It happens to the young, the old, the sedentary, and the active: knee pain. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that around 25% of Americans have knee pain that limits their function in some way. That’s a huge number!
Luckily, physical therapy has been shown to be able to significantly reduce knee pain.1 Of course, it’s important to note that “knee pain” is actually a broad category. People can have knee pain due to osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain, chondritis, meniscus injuries, and many more things! This post will specifically talk about patellofemoral femoral pain syndrome and how to help work on that.
When your knee bends and straightens, your patella (knee cap) glides over the femur (thigh bone). When your patella tracks poorly on the femur, it causes increased pressure between the two bones; resulting in pain.
Research also shows that a big culprit for poor patellofemoral tracking relates to hip weakness! Poor hip abductor strength and dynamic control results in the knee caving inward during certain movements, placing huge stress at the joint.
Don’t worry though, we scoured through the evidence and are presenting to you the top 3 exercises that electromyography2 shows to best stimulate your hip abductors and strengthen them with the goal of maintaining proper knee alignment and reducing overall stress at the knee!
- Side Plank with Hip Abduction *target leg on bottom
- Side Plank with Hip Abduction *target leg on top
- Single Leg Squat
- SIdelying Hip Internal / External rotation with static hip abduction and extension
I actually put 4 down because the top 2 exercises are actually the same one, just doing both sides. Yes, it’s actually THAT good for activating your gluteus medius, which is your primary hip abductor.
That’s it for today, I hope you enjoyed the article! Hopefully this can help you on your journey to being active, wellness, and healing. Remember, this isn’t medical advice. You should see your local physical therapist today to do a full evaluation to identify the source of your discomfort to help you get back to what you love to do!
Looking to find a physical therapist near you? Use One Body to find the best physical therapist for you!
References
Abdel-Aziem AA, Soliman ES, Mosaad DM, Draz AH. Effect of a physiotherapy rehabilitation program on knee osteoarthritis in patients with different pain intensities. J Phys Ther Sci. 2018;30(2):307-312. doi:10.1589/jpts.30.307
Boren K, Conrey C, Le Coguic J, Paprocki L, Voight M, Robinson TK. Electromyographic analysis of gluteus medius and gluteus maximus during rehabilitation exercises. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2011;6(3):206-223.