Exercises for thigh problems

Learn exercises to help with thigh muscle or joint problems

After any thigh problem, it's important to get movement and strength back. This supports tissue healing and will help you get moving again.

You may not be able to return to your usual exercise levels immediately and improvements may be slow to start with. However, a gradual return to normal activities is the best way to get good short and long term results after a thigh problem.

When doing exercise you should listen to your pain levels, especially in the early stages. You may find that these exercises increase your symptoms slightly in the beginning. However, they should get easier over time and, with regular practice, can help to improve movement in the thigh.

If the exercises do cause some discomfort then taking prescribed medication from your GP or pharmacist may help to keep you exercising.

The exercises in these videos are suitable for most people.

Please ensure you do these exercises in a safe environment. Only try these exercises if you are feeling well enough.

If you start to feel unwell stop these exercises immediately.

If this is the first time you have attempted these exercises please read the information below before starting.

Ensure you hold onto something sturdy such as a heavy chair or your kitchen worksurface.

One stretch is one repetition.

  1. To stretch the back of your thigh, lie on your back and lift one leg towards your chest.
  2. Place your hands behind your knee.
  3. Gently pull your leg towards your chest - you should feel a stretch in the back of your sore thigh.
  4. Hold for up to 10 seconds then return your leg to the bed.

Ensure you hold onto something sturdy such as a heavy chair or your kitchen worksurface.

Bending and straightening your knee is one repetition.

  1. Sitting on your sofa with your legs supported, bend your knee as far as comfort allows. You can add a small stretch with your hands to help get further into the movement.
  2. Hold this position for 2 seconds before returning to the starting position.

Ensure you hold onto something sturdy such as a heavy chair or your kitchen worksurface.

Lifting and bending your knee is one repetition.

  1. Stand holding on to a support with one hand.

  2. Lift and bend your knee, pulling the ankle towards your bottom - you should feel the stretch at the front of your thigh.

  3. Aim to gradually increase this hold to 20 or 30 seconds to get the most benefit.

Ensure you hold onto something sturdy such as a heavy chair or your kitchen worksurface.

Bending and straightening your knee is one repetition.

  1. While standing, move your leg straight out in front of you. You can place your heel on top of a chair to feel more of a stretch. Gently bend the other leg to feel a stretch at the back of your thigh. Hold for a few seconds.

  2. Gently bring your leg back towards the floor.

  3. Aim to gradually increase this hold to 20 or 30 seconds to get the most benefit

How to tell if you're exercising at the right level

This guide can help you to understand if you're exercising at the right level. It'll also let you see how much pain or discomfort is acceptable.

It can be helpful to rate your pain out of 10 (0 being no pain 10 being the worst pain you have ever had), for example:

  • 0 to 3 - minimal pain
  • 4 to 5 - acceptable pain
  • 6 to 10 - excessive pain

Pain during exercise

Aim to keep your pain within a rating of 0 to 5. If your pain gets above this level, you can change the exercises by:

  • reducing the number of times you do a movement
  • reducing the speed of a movement
  • increasing rest time between movements

Pain after exercise

Exercise shouldn't make your existing thigh pain worse overall. However, practicing new exercises can sometimes cause short term muscle pain as the body gets used to moving in new ways. This kind of pain should ease quickly and your pain should be no worse the morning after you’ve exercised.

How many and how often

You should add exercises into your routine gradually to help your thigh pain. 

Movement exercises

Repetitions are how often you do a single movement. When starting new exercises, it can be helpful to do 2 to 3 repetitions at a time.

It’s better to do small amounts throughout the day. For example, practise your repetitions every hour.

As this gets easier, and if you feel able to, add 1 or 2 repetitions to your movements every few days.

As you become able to do more repetitions, it can be helpful to break things up into sets. This means you could do more repetitions at a time but you'll do them less often throughout the day. For example:

  1. Do 8 repetitions.
  2. Rest for a minute.
  3. Repeat another set of 8 repetitions.
  4. Repeat this 2 to 3 times a day.

Over time you can try to increase the number of repetitions you do. You should aim for a maximum of 2 sets of 15.

Stretching exercises

The aim of a stretch is to hold a position for a longer period of time. Over time this can help to improve your range of movement. 

When doing the exercise you should be able to feel a gentle stretch. This shouldn't be sore or uncomfortable.

You should try to hold stretches for 20 to 30 seconds if possible.

Try to focus on doing sets of exercises. For example, do 2 to 3 sets of stretches. Aim to do this 2 to 3 times a day.

As you do more stretching you should feel your range of movement improve and you’ll be able to stretch further.

When to stop

Stop these exercises if they make your symptoms worse, or if they cause new pain.

If your thigh pain worsens while following this advice, it’s a good idea to talk to a healthcare professional about your symptoms.

Help and support

Read more about how to self-manage a thigh problem

If your thigh pain hasn’t improved within 6 weeks of following this advice, it’s a good idea to talk to a healthcare professional about your symptoms.