Get Your Glutes Involved to Make Your Knee Feel Better When Lunging Forward
Your knee pain should not stop you from doing activities you enjoy!
The video above addresses one specific potential cause for knee pain while running: limited glute activation.
Why Do I Have Pain in the Front of My Knee When Lunging Forward?
If every time you lunge forward, you use a quad dominant movement pattern, you will likely end up feeling pain in the front of your knee.
Oversimplified, a quad dominant forward lunge means that you are keeping your torso vertical to the ground.
A quad dominant lunge is a functional and important movement that we use all the time.
But when this pattern is used too much, your knee cap (patella) and your patellar tendon will get angry from your quads pulling too much too often.
What Can I Do To Fix The Front of My Knee Pain From Forward Lunges?
A simple glute optimized forward lunge strategy is a smart place to start to fix pain in the front of the knee that occurs when lunging forward.
Lunge forward but instead of staying tall, flex at your hip so that your chest drops toward the ground.
Just make sure you keep your low back extended! This means your low back will be concave (meaning it dips in). This is how you maintain a natural lordotic curve and a strong spine.
By hinging at your hip, you should be able to load 90% or more of your weight onto the lunging side heel. This means your backside foot will be a light toe touch.
Make sure your backside knee bends! If you brace your backside knee by keeping your knee straight (extended), there's a good chance you will feel strain in your low back.
If you do this drill correctly, your knee will be pain free regardless of which leg you leg you use to lunge forward!
And, you will likely be really sore (in a good way) in your glutes and hamstrings!
Remember, This Is Only The Start For Most Injury Recoveries...
The body is complicated and this is one small, but important piece to your injury recovery.
Get Individualized Injury Recovery Help!
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