My knees ache

The knee is a hinge joint but we tend to ask so much more of it than it is bio mechanically made for.   As a hinge joint it is meant to flex and extend however we accidentally ask it to twist and turn when we develop poor posture or have an unforeseen trip up a stair, down a gutter or wear a pair of shoes that place our knee into unusual alignment.  Like the rest of your body it gives and gives until it says “hey there, you are messing with me so here is a little taste of pain before you completely stuff me up”.  It is the early signs of discomfort that you need to address immediately to avoid serious problems with this joint.  If you have had reoccurring pain in your knee and do not get relief from the suggested exercises, I suggest seeking the guidance of your local practitioner ASAP.

When we walk, we are asking a range of movements to occur systematically and automatically.  Sometimes we need to think about how we walk to assist our bodies in establishing a more productive movement pattern.   Ensure we are moving through the ankle therefore don’t shuffle, think of how you are distributing your weight through the foot, are you too far on your toes or heels?   It is ideal to have your patella (knee cap) falling in line with your second toe, careful y aren’t rolling in or out at the foot or ankle, all of these thoughts assist the mechanical tracking.  Even your spinal posture can assist how you are weight bearing through your lower limbs.  Remember to keep tall, try not to look down, look up and forward.  Take a look at some of other blogs to assist with posture.

The 1st suggested exercise is the ITB (iliotibial band) rolling.  It is in fact rolling much more than the ITB, however it has adopted this name in the industry so you may have heard of it or even been suggested to do it.  As in the pictures provided set up on a straight underneath leg close to your hip.  Allowing as little or as much of your body weight to be on the roller, then begin rolling out the tissue down the side of the leg down to the knee.  The first time you may be surprised how painful it is.  The more painful it is the most likely you need to do it often to assist your knees to be happy again.  Remember, always breath!