Knee pain is one of the most common areas people suffer from recurrently for years. It doesn’t have to be that way. We’ll have an overview of the structure involved that contribute to knee pain and how to prevent it in the first place.

You’ve probably all heard that the foot bones connected to the leg bone, the leg bones connected to the knee bone, the knee bones connect to the thigh bone, the thig bones connect to the hip bone… you get the picture. When considering the knee, we can’t forget about the ankle and the hip. The ankle and hip should have a lot of motion and the knee should be stable.

The knee is made of four bones, the thigh bone (femur), shin bones (tibia and fibula) and the patella. The tibia is the thickest shin bone and takes about 90% of the load when we’re standing. The fibula takes the other 10% and plays a big part in ankle motion. The Patella acts as a pully so when we contract the quadricep, the force transmission is more efficient. There are two types of cartilage, the hyaline on the bones and meniscus which provides further cushioning in between the bones, as well as several ligaments.

When we extend the knee, it actually has a mild amount of rotation, it is not a pure hinge joint. This is called the lock and screw mechanism. So to keep the knee healthy we need adequate ankle and hip range, as well as a mild amount of rotation in the knee itself.

If you stand in front of a wall, put one foot so your toes are touching the skirting board. Try pushing your knee forward until it touches the wall. If your knee can’t, it’s time to stretch your ankle! As this may lead to knee pain down the line. You should be able to bend your knees so your heel touches your bum and touch your toes. If you can’t do this, it’s a good idea to stretch your hamstrings and quadriceps. If you can’t control the whole movement of sitting down, and fall slightly into your seat, you probably need to stretch your hips.

Finally, strengthening the tissues around the knee really help support the structures. MRI studies have found typically those who exercise, even runners, have more cartilage in their knees than those who don’t! So make sure you are mobile enough at the ankle, knee and hip. And find some exercise you enjoy to prevent knee pain.

 Heal > Adapt > Evolve