Stiff Knees? Get Rotating.

We all know how the knee (should) move, bend and straighten, right? That’s the general idea, anyway. There’s a second component to that, though, and it’s rotation. The femur and the tibia are rotating relative to each other as the knee flexes and extends. When you bend your knee, tibial internal rotation occurs. When you straighten, tibial external rotation is happening. 

A lot of patients come to me not having worked on progressing tibial internal rotation into weightbearing, or even clearing it up in a seated position. Most complain of not being able to kneel, or lunge down to the ground because of the back leg. I’ll work with them on clearing up rotation at the knee, applying to bent knee positions, and then putting it into a short circuit for loading up the area.

Here’s a general circuit I like to apply in this case:

2-3 rounds, done as a station every minute on the minute style:

Tibial Internal Rotation Open Chain, seated x 45” 

Double Leg Hamstring Sliders x30-45”

• These can be scaled up to single leg, just make sure for both versions to emphasize the pull into further knee flexion

Kneeling Rockbacks with Tibial IR (DL or SL) x 45”

Seeing some changes but still want a more individualized approach to your rehab? Looking for physical therapists in Long Beach who understand what it takes to make fitness a daily part of your life? If you want to learn how to take control with some expert guidance and treatments to optimize your performance and longevity, then that’s exactly what we provide at Zenith Performance Physical Therapy. Call or text us at 562-502-1767 to schedule a free phone consultation and come in for an evaluation! 

Thomas Bilodeau, PT DPT, USAW-L1

Zenith Performance Physical Therapy 

ICE Certified Specialist: Orthopedics, Fitness Athlete, Older Adult