Laying flooring, painting skirting boards and climbing up and down ladders all ask a lot of your knees. When one is sore, even a small DIY job can feel like a challenge. A few changes to how you kneel, squat and climb can help you keep going, and building leg strength can make these jobs easier over time.

Why DIY can be hard on your knees

Many DIY jobs happen close to the floor. Kneeling puts pressure on the front of the knee, and squatting bends it deeply, often for long spells. Climbing ladders and stairs with tools or materials adds load each time you step up. Getting up and down from the floor again and again adds up too.

None of these is harmful in itself. Knees are built to bend and take load. But when one is sore, long spells of kneeling or deep bending can make it grumble.

Easier ways to kneel

Some ideas:

• Use thick knee pads or a kneeling mat, which spread the pressure.
• Try a kneeling stool with handles, which also helps you get up and down.
• Kneel on one knee at a time and swap regularly.
• Sit on a low stool or a cushion for some floor jobs, rather than kneeling.

Easier ways to squat

Deep squatting can be hard on a sore knee. Some ideas:

• Sit on a low stool or upturned bucket, rather than squatting.
• Raise work onto a workbench where you can.
• Use long-handled tools, like a long-handled scraper or roller, to reach low areas from standing.

Climbing ladders and stairs

Some ideas for ladders and steps:

• Use a step ladder with wide, flat steps and a handrail.
• Carry tools in a belt or bucket, so you have a hand free to hold on.
• Move the ladder often, rather than reaching, which keeps your weight even.
• Lead with your stronger leg going up, and your sorer leg coming down, if one knee is sorer.

Pacing floor jobs

Floor jobs, like laying flooring, tiling or painting skirting boards, are often the hardest on knees. Some ideas:

• Work in blocks of 20 to 30 minutes, then stand up and walk around.
• Swap between floor jobs and standing jobs.
• Spread big floor jobs across several days, or ask for help.

Reading how your knee responds

A mild ache after DIY that settles by the next morning is usually fine. If your knee is sorer, stiffer or more swollen the next morning, make your next session shorter and add more breaks.

Building leg strength

Strong leg and hip muscles help your knees cope with kneeling, squatting and climbing, and can make these jobs feel easier over time. Research on knee pain has found that combining hip and knee strengthening works better than knee exercises alone. Something to try two or three times a week:

• Sit to stand. Rise from a chair without using your hands, then lower slowly.
• Step-ups. Step up onto a low step, then step down slowly.
• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly.
• Heel raises. Rise onto your toes, pause, then lower slowly.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of sit to stands, bridges and heel raises you can use at your own pace.

As your strength builds, practising getting up and down from the floor in a controlled way can make it feel easier over time. Something to try:

• From kneeling, bring one foot forward so you are on one knee.
• Place your hands on your front knee, a stool or a sturdy surface.
• Push up through your front leg to stand.

When to get it checked

You should get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist if your knee swells up quickly, locks so you cannot straighten it, or gives way.

Building back up

As your knee feels easier, you can gradually take on longer floor jobs and more ladder work. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how your knee responds.

What to take away

• Kneeling, squatting and climbing all load a sore knee.
• Use knee pads, a kneeling stool or a low seat for floor jobs.
• Use long-handled tools and workbenches to avoid deep squatting.
• Work in short blocks and spread big floor jobs across days.
• Build leg strength to make kneeling and climbing easier over time.

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