# Exercise for seniors with knee or hip problems, once your doctor says yes

- URL: https://www.agentskillpacks.com/guides/exercise-for-seniors-with-knee-or-hip-problems
- Updated: 2026-10-21
- Book: Classic Chair Tai Chi for Seniors by Nancy Whitaker (https://www.agentskillpacks.com/books/classic-chair-tai-chi-for-seniors)

## Short answer

Exercise for seniors with knee or hip problems starts with your doctor or surgeon, not with a video. Once they clear you for seated movement, chair tai chi lets you move your arms and waist with your feet flat on the floor. The book's rules: move only about 70 percent as far as you could, ask your doctor first before the seated spine twist after hip surgery, keep the knee lower than the hip on the one-leg standing move, and stop at once for pain. New pain or swelling is a reason to call your doctor.

**The book's rules for stiff or operated knees and hips**

| Situation | What the book says |
| --- | --- |
| Recent hip, knee or spine surgery, or a joint replacement | Check with your doctor before you start any move |
| Seated spine twist (W05) | After hip or back surgery, ask your doctor first; do not pull hard on your knee |
| Golden Rooster, one-leg standing move (S03) | With a hip replacement, keep the knee lower than the hip and ask your surgeon first |
| Standing moves (S01 to S04) | Only if your doctor agrees and you can stand up from a chair safely on your own |
| Ankle circles (W04) | If your leg feels heavy, keep your heel on the floor |
| Foot slides in the tai chi moves | Keep your feet still; the arm and waist parts still work |
| How far to move | About 70 percent of your range for the first few weeks |
| Fresh pain, swelling, or pain into the next day | Rest and call your doctor; do not push through it |

## How to use the table above

The table is a list of rules, not a list of moves to try. Here we copied each row from the book, where it sits on the page of the move it belongs to. Each row is a caution printed in the book, next to the move it belongs to.

Read the first row first. Recent hip, knee or spine surgery, and joint replacement, are on the book's list of reasons to talk to your doctor before you start. That comes before any row below it.

The middle rows are for specific moves. The seated spine twist turns your chest while your hips and knees face front. After hip or back surgery, the book says to ask your doctor first. The one-leg standing move is in the optional standing part. With a hip replacement, you keep the knee lower than the hip and ask your surgeon first.

The last two rows apply every day. Move only about 70 percent as far as you could, a rule many tai chi teachers use, set out by the [Tai Chi for Health Institute](https://taichiforhealthinstitute.org/safety-first). And any fresh pain, swelling or pain that lasts into the next day means rest and a call to your doctor.

## Why your feet can stay still

Here is a detail that helps a lot with sore knees and hips. In the chair moves, the legs do very little.

Standing tai chi steps and shifts weight. In the book's seated versions, a step becomes a small slide of the foot, and you can skip even that. The "Make it easier" line on Part the Wild Horse's Mane, for example, says to keep your feet still and turn only a little. The arm and waist parts work on their own.

Every move begins in the same seated position. Feet flat, hip-width apart. Knees above your ankles, bent at about a right angle. Sitting on the front half of the seat, back tall. That is a steady place for a knee to be.

## Seated moves that ask little of your knees and hips

Once your doctor says yes, these moves from the book keep your feet flat and your knees and hips still. Your arms, shoulders or breath do the work. Show the list to your doctor or therapist and ask which ones suit you.

| Move                                 | What moves                 | The book's caution                                                 |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Neck turns (W01)                     | Only your head             | Keep the turn small; stop if you feel dizzy                        |
| Shoulder rolls (W02)                 | Only your shoulders        | If a shoulder hurts, make the circle smaller                       |
| Wrist circles (W03)                  | Only your hands            | With arthritis in the hands, keep circles small                    |
| Breathing with arm rise (W06)        | Arms, with your breath     | If a shoulder hurts, lift only to chest height                     |
| Commencing Form (T01)                | Arms float up and down     | Raise arms only to chest height if shoulders are sore              |
| Raising and lowering the heels (B08) | Heels lift, toes stay down | Lower your heels gently; lift one heel at a time to make it easier |

Ankle circles (W04) work the ankle, not the knee. If your leg feels heavy, the book says to keep your heel on the floor.

## What about leg-strengthening moves?

Many seated routines you will find online add knee straightening, leg lifts or work with a resistance band. Some of these are used in rehab after a joint replacement.

The book does not teach them. It is a gentle tai chi practice, not a rehab program. If you want to build strength in the muscles around your knee or hip, ask your physical therapist or surgeon for moves made for your joint and your stage of healing.

## The appointment where the doctor said "gentle"

Your operation went well. At the check-up, the doctor said you can start some gentle seated movement now. Then the visit ended.

At home, you looked at videos. Most of them stood up. The chair ones twisted and reached, and you did not know which moves "gentle" meant.

So you did nothing, to be safe. That is a sensible instinct. A better next step is to write your questions down and take them back. The book has a page at the back for this, with room for your questions and the answers.

The US [National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health](https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tai-chi-what-you-need-to-know) gives the same advice in its own words. Don't use tai chi to put off seeing a health care provider, and tell your providers about any practice like it.

## Each caution printed next to its move

This is the problem [Classic Chair Tai Chi for Seniors](/books/classic-chair-tai-chi-for-seniors) was written for. Nancy Whitaker's book is for people cleared for seated movement who want to know exactly what each move asks.

**Safety First** lists who should check with a doctor first, gives the questions to ask and the stop signs: pain, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath.

**Six Warm-Ups** includes the spine twist and ankle circles, each with its own caution and an easier version.

**Four Standing Moves** is optional and comes with the hip replacement note above. You can skip it and still use every other page.

**Routines and a Six-Week Plan** has a section for stiff or tired days: warm-ups only, smaller turns, half the repeats. The research on knee pain is in the book too, with the [2016 trial](https://doi.org/10.7326/M15-2143) and its limits.

## Where this is in the book

- Safety First
- Six Warm-Ups
- Four Standing Moves
- Routines and a Six-Week Plan

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HMNT43W5
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HMNZPH31

Links go to Amazon. ToolGenX publishes this book under a pen name and earns from every sale.

Talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise. This book makes no medical claims.

## Is the book for you?

- Yes, if Your doctor cleared you for seated movement after a hip or knee operation
- Yes, if Your knees are stiff and standing exercise hurts
- Yes, if You want to know which moves to shrink or skip
- Skip it if You have not yet asked your doctor or surgeon
- Skip it if You want a rehab program to replace your physical therapist
- Skip it if You want a promise that tai chi will fix your knee or hip

## FAQ

### What exercise is safe for seniors with bad knees?

Ask your doctor first, because it depends on your knee. Seated moves that keep your feet flat and your knees above your ankles ask little of the knee. In the book, every move has a 'Make it easier' version, and you can keep your feet still and use only your arms and waist.

### Can I do chair exercises after a hip replacement?

Only once your surgeon or doctor clears you. The book lists recent hip surgery and joint replacement as reasons to check first. After hip surgery, ask before the seated spine twist. On the one-leg standing move, keep the knee lower than the hip and ask your surgeon first.

### Is tai chi good for knee arthritis?

In a 2016 trial of 204 people with knee arthritis, standing tai chi did about as well as physical therapy for pain after 12 weeks. A US health agency says a small amount of research suggests it may help. That was standing tai chi. Seated tai chi has not been tested for it.

### What questions should I ask my doctor before starting chair exercise?

The book suggests asking whether gentle seated exercise with arm raises and waist turns is safe for you, how far you may turn your back and neck, whether to avoid leaning forward, and whether it is safe to stand behind a chair for balance moves. You can bring the book and show the pages.

### What if my knee hurts after exercising?

Stop any move that causes pain. Fresh pain, swelling, or pain that lasts into the next day is a reason to rest and call your doctor. Do not push through it. On a stiff day, the book suggests warm-ups only, smaller turns and half the repeats.

### Which chair exercises are gentle on bad knees and hips?

Ask your doctor first. In the book, moves such as neck turns, shoulder rolls, wrist circles, breathing with an arm rise and Commencing Form keep your feet flat and your knees and hips still. Raising and lowering the heels works the lower legs while seated. Every move also has an easier version.