The knee supports the body weight while allowing flexion and extension of the lower leg relative to the thigh. Movements at the knee joint are essential to many everyday activities such as running, walking, sitting, and standing. The knee is a synovial hinge joint formed between three bones: the femur, tibia, and patella. With all synovial joints, a joint capsule surrounds the bones of the knee to provide lubrication and strength. There are four major ligaments, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL); surrounding the joint capsule to reinforce its structure and hold the bones in proper alignment. The muscles acting over the knee joint provide secondary dynamic stability. The muscles include: the quadriceps femoris, the hamstrings, and the popliteus (located behind the knee).
Instability may occur from direct or indirect trauma to the ligament. The most frequent mechanism is “non-contact”, involving twisting, cutting, jumping, and sudden deceleration.
No one wants to get sidelined with an injury. Knee injuries, particularly ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are most common in youth athletes and females. Is there anything YOU can do to prevent missing valuable time? Definitely!
Learn how to move with proper movement patterns to protect your knees. Develop good body awareness, strength, and balance to support your body. Avoid letting your knees collapse inward. Improve your ability to jump and land safely. Always move with your knees directly over your feet when jumping, landing, and decelerating. Develop good strength in your legs and hips.
Practice these guidelines and incorporate them into your daily routine. Don’t wait until you have an injury because then its too late. Start today.
One of my favorite exercise is the 8-point toe tap.
How To:
Use foam pad
Standing on one leg, load your hip and knee.
Keep your knees behind your toes
Extending your other leg out in front of you, reach your heel as far as you can.
Imagine an analog clock face, using the numbers as your foot markers. Continue to reach and tap all the way around the clock.
After each tap, come back to center and squeeze your quad at the top.
Careful! Don’t let your knee collapse inward.