Healthy Knees and Preventing Knee Pain Depend on Strong Hips and Ankles – Here's Why

Therapist demonstrates effective techniques to help prevent knee pain through targeted exercises and stretches.

Your knees are like your body’s “shock absorbers,” compensating when your hips and ankles aren’t functioning properly. This often leads to knee discomfort or injury. To avoid future knee pain and maintain long-term joint health, it's essential to understand how these three joints work together.

The Joint-by-Joint Concept

According to the Joint-by-Joint approach, introduced by experts like Mike Boyle and Gray Cook, different joints in the body have specific needs—either mobility or stability. The ankles and hips are designed to be mobile, while the knees require stability. When mobility at the hips or ankles is compromised, the knees compensate, which can lead to overuse injuries, pain, or dysfunction.

For example:

• Ankle Mobility: If your ankles lack flexibility during movements like squatting, your knees will absorb extra force, which can increase the risk of injury.

• Hip Weakness: When your hips lack strength, your knees often take on extra strain during activities like running or changing directions, leading to problems like patellar tendinopathy or even ACL ruptures.

Applying kinesiology tape to enhance knee stability during physical activities.

The Role of the Hips and Ankles

• Hips: The hips are the powerhouse of your legs, responsible for both movement direction and power. Strong, mobile hips are critical for actions like running, jumping, and squatting.

• Ankles: While your hips provide power and direction, your ankles help you adapt to different surfaces and movements, offering the flexibility needed for activities like climbing, sprinting, and squatting.

  
  

How to Protect Your Knees to Prevent Knee Pain

If your hips and ankles aren’t functioning properly, your knees will bear the extra burden, which can lead to injury over time. Maintaining the right balance of strength and mobility in your hips and ankles can significantly reduce the strain on your knees, helping them last longer and stay pain-free.

At Unity, we design personalised programs that focus on building mobility and stability where it’s needed most, for you. By addressing the root causes of knee pain, we ensure that your hips and ankles are doing their jobs so your knees don’t have to compensate.

If you’re dealing with knee pain, reach out to us today to schedule a consultation with one of our Unity Professionals. Let’s work together to create a plan that keeps you active and pain-free.

Contact us to start your pain free journey today, with a free consultation

Reference List:

Boyle, M. and Cook, G., 2023. Understanding the Joint-by-Joint Approach in Fitness Training. Harbourview Therapy. Available at: https://www.harbourviewtherapy.com/joint-by-joint-approach [Accessed 21 October 2024].

Horschig, A., 2023. The Joint-by-Joint Concept. Squat University. Available at: https://squatuniversity.com/2023/03/29/the-joint-by-joint-concept [Accessed 21 October 2024].