Are you among the one in three Americans who are dealing with knee pain? If so, you know firsthand how painful and limiting it can be in your daily life.

More than likely, it’s not the knee joint itself that’s the problem, but the surrounding muscles and ligaments like hamstrings, quadriceps, calves or the ACL. It can even be posture and prolonged sitting at work, which can weaken the glutes. And there are other possible culprits like arthritis, bone degeneration and gout.

If you’re experiencing chronic knee pain, the first stop should be a visit to your doctor to determine exactly what’s going on. You can then provide that input to your trainer at the gym or your yoga instructor to create a routine that’s right for you.

For muscles, exercises like squats and lunges can help strengthen those that connect to the knee and build the support it needs to function properly. When doing yoga, this kind of strengthening is probably a good idea before attempting poses like single-leg balances.

Let’s take a look at some yoga poses for knee pain. Here are 10 exercises that can help your knees get into and stay in shape. But don’t overextend or try to maintain a pose past the point of some discomfort. Take your time and let your body tell you how far and fast to push.

Bridge – Lie on back. Bring feet under knees at shoulder width, arms down. Squeeze buttocks, push at heels to lift body onto shoulders.

Chair – Stand, feet and legs together, chest lifted, weight on heels, arms raised. Carefully ease back and down like sitting into a chair. This exercise can also be done with back against a wall for some additional support.

Child’s – Start in kneeling position, big toes together, knees apart. Put rolled towel or small blanket behind knees. Sit back, lower torso, extending arms forward on mat, place head on soft block.

Eagle – Stand, bend knees, wrap one leg over the other while balancing on the other.

Forward Fold – Stand, fold forward at waist, don’t lock knees. Touch floor under nose with one hand, raise other hand toward sky and straighten that knee.

High Lunge – Stand, move one foot back to create lunge with other leg bent about 90 degrees. Raise arms straight up. Look forward.

Mountain – Stand straight, feet under hips, knees slightly bent. Pull stomach and ribs in, roll shoulders back and down. Tilt chin to chest, pause, breathe deeply.

Peaceful Warrior – Step one foot forward, toes straight, back foot at 90-degrees, if possible. Arms out, palms up. Lunge and bend forward leg. Back of hand on back of rear leg (same side). Stretch other arm overhead and back, looking at ceiling.

Pyramid – Feet at hip width, step one foot back and angle at 45 degrees. Interlace hands on lower back. Straighten spine, pull belly in, bend forward at waist. Raise arms up behind.

Seated Forward Bend – Sit, stretch legs out and to the side, flex feet. Place hands on ground and walk them forward to gently stretch the back, keep back straight. Hold. Move legs together and pull knees into chest.

Doing yoga for knee pain can also be combined with massage and heat treatments.

In addition to helping to alleviate pain, these kinds of techniques can help improve coordination, balance and stability. Moreover, these benefits become more and more important as we age.

As with any type of exercise, correct form is important to achieve the desired effect and avoid strain on other parts of the body.

There are loads of websites where you can find complete details and video demonstrations. YouTube, of course, has a ton. They’ll provide great info on how to use yoga for joint pain. And here’s an “A to Z” resource for all kinds of yoga poses from Yoga Journal.