Pain guide · Knee pain

Knee pain on stairs: going up or coming down, what it means, and how to build back

Stairs load the knee more than walking: about three and a half times your body weight going down, measured in people with knee implants. That's why they're often the first thing to hurt. Pain around or behind the kneecap, worse going down and after sitting, is usually kneecap pain; an achy, stiff knee from your mid-40s is often arthritis; and catching or locking after a twist is something else to get checked.

Stairs haven't been shown to wear knees out, and avoiding them isn't the answer. For now, National Health Service (NHS) advice is to take them one at a time with the handrail, good leg first going up and sore leg first coming down, while you build the strength to go back to step over step. A knee that locks or gives way needs NHS 111 first, a knee you can't put weight on after a fall needs checking the same day or accident and emergency (A&E), and a knee that hasn't improved within a few weeks needs a general practitioner (GP) or physiotherapist. This guide covers the warning signs, what the pain points to, how to use stairs for now, how much pain is fine, and a three-stage plan with a 3D demo of every move.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 27 sourcesUpdated 23 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Same day: a pop or tearing feeling at the front of the knee after a fall, stumble, jump or landing, then you can't straighten the knee or lift the straight leg off the bed, there's a dent above or below the kneecap, or the kneecap sits higher or lower than on the other side. Go to A&E or an urgent treatment centre, or get help from NHS 111. A torn quadriceps or patellar tendon does best when it's repaired soon.
You cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape.
The knee locks, gives way or clicks painfully. Painless clicking is normal.
A hot, red or swollen knee with sudden severe pain, a very high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery. This can be a joint infection.
You hurt your knee and cannot take 4 steps, or you are 55 or over and hurt it in a fall: get it checked the same day for a broken bone.
Throbbing pain and swelling in one calf or thigh with red or darkened skin or swollen veins, or sudden worse pain and swelling around a lump at the back of the knee (a possible clot or a burst Baker's cyst).
Leg pain or swelling with breathlessness or chest pain: call 999 or go to A&E, and do not drive yourself. It can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
Back or leg symptoms with numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or severe or worsening weakness or numbness in both legs.

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Knee pain that has not improved within a few weeks of looking after it at home. Many areas offer NHS physiotherapy without a GP referral.
Numbness, tingling or weakness that travels down the leg from the back. That points to a nerve (sciatica) rather than the knee.
A child or teenager with pain at a bump just below the kneecap or at its lower tip, worse with squats, jumps and kneeling: see our Osgood-Schlatter and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson guides, and get it checked if it is getting worse.
Stairs have been getting harder over weeks or months with swelling in several joints, or morning stiffness that lasts more than 30 minutes: see a GP. It can be an inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis rather than wear and tear.
Your knee gives way on the stairs, or you've had a fall on the stairs: use the handrail, take one step at a time, and get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist. Asking about a walking aid and a falls check is our suggestion.

Where does it hurt?

Location narrows the likely causes; it does not diagnose.

Around or behind the kneecap, worse going down stairs, squatting, kneeling and after sitting

Kneecap (patellofemoral) pain, often called runner's knee, though it happens in people who don't run.

Read: Runner's knee →An achy, stiff knee from your mid-40s, worse on stairs and hills

Stiff for under 30 minutes in the morning: knee arthritis.

Read: Knee arthritis →One point just below the kneecap, worse with jumping, landing and loaded squats

Patellar tendon pain (jumper's knee).

Read: Jumper's knee →One point just above the kneecap, worse with deep squats, jumping or kneeling

Quadriceps tendon pain.

Read: Quadriceps tendinopathy →Under and either side of the tendon below the kneecap, worst as the knee straightens fully

Fat pad pain.

Read: Fat pad impingement →A tender band on the inner edge of the kneecap that clicks or catches on stairs

A medial plica.

Read: Plica syndrome →The inner shin a few centimetres below the joint, worse on stairs and getting up from a chair

Pes anserine pain.

Read: Pes anserine pain →The outside of the knee, building during a walk or run, often worse downhill

Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome.

Read: IT band syndrome →The joint line, with catching, locking or swelling, especially after a twist

A possible meniscus tear: get it assessed.

Read: Meniscus tear →The knee gives way going down stairs after a twist or a pop

A possible ligament injury, such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL): get it assessed.

Read: ACL injury →The knee gave way and the kneecap slipped out of place

A kneecap dislocation: get it checked.

Read: Kneecap dislocation →Behind the knee, with a lump

Often a Baker's cyst. A red, swollen, painful calf needs a same-day check for a clot.

Read: Baker's cyst →Knee pain on stairs in a 10 to 15 year old, at a bump just below the kneecap or at its lower tip

Osgood-Schlatter disease or Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome.

Read: Osgood-Schlatter →Knee or thigh pain with a limp in a child or teenager, the knee looking normal

It can be the hip (a slipped upper femoral epiphysis): get help the same day.

Read: SUFE (slipped hip growth plate) →Knee pain on squats and lunges in the gym as well as on stairs

Our squatting guide maps it.

Read: Knee pain when squatting →

Understand it

Why stairs show up a sore kneeEmerging evidence

In 5 people with instrumented knee implants, the peak force through the knee was 346% of body weight going down stairs, 316% going up and 261% walking on the flat; standing up from a chair and sitting down were 246% and 225%. Going down, the thigh muscle works as it lengthens to lower you under control, which may be why kneecap pain often shows up most on the way down (our explanation).

In 4,673 people with or at risk of knee arthritis, followed for up to 7 years, "using stairs" was the first activity to become painful as knee pain began, before walking, standing, sitting or lying.

Sources 1, 2

Kneecap painEmerging evidence

Kneecap (patellofemoral) pain is the commonest cause in younger and active people. NHS inform describes pain beneath or around the kneecap, "especially on climbing up and down stairs, kneeling and squatting", and after sitting for a while (driving, the cinema), sometimes with a feeling of giving way.

In small lab studies, people with kneecap pain climbed stairs more slowly and with less force through the kneecap joint than people without pain, keeping the stress behind the kneecap at normal levels, and people with arthritis behind the kneecap loaded it less too. They seem to protect the joint by easing off the thigh muscle, which is one reason the plan rebuilds thigh strength (our reading).

Sources 3, 4, 5, 6

ArthritisStrong evidence

Arthritis is the commonest cause from mid-life. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) diagnoses it without imaging in people 45 and over with activity-related joint pain and morning stiffness of 30 minutes or less. The NHS says arthritic knees may be most painful "when you walk, particularly when walking up or down hills or stairs", and may give way, and NHS inform lists giving way and weakness among its symptoms.

Sources 7, 8, 9

When a scan helpsStrong evidence

Rarely at first. NICE diagnoses knee arthritis from symptoms, and in a population study of 991 people, meniscus tears on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were found in 19% of women aged 50 to 59 up to 56% of men aged 70 to 90; 61% of people with a tear had no knee pain, aching or stiffness in the previous month. A scan is for a knee that locks, gives way or swelled within hours of a twist, or isn't settling despite a good programme. After a fall, health professionals use set rules to decide on an X-ray.

Sources 7, 10, 11

How it usually goesEmerging evidence

It depends on the cause. In one trial in 40 young women with kneecap pain, a 12-week programme with pain monitoring got 85% back to their sport without pain a year later; there was no untreated group, so some of that may be natural recovery. Arthritis is long-term, but it "does not necessarily get any worse over time", the NHS says, and exercise improves function. NHS inform suggests seeing a professional if a knee problem hasn't improved within 6 weeks. No one can promise a date.

Sources 12, 13, 8, 14

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Good leg up, sore leg down: NHS advice, explained by one lab studyEmerging evidence

NHS inform says lead with your good leg going upstairs and your problem leg going downstairs, and use a handrail until your muscles become stronger; an NHS hospital trust's leaflet adds one step at a time unless your physiotherapist says otherwise.

The explanation comes from a lab study of 17 healthy adults, not people with knee pain: taking stairs one at a time, the leg that led going up and the leg that trailed going down did nearly all the bending work at the knee, about six to seven times as much as the other leg. So the good leg takes those jobs. No trial has tested the technique, or a handrail, for pain.

Sources 14, 9, 15, 16

Strength is the long-term answerStrong evidence

In knee arthritis, across 139 trials, exercise improved function by about 11 points out of 100 against placebo or attention (moderate certainty) and eased pain by about 9 points (low certainty); no type of exercise was clearly better. For kneecap pain, an international consensus recommends exercise, especially hip and knee exercises together. NHS inform's knee arthritis exercises include a step-up leading with the affected leg.

No trial has used stair pain as its main outcome, so the plan builds the stair movement itself: step-ups, then step-downs.

Sources 13, 4, 17

Start where the kneecap is quietestEmerging evidence

In a lab study of 10 healthy people, squats from straight to about 45 degrees of bend, and seated knee extensions from 90 to 45 degrees, put the least stress behind the kneecap. So the plan starts in those ranges if the kneecap hurts, and goes deeper as it settles. It's a measurement study, not a trial in people with pain.

Source 18

Do stairs wear knees out? The evidence is indirect and mixedMixed evidence

In a German case-control study of 739 people with knee arthritis and 571 without, climbing stairs or ladders at work wasn't linked with knee arthritis, while kneeling or squatting, heavy lifting and excess weight were. In a British case-control study of 518 people waiting for knee surgery and 518 without, kneeling or squatting (about 1.9 times the odds), walking more than 2 miles a day (1.9) and lifting 25 kg or more (1.7) at work were linked with it; stairs weren't reported. Both studies looked at years of heavy work, not stairs at home.

In people with knee arthritis, walking for exercise went with less new frequent knee pain, and loading exercise didn't harm knee cartilage in 9 trials (low-quality evidence). The NHS says a job that puts frequent strain on your joints can raise the risk of arthritis. Our reading: everyday stairs are a load to build up to, not a harm, but the evidence is indirect.

Sources 19, 20, 21, 22, 8

Taping, braces and insolesMixed evidence

For kneecap pain, the international consensus is uncertain about taping and bracing, and says foot orthoses may help in the short term. For arthritis, NICE says don't routinely offer insoles, braces, tape or supports unless the joint is unstable and exercise isn't enough.

Sources 4, 7

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

0 to 2 is safe, up to 5 is acceptable, and the stairs follow the same ruleEmerging evidence

This guide uses the knee hub's rule, the arthritis version. Rate your knee pain from 0 to 10 during and after exercise. In the pain-monitoring model used in knee trials, 0 to 2 counts as safe, up to 5 as acceptable and above 5 as too much. Aim for 0 to 3 most of the time.

By the next morning your knee should be back to its usual level. If it is not, drop back one step next time (fewer sets, a shallower range, a lower step), not to nothing. Over the weeks pain should hold steady or ease; that last check is our suggestion rather than a tested rule.

Some knee programmes say you should feel no pain at all. The trials allowed some, and a meta-analysis found exercising into some pain did no worse than pain-free exercise. NICE says joint pain may rise when you start exercising with arthritis, and that regular exercise still helps in the long run. NHS inform's knee arthritis exercises use a similar limit: keep your pain within 0 to 5 out of 10.

Sharp, catching or giving-way pain, or new swelling, is a reason to stop and get it checked.

On the stairs (our suggestion, built on the same rule and an NHS hospital trust's leaflet): use the stairs in the way that keeps them within 0 to 5 out of 10. The leaflet says discomfort after exercise should ease within 2 hours and not make your symptoms worse overall. Bring back step over step only when one-at-a-time stairs have been comfortable (0 to 3) for a week.

Sources 12, 23, 24, 7, 17, 15

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

Settle: change how you use the stairs, and wake the thigh up

About weeks 0 to 2: stairs one at a time, good leg first going up and sore leg first coming down, with the handrail (the written steps below), and thigh and hip work in the ranges that load the kneecap least. With a knee that locks, gives way or swells, get checked first. Doses are NHS inform's or a named guide's; the rest are editorial.

Quad set (static quads) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoQuad set (static quads)Beginner · No equipment

Hold 10 s: 2 to 3 at a time, building to 8, 2 to 3 times a day · NHS inform's knee arthritis exercise, with its pacing

Harder: Straight-leg raise

Straight-leg raise demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStraight-leg raiseBeginner · No equipment

Hold 5 s at the top: 2 to 3 at a time, building to sets of 8, up to 2 sets of 15 · NHS inform's knee arthritis exercise, with its pacing

Easier: Quad set (static quads) · Harder: Leg extension

Seated knee extension (chair) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSeated knee extension (chair)Beginner · A bench or box + Something with weight

3 sets of 10 to 15 each leg, 2 to 3 days a week · The move page's dose, an editorial starting point. Work from 90° to about 45° only if the kneecap hurts, as the move page says

Easier: Quad set (static quads) · Harder: Leg extension

Glute bridge demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment

2 to 3 at a time, building to sets of 8, up to 2 sets of 15 · NHS inform's knee arthritis exercise, with its pacing

Easier: Pelvic tilt into bridge · Harder: Single-leg glute bridge

Sit squat (partial squat) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSit squat (partial squat)Beginner · No equipment

Lower until your bottom just touches a chair behind you: 2 to 3 at a time, building to sets of 8 · NHS inform's chair squat, with its pacing. To about 45° of knee bend at first if the kneecap hurts

Harder: Bodyweight squat

3D demoClamshellBeginner · No equipment

3 sets of 12 to 15 each side · As in our runner's knee guide: hip work for kneecap pain

Easier: Supine isometric hip abduction (belt press) · Harder: Lateral band walk

Move on when: Daily activities and these moves stay within the pain rule, and one flight taken one step at a time with the rail is 0 to 3 out of 10, with the knee back to usual by the next morning (editorial).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Build: practise the stair movement

About weeks 2 to 6, 2 or 3 days a week: the step-up, which NHS inform's knee arthritis exercises include, plus standing strength and balance. Doses are a named guide's unless NHS inform is named.

3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step

Lead with the sore leg onto a low step (the bottom stair), building to 3 sets of 10 each leg, then a normal stair · NHS inform's step-up leads with the affected leg; the 3 sets of 10 is our runner's knee guide's

Easier: Low step-up · Harder: Dumbbell step-up

Sit to stand from a chair demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box

3 sets of 8 to 12, higher seat to start · As in our knee pain guide

Easier: Sit to stand, pushing on the thighs · Harder: Bodyweight squat

3D demoWall sitBeginner · A wall

4 holds of 20 to 45 s at a comfortable depth · As in our knee pain guide

Easier: Straight-leg raise · Harder: Spanish squat (band squat hold)

Lateral band walk demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLateral band walkBeginner · A band

3 sets of 12 steps each way · As in our runner's knee guide

Easier: Hip abduction machine · Harder: Lateral band walk, band at the feet

Slow calf raise demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall

3 sets of 12 · As in our knee pain guide

Easier: Seated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise) · Harder: Standing dumbbell calf raise

Single-leg stand demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wall

A few seconds, building to 20 to 30 s, a hand near a support · NHS inform's balance exercise goes up to 20 s; 30 s is our knee pain guide's

Easier: Tandem stance and heel-to-toe walk · Harder: Single-leg reach matrix

Move on when: 3 sets of 10 step-ups onto a normal stair stay within the pain rule on each leg, and going up step over step with the rail is comfortable (editorial).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Back to the stairs in full: step-downs and step over step

From about week 6, 2 days a week, and ongoing: the controlled lowering that going downstairs needs, single-leg strength, and the stairs themselves, coming back by the written steps below.

Patrick step-down demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoPatrick step-downIntermediate · A step

3 sets of 8 to 10 each leg, from a low step · As in our knee pain and runner's knee guides. It practises lowering on one leg, as going downstairs does (our reasoning)

Easier: Bodyweight squat · Harder: Skater squat

Split squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment

3 sets of 8 each leg, holding a support at first · As in our knee pain and knee arthritis guides

Easier: Bodyweight squat · Harder: Reverse lunge

Dumbbell goblet squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell

3 sets of 8 to 12, deeper as you can · As in our knee pain guide

Easier: Bodyweight squat · Harder: Barbell front squat

Single-leg calf raise from a step demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall

3 sets of 10 each leg · As in our knee pain guide

Easier: Slow calf raise · Harder: Single-leg pogo hops

Stair climbing demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoStair climbingIntermediate · A step

1 to 3 flights at your own pace, step over step going up, the rail within reach, 2 to 3 days a week, building up · Editorial: the move page gives no dose. Hold the rail if you need to, as the move page says

Easier: Treadmill walking · Harder: Sprint intervals

Move on when: Our suggestion: step over step coming down, slowly, with the rail; then without the rail; then carrying things and longer flights. Hills and stadium steps come last. If it flares, go back a step rather than avoiding stairs.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

What to change for now

How to use stairs for now (written steps)

Our 3D figure can't show these changes. They come from NHS inform, an NHS hospital trust's leaflet, the NHS and NICE; where a step is our suggestion, it says so.

1. One step at a time: going up, lead with your good leg; coming down, lead with your sore leg (NHS inform). "Good leg leads going up, bad leg leads going down", as the leaflet puts it. In a lab study of 17 healthy adults, this put the hard work on the leading leg going up and the trailing leg going down.
2. Use the handrail until your muscles are stronger (NHS inform).
3. A walking stick, if you use one, goes in the hand opposite the sore knee. With a rail and a stick, going up: good leg, then sore leg, then the stick; coming down: the stick on the step below, then the sore leg, then the good leg (the leaflet).
4. Make the stairs safe: secure rails, good lighting, carpets properly fitted, and flat, supportive shoes rather than slippers (the leaflet).
5. Spread the stairs through the day while it's sore: fewer trips carrying heavy loads, with a bag at the top and the bottom (our suggestion). Stairs are a load to manage, not to avoid.
6. Kneecap pain: it's often worse after sitting with your knees bent, so take regular breaks and reduce the time you sit still (NHS inform).
7. Shoes and weight: cushioned, supportive shoes help (the NHS), and for arthritis with excess weight, NICE says any weight loss helps, and losing 10% helps more than 5%.

Sources 14, 9, 15, 16, 8, 3, 7

Stairs come back (written steps)

No trial has tested how fast to bring back step-over-step stairs. These steps are our suggestion.

1. Stage 1: one step at a time, good leg first going up and sore leg first coming down, with the rail; a stick, if you use one, in the opposite hand.
2. Stage 2: step over step going up with the rail, once one-at-a-time stairs have been 0 to 3 out of 10 for a week; keep coming down one at a time.
3. Stage 3: step over step coming down, slowly, with the rail; then without it; then carrying things and longer flights. Going down comes back last, because it loads the knee most.
4. Hills and stadium steps last, and spread heavy stair days through the week.
5. Keep two strength days a week for the long term. If it flares, go back a step, not to avoiding stairs.

Sources 14, 15, 1

Braces, painkillers and surgery

NICE says offer a painkilling gel (a topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) for knee arthritis, and don't routinely offer braces, tape or insoles unless the joint is unstable and exercise isn't enough; for kneecap pain, the international consensus is uncertain about taping and bracing. A knee replacement is for when symptoms substantially affect quality of life and other treatment hasn't worked, NICE says; our knee replacement guide covers it.

Sources 7, 4, 8

Positions to swap, and why

Habit or position	Why it matters	Instead
Leading with the sore leg going up, or the good leg going down	NHS inform advises the opposite, and in a lab study of healthy adults it put the hard work on the leg that leads going up and trails going down.	Good leg first going up, sore leg first coming down.
Going up and down without the handrail	NHS inform says use a handrail until your muscles are stronger.	The rail, one step at a time.
Taking stairs two at a time, or rushing down	More knee bend under load, and going down loads the knee most (our reasoning).	One step at a time, then step over step, slowly.
Avoiding stairs altogether	The health services advise changing how you use them, not avoiding them, and their knee programmes use a step-up.	Step-ups on the bottom stair.Try: Step-up
Carrying heavy loads up and down while it's sore	A heavier load on the knee with every step (our reasoning).	Fewer trips, lighter bags, a bag at the top and the bottom.
Slippers on the stairs	An NHS hospital trust's leaflet lists flat, supportive shoes as a safety point.	Flat, supportive shoes.
Long sits with your knees bent, if the kneecap hurts	Kneecap pain is often worse after sitting, and NHS inform says reduce the time you sit still.	Regular breaks, and straighten your knees under the desk.
Deep loaded lunges and squats while the kneecap is sore	Deeper knee bends under load stressed the kneecap more in a lab study.	Squats to about 45° first, then deeper.Try: Sit squat (partial squat)
Heel-elevated deep squats with a sore kneecap	Raised heels tip the shins forward and give the knee more of the work, as our knee pain when squatting guide explains.	Split squats to a depth within the pain rule.Try: Split squat
Reverse Nordics while the kneecap is sore	It loads the knee deeply bent under your body weight (our suggestion, as in our knee pain when swimming guide).	Seated knee extensions, from 90° to 45° if the full range hurts.Try: Seated knee extension (chair)
A knee sleeve, strap or brace as the plan	NICE doesn't routinely offer braces for arthritis unless the joint is unstable, and for kneecap pain the evidence is uncertain.	The strength plan.
Lots of kneeling, if the kneecap hurts	NHS inform says reduce the amount of kneeling.	A kneeling pad, or half-kneel on the other knee (our suggestion).

Routines to follow

Low-impact leg workout (no jumping)

A gentle leg strength routine with no jumping: sit-to-stands, step-ups, wall sits, bridges and calf raises.

20 minBeginner7 movesA bench or box, A step

Knee strengthening workout: from first steps to full range

A 25-minute session for knees that don't currently hurt: thigh and hamstring strength, single-leg control, then an optional full-range block with knees over toes.

25 minBeginner13 movesA bench or box, A wall

Balance exercises routine

Balance practice in 10 minutes: tandem stance, single-leg stands, marches, heel walks, tree pose and floor transfers.

10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A bench or box

Hill and stair conditioning

Stair or hill climbs with the walk down as recovery, then a loaded walk with your rucksack, building towards the hills, pack and days of your trip.

40 minBeginner5 movesA step, Something with weight

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

Why does my knee hurt going down stairs?

Going down loads the knee more than walking, about three and a half times body weight against about two and a half on the flat in people with knee implants, and your thigh muscle has to control the lowering. Pain around or behind the kneecap going down is usually kneecap pain; an achy, stiff knee from mid-life is often arthritis. For now, lead with the sore leg going down and use the rail.

Why does my knee hurt going up stairs?

Going up loads the knee about three times body weight and asks the thigh to straighten it against your weight. Kneecap pain and arthritis both commonly hurt going up as well as down, and pain at one point just below the kneecap is more often a tendon. Lead with the good leg going up.

Why does my knee hurt on stairs but not when walking?

Stairs load the knee more than walking on the flat, so they show up a sore knee first: in a large study, "using stairs" was the first activity to become painful as knee pain began. It's a sign to build strength, not a sign that stairs are harming your knee.

How should I go up and down stairs with knee pain?

One step at a time, with the handrail: good leg first going up, sore leg first coming down, as NHS inform advises. If you use a stick, hold it in the hand opposite the sore knee, and wear flat, supportive shoes rather than slippers. Step over step comes back as the knee settles.

Are stairs bad for your knees?

Not as far as the evidence goes, though it's indirect. Climbing stairs at work wasn't linked with knee arthritis in a German study, while years of heavy kneeling, lifting and long daily walks at work were linked with it in a British one, and walking for exercise went with less new knee pain in people with arthritis. Stairs are a heavy load, which is why they hurt a sore knee and why they also build strength.

Is climbing stairs good for knee arthritis?

Using the stairs keeps the thigh working, NHS inform's knee arthritis exercises include a step-up, and exercise improves function in knee arthritis. Use the handrail and the one-at-a-time technique while it's sore, and build back to step over step.

What exercises help knee pain on stairs?

Thigh and hip strengthening: exercise improves knee arthritis function by about 11 points out of 100, and hip and knee exercises together are recommended for kneecap pain. The plan starts with NHS inform's quad sets, leg raises and chair squats, then step-ups, then step-downs, which practise the controlled lowering that going downstairs needs.

Should I wear a knee brace or sleeve for stairs?

Not as the main treatment: NICE doesn't routinely offer braces or supports for knee arthritis unless the joint is unstable and exercise isn't enough, and for kneecap pain the evidence on bracing and taping is uncertain. A rail and the strength plan do more.

Why does my knee give way going down stairs?

A feeling of the knee giving way is common with kneecap pain and arthritis, and the controlled lowering needs strong thigh muscles. A knee that actually gives way, locks, or swelled after a twist needs checking: get help from NHS 111, and hold the rail until it's been assessed.

Is pain behind the kneecap on stairs runner's knee?

Often, yes: pain around or behind the kneecap, worse on stairs, squatting, kneeling and after sitting, is kneecap (patellofemoral) pain, which our runner's knee guide covers. It happens in people who don't run too.

Do I need an X-ray or MRI for knee pain on stairs?

Usually not at first: NICE diagnoses knee arthritis from symptoms without imaging, and meniscus tears are common in knees that don't hurt. A scan is for a knee that locks, gives way or swelled after a twist, or isn't settling with a good programme; after a fall, health professionals use set rules to decide on an X-ray.

How long until stairs stop hurting?

It depends on the cause, and no one can promise a date. In one trial, most young women with kneecap pain were back to their sport without pain a year after a 12-week programme, and exercise improves function in arthritis. NHS inform suggests seeing a professional if a knee problem hasn't improved within 6 weeks.

Related exercise guides

Other pain guides

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.