Get Started on Tackling Your Knee Pain
If you are experiencing knee pain look first at the hip!
Do your knees start to ache when you walk or sit while you watch a movie? What about when you use stairs or exercise? More often than not, achy knees can be easily addressed by retraining the control of the knees at the hip.
When the hips are habitually not being used with movement, the quads will start to take over. Over time, the quads (red) and the other hip flexors start to lose length and flexibility, driving the knee cap to contact the femur closer (yellow).
The knee cap can also get pulled along the shallow side of the femur (blue).
The changes in the angles at hip increases impact forces in certain areas of the knee too.
The deep stabilizing hip muscles (yellow) function like the shocks and central control system for your legs. Over time, with less use, the hips start to get weak and sluggish. When those muscles are not functioning properly it can also drive increases in impact forces at the knee.
The first step on the road to healthy knees include stretching the quads and activating the deep hip stabilizer muscles. See the exercises below or watch the video where I walk you through these first steps to get started!
Easy Hip Flexor Stretch
Place your shin on a chair seat
Hold onto something for balance
Hold for 30 seconds, 2 rounds
“Pretzel” Stretch for Advanced Hip Flexor Stretch with Core Activation
Lay on your side with a strap around the bottom ankle (red)
Flex the top hip up and in toward the bottom shoulder (yellow)
If you get groin pain here, place your top knee on a pillow (yellow)
Keep the bottom shin on the ground as you pull the knee bent with the strap (blue and red)
Tuck your tail under and drive your bottom hip forward.
Exhale, drawing the lower ribs down and in
Open up your chest by rotating the top shoulder up and out (green)
Breathe here for up to 1 minute, drawing the ribs down and in and driving the bottom hip forward
Clam shell: Deep Hip Stabilizer Activation Exercise
Stack your hips and shoulders so you are balancing on the bony points (Red and Blue).
Keep your ankles together (yellow) as you lift up your top knee as shown just to hip height (green).
Do not let your hips or low back roll backwards
Perform up to 30 reps.
