Apparently it’s body overhaul week everywhere! I’ve never (knock on wood) had knee issues save for one small flare of IT band syndrome in high school, when like every other 15 year old girl, my hips weren’t strong enough to support lots of running. However, knee valgus (colloquialism: knock kneed) is incredibly common and causes a ton of problems for men and women alike. Sometimes it’s an anatomical issue; rotated femurs aren’t an unusual finding. More commonly, it’s a functional issue. As with any muscle group, we tend to use our largest hip muscles and ignore firing the smaller ones that are critical for effective motion. One of my goals for this Spring is to get my left leg back on line. After two surgeries that required no weight bearing for a period of time, it’s gotten a little lazy and loves to roll inward.
James owns Body Resolution, a gym here in town, and I was psyched to read his post on preventing knee pain. I don’t know James personally but really admire both his facility and his strong use of science. As you’ll see in his post, the exercises are simple enough for almost anyone to do but also extremely effective tools for improving functional knee valgus. I’ll share my leg routine tomorrow, which has many similar movements to James’, but am definitely considering adding some of his moves in, especially the ball squat with abduction and glute bridge on foam roller.
What parts of your form need the most work?
Runner Under Pressure 