Knee pain is a very common complaint and reason for assessment that we see. More often than not, these clients didn’t twist their knee skiing or hear a pop after making a direction change at soccer or jam their knee sliding into second base. Their pain started gradually and progressed to the point that their pain occurred during most of their favourite activities. Posture and incorrect use of the knee is often a part to blame for this.
Understanding the positions that your knees like to be in is the key to keeping your knees happy and pain free!
- Keep your knees slightly bent!
- When standing with your legs locked, you remove all shock absorbing capacity from the joint. As well, the compressive forces on the joint are increased. The knee, or any other joint, does not like to be at its end range for long amounts of time or while supporting heavy loads (your entire body!)
- Try a soft bend in your knees when standing. It might seem like more work but you will get used to it. Your low back will thank you as well.
- Keep your knee cap inline with your second toe
- Your knee is like a door hinge. It likes to flex (close) and extend (open) and not twist or turn. If you are walking, running, going up stairs/down stairs or riding a bike, be conscious of the alignment of your knee over your second toe. When your knee moves inward or outward, you increase the compressive forces on the opposite side of the joint.
- Squatting?
- Don’t let your knees track too far in-front of your toes. Any time that your knee passes the front of your toes, the mechanics of the joint are altered and compressive forces increase. When bending to the floor to pick something up, try to hinge through your hips by pushing your hip backwards then bend your knees instead of only bending your knees and drawing them forward.
Do you have knee pain? Try to keep those pointers in mind throughout your day!