A KEY predictor of knee pain will be hip mobility and upper leg muscle flexibility.
Every Joint has a perfect alignment and movement pattern
When I am checking patients for hip and knee movement, I see that those who have reduced range of motion in the hips and knees are more likely to experience pain in the knees in particular.
What I see is that over time this results in greater limitation which makes the joints less mobile mire unstable and definitely painful. The functional effect of this is stiffness in daily living, so that simple tasks like putting trousers on or putting shoes on, become more difficult. It is one of the reasons that slip on shoes begin to be appealing, because it is just too hard to bend down to do up shoe laces or fasten a shoe with a buckle.
Today I thought that I would include a few movements that will help to increase the movement of the legs; hips, knees and ankles.
A List of Benefits of Moving re Brain Health
- Spinal movement pumps Cerebrospinal Fluid around the Spinal Cord and Brain
- Moving stimulates the brain via joint feedback to the brain using the Proprioceptive system
- 4 months of good quality crawling is essential for optimal brain development
- Poor movement patterns during infancy are related to dyslexia
- Research tells us that complex movement involving balance and co-ordination are anti-ageing
The lunge is a good movement to work all three joints in addition to working with balance. For many the forward lunge seems to put too much pressure on the knee, making the movement painful. If the forward lunge is replaced by the backward lunge, the knee pressure is reduced, making the movement easier.
The squat is a great movement, however, individuals who have a long upper leg, such as me, will find that the squat is harder to execute as it is necessary to bend forward from the waist to maintain balance, as it is necessary to keep the weight over the feet. This video clip shows this. In the clip it is easy to see the advantage that those with a shorter femur have. The shorter upper leg makes it easier to stay more upright as the weight is still over the feet at the bottom of the squat.
The depth of the squat will have a significant effect on the hip and knee joint range of motion. The deeper the squat the more the hips and knees will have to flex. This is great for keeping the thigh and glute muscles supple. If we rarely squat deeply, then the hips and knees become stiff, and then simple things like sitting on a low chair, and then getting up again, begin to present a significant difficulty. A body weight squat is all that is necessary for increasing the muscle length and joint mobility. It will also be good for practicing balance and brain body communication.
Kneeling squat variations - another way to work the thighs and hip muscles. This might suit those who are concerned about balance when standing
A variation of the squat shown in this exercise is “the landmine squat”. This variation is more suited to a gym setting, however, a version can be used, where the body is supported on a strong support like a fence or indoor stair railing. If the arms are kept straight at the elbow, the arms are merely used to maintain balance as the squat is executed. It is much easier to drop into the deep squat staying upright to reduce load on the low back, while ensuring that the squat is as deep as possible.
There are a few ideas to include with your movement drills. Most of these can be done at home with body weight and no special equipment. Give them a try and watch your ease of movement and joint mobility improve.
Hi, I'm Dr Brian
CEO of Superhealth
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