What I Kneed To Know

I am not a doctor.  I am not a physical therapist.  It is beyond the scope of my practice to diagnose or treat injuries.  That is an important bunch of disclaimers to keep in mind.

Many of my clients have knee issues.  My job, in working with those clients, is to help them strengthen the muscles around the knee while keeping them safe and working in a comfortable range of motion.  (Please note:  I make sure that the relevant doctors/physical therapists/other professionals have released folks to work out before we do stuff and I fully respect any limitations they impose.)

The knee is a joint.  That means it is a place where bones come together.  Weight training does not directly train bones to be stronger; it works with muscles.  When we want a knee to be “stronger,” what we really want is the muscles around the knee to be stronger.

For most of us, the big muscles on the front of our thighs are good and strong.  That means we have it relatively easy when it comes to straightening our knees.  The hamstrings along the back of our legs work to bend our knees; they tend to be less strong, so we want to focus on them.  Also, a lot of knee injuries come from twisting or moving sideways, which means that we need to train the muscles on the inside and outside of our thighs (adductors and abductors, if you want the fancy terms), and work with balance.

Additionally, because bodies are connected wholes, working knees means working hips and ankles.  Strength in those places supports our knees.

Progress comes from lots of little steps.