Looking for the Best Home Exercises After Knee Arthroscopy?
If you’ve recently had a knee arthroscopy, it’s normal to feel stiff, sore, and unsure how to move safely. The first few weeks after surgery are all about reducing swelling, restoring gentle motion, and getting your quadriceps muscles working again.
As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I’ve helped hundreds of patients successfully recover after knee arthroscopy using simple, at-home exercises. These early movements are safe, effective, and essential for long-term success.
Before we dive in, check out our related guides for more specific knee conditions:
- First Week After ACL Reconstruction Exercises
- Exercises After Meniscectomy
- Full Exercise Program After Meniscus Repair
- Best Exercises After Knee Replacement Surgery
Now, let’s walk through your early recovery phase exercises after knee arthroscopy, where the goal is to control swelling, restore motion, and gently activate key muscles that protect the knee.
Want a quick-reference PDF? Scroll down to the bottom of this post to grab your free printable plan!
Disclaimers and Disclosures: All information in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be taken as individual medical advice. Additionally, this article contains affiliate links, meaning when you make a purchase, we make a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information, see our full Disclaimers and Disclosures.
Early Recovery Phase Exercises After Knee Arthroscopy (Weeks 0–2)
During the first two weeks after your knee arthroscopy, your focus should be on:
- Reducing swelling and pain
- Restoring gentle bending and straightening
- Re-activating your quadriceps
Perform each exercise 2–3 times per day, unless pain or swelling increases. Avoid movements that cause sharp pain, catching, or popping.
This program was created by a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. As always, consult your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise regimen.
1. Hamstring Stretch with Strap
- Purpose: Lengthen the hamstring to improve knee extension and flexibility.
- Benefits: Reduces stiffness and promotes full straightening of the knee after arthroscopy.
- How to Do It:
- Lie on your back, loop a strap around your foot, and keep your leg straight.
- Lift your leg until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.
- Hold for 20 seconds, repeat 5 times.
- Helpful Link: Best Stretching Strap with loops can be found in the link below.
2. Calf Stretch with Strap
- Purpose: Stretch the calf (gastroc) to support full knee extension and ankle flexibility.
- Benefits: Improves walking mechanics and prevents early stiffness after knee arthroscopy.
- How to Do It:
- Sit with your surgical leg straight and loop a strap around the ball of your foot.
- Gently pull your toes toward you until you feel a stretch in the calf.
- Hold for 20 seconds, repeat 5 times.
- Helpful Link: Best Stretching Strap can be found in the link below.
3. Quad Set
- Purpose: Re-activate your quadriceps muscle and prevent muscle loss.
- Benefits: Builds strength and promotes knee stability early after knee arthroscopy.
- How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with a towel roll under your knee.
- Tighten your thigh to press the knee down into the towel roll.
- Hold for 2 seconds, perform 30 reps.
- Helpful Link: Best Thick Yoga Mat can be found in the link below.
4. Straight Leg Raise
- Purpose: Strengthen the quadriceps while maintaining knee protection.
- Benefits: Improves strength for eventual walking and stair climbing.
- How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with one leg bent and the other straight.
- Tighten your thigh and lift the straight leg to the height of your bent knee, then lower slowly.
- Repeat for 10 reps and complete 2 sets..
- Helpful Link: Best Thick Yoga Mat can be found in the link below
5. Short Arc Quad
- Purpose: Strengthen quads through a gentle, small-range motion.
- Benefits: Helps improve strength without straining the knee after arthroscopy surgery.
- How to Do It:
- Rest your knee over a foam roll and place a weight around your ankle.
- Straighten the knee by lifting your heel off the surface, pause briefly at the top.
- Lower slowly and repeat 15 times for 2 sets.
- Helpful Links: Best Ankle Weight and Foam Roll can be found in the links below.
6. Long Arc Quad
- Purpose: Build quadriceps endurance and knee control through a larger range.
- Benefits: Builds muscle strength needed for walking and stair climbing.
- How to Do It:
- Sit with your leg dangling off the side of a bed or chair, with a weight around your ankle.
- Straighten the knee by kicking your foot straight out, pause briefly at the top.
- Lower slowly and repeat 15 times for 2 sets.
- Helpful Link: Best Ankle Weight can be found in the link below
7. Heel Slides
- Purpose: Improves knee bending range of motion safely in early recovery.
- Benefits: Reduces stiffness and improves mobility early after knee arthroscopy.
- How to Do It:
- Loop a strap around your foot.
- Slide your heel slowly toward your buttocks, keeping your foot on the surface.
- Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.
- Helpful Link: Best Stretching Strap can be found in the link below
Bonus: Ice Pack and TENS for Early Knee Arthroscopy Pain and Swelling
- Purpose: Reduce pain, inflammation, and muscle inhibition during early recovery.
- Benefits: Enhances comfort and reduces swelling, especially after exercise.
- How to Use:
- Place TENS pads just over the painful area of the knee.
- Apply ice for 10–15 minutes post-exercise.
- Helpful Links: Best Ice Pack and TENS Unit can be found in the links below
Looking for a simple way to stay consistent?
👉Download the free At-Home Knee Arthroscopy Exercise Program (PDF) + Exercise Tracker (PDF) to follow and log your daily progress.
Home Exercises After Knee Arthroscopy: Final Thoughts
Completing your first phase of knee arthroscopy recovery is a major step—and staying consistent with these gentle exercises now sets the tone for your entire rehab journey.
These early home exercises after knee arthroscopy are designed to help you restore motion, control swelling, and re-engage your quadriceps without putting unnecessary stress on your healing knee. It’s not about intensity—it’s about steady, mindful movement done the right way, every day.
Even small improvements this week—like bending a little farther, straightening with less effort, or feeling more stable when walking—are important milestones. Each one means your body is responding and healing.
As you move forward, your program will gradually shift toward more strength, balance, and functional movement training. For now, focus on quality repetitions and consistent effort—you’re building the foundation for everything that comes next.
Why Trust Physical Therapy Simplified for Early-Stage Post-Op Knee Arthroscopy Exercises?
At Physical Therapy Simplified, our mission is to provide an accessible, trustworthy source of physical therapy guidance that anyone can understand, follow, and benefit from. We want you to feel confident that you’re getting evidence-based advice and the best exercises after knee arthroscopy—all designed to reduce pain and restore your highest functional potential.
This article was written by Andrew Harkins, PT, DPT, OCS, a licensed physical therapist with over twelve years of clinical experience. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and has worked with thousands of patients after their knee surgeries—from early post-op care to full return to functional potential.
Andrew has also served as a teaching assistant at the University of Pittsburgh’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, where he contributed to musculoskeletal coursework with a special focus on knee rehabilitation and surgical treatment recovery strategies. His knowledge and hands-on experience ensure that the information you’re reading is not only accurate but clinically proven to help.
