and hip muscles. Stronger muscles support the knees and often reduce pain over time. Losing even a small amount of weight can lower the load on your knees with every step, which may itself ease pain. Diet changes, such as smaller portions, fewer fried snacks and sweets, and more vegetables and protein, often make a bigger difference to weight than exercise alone. A physiotherapist can design a safe programme for your knees.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Knee pain in this age group is often due to osteoarthritis, but a doctor should check, especially if there is swelling, locking or giving way.
- Short, frequent walks on flat ground may be easier than one long walk.
- Supportive footwear and avoiding deep squatting or climbing many stairs can reduce strain.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you what is causing your knee pain or which exercises are safe for you. A doctor or physiotherapist should assess you.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- What is causing my knee pain?
- Which exercises are safe for me?
- Can I see a physiotherapist?
- How much weight loss would help my knees?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Get help the same day
- Get care the same day if a knee becomes hot, red and swollen with fever, or you cannot bear weight.
Book an appointment soon
- See a doctor within a few days if knee pain is worsening or limiting daily activities.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Book a routine appointment to plan safe exercise and weight loss.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Weight control MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
- Healthy diet World Health Organization
- Type 2 diabetes NHS
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
Did this answer your question?
Whatever you choose is filed against this version of the answer, never against you, and it is never shown as a count.
“Explain more simply” asks you which part was hard to follow, so the author knows what to rewrite. “My question is different” opens a private follow-up with this answer attached.
Saving, following up and reporting are all private. Nothing you do on this page is visible to other readers or to the doctor who wrote it, unless you ask a question.