# 3 Best Exercises for Painful Bone On Bone Knee Arthritis Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d7G_-eF3sE Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/6d7G_-eF3sE Generated: 2026-02-16T23:03:10.642+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The three best exercises for bone-on-bone knee arthritis pain focus on strengthening the glute muscles (Tailgate Swings, Glute Squeezes, and Glute Bridges) to improve joint fluid circulation, reduce muscle imbalance, and avoid aggressive stretching or unnecessary surgery. **Key Points:** - The recommended exercises focus on strengthening the glute muscles to help nourish cartilage and avoid quadriceps/hamstring dominance. - Exercise 1: Tailgate Swings involve swinging legs back and forth while seated on the edge of a surface for 3-5 minutes, performed several times daily. - Exercise 2: Prone Glute Squeezes involve lying face down and squeezing the glutes intensely for 20 seconds, repeated 5 times per set, focusing solely on glute activation. - Exercise 3: Supine Glute Bridges involve lying on your back with knees bent, widening feet slightly, squeezing glutes while lifting hips until a slight stretch is felt in the front of the thighs, holding for 10 seconds, 10 repetitions. - The exercises aim to reverse muscle imbalance where over-dominant quads cause excessive compression on the knee cartilage. - Proper hydration (drinking 100+ ounces of water daily) is critical to nourish the cartilage and aid recovery processes. - The presenter offers a free case study, 'Mary's Knee Arthritis Recovery,' detailing a patient's successful treatment approach that avoided surgery and injections. ![Screenshot at 00:36: The presenter demonstrates the first exercise, Tailgate Swings, while seated on a treatment table, explaining that this movement helps circulate synovial fluid within the knee joint.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6d7G_-eF3sE/00-00-36.jpg) **Context:** Dr. David Midgaugh, a licensed manual physical therapist, presents three key exercises designed to help alleviate pain associated with bone-on-bone knee arthritis. The core principle behind these exercises is correcting muscle imbalances, specifically addressing the over-dominance of the quadriceps muscles which can lead to excessive, irritating compression on the knee cartilage. ## Detailed Analysis Dr. David Midgaugh outlines the top three exercises to manage bone-on-bone knee arthritis pain by focusing on glute activation to improve cartilage health and correct muscle imbalances. The first exercise is the Tailgate Swing (00:34), performed by swinging legs back and forth while seated on an edge for 3-5 minutes, multiple times a day, for 3-5 minutes per session. The goal is to circulate synovial fluid to nourish cartilage that lacks good blood supply. The second exercise, performed lying face down (prone), is the Prone Glute Squeeze (4:27), where the patient squeezes their glutes as intensely as possible for 20 seconds, repeated five times. This exercise specifically targets the glutes while avoiding hamstring or back muscle compensation. The third exercise is the Supine Glute Bridge (9:26), performed lying on the back with knees bent and feet slightly wider than hip-width. The patient squeezes the glutes to lift the hips until a slight stretch is felt in the front of the thighs, holding for 10 seconds, for 10 repetitions. The presenter emphasizes that the key is isolating the glutes without over-activating the quads or hamstrings. A bonus tip is to stay well-hydrated (100+ ounces of water daily) to support cartilage nourishment. The presenter references a case study of a former patient, Mary, who successfully recovered using these methods, avoiding surgery and injections. ### Exercise 1 - Tailgate Swings: Performed seated with feet dangling, swing legs back and forth for 3-5 minutes, several times daily - Focus on moving fluid inside the knee joint - Timer should be set for 3-5 minutes per set. ### Exercise 2 - Prone Glute Squeezes: Lie face down, squeeze glutes intensely for 20 seconds, repeat 5 rounds - Focus on isolating glute muscles, avoiding hamstring/back firing - Perform this for 20 seconds, 5 rounds. ### Exercise 3 - Supine Glute Bridges: Lie on back, knees bent, feet slightly wider, squeeze glutes while lifting hips until a slight quad stretch is felt - Hold for 10 seconds, aim for 10 repetitions - Do not let quads/hamstrings take over. ### Bonus Tip - Hydration: Drink at least 100 ounces of water daily to ensure cartilage receives necessary nourishment for healing. ### Key Takeaway - Correcting muscle imbalance (overactive quads) is crucial to prevent excessive cartilage compression and avoid surgery/injections. ![Screenshot at 00:01: The physical therapist, Dr. David Midgaugh, introduces the topic of exercises for bone-on-bone knee arthritis pain.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6d7G_-eF3sE/00-00-01.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:37: Demonstration of the 'Tailgate Swings' exercise while seated on the edge of the treatment table.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6d7G_-eF3sE/00-00-37.jpg) ![Screenshot at 04:17: Demonstration of the prone glute squeeze exercise, emphasizing squeezing the glutes for 20 seconds while lying face down.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6d7G_-eF3sE/00-04-17.jpg) ![Screenshot at 09:27: Demonstration of the Supine Glute Bridge, showing the final position with hips lifted and glutes engaged.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6d7G_-eF3sE/00-09-27.jpg) ![Screenshot at 08:06: The presenter shows a digital case study titled 'Mary's Knee Arthritis Recovery' which details a successful treatment approach.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/6d7G_-eF3sE/00-08-06.jpg)