Video by Nick Hawkes
Lots of times, clients will come to us with knee pain and although there could be many causes of this pain, one of the first places to look is just below the knee joint where the tibia and fibula bones of the lower leg (tib-fib) meet the upper leg bone, the femur.
Normally we think of the knee as a joint we want to stabilize in order to avoid injury to ligaments like the ACL and MCL which are commonly ruptured in athletes. But there is much more to the joint than that and there should actually be some motion between the smaller bones of the lower leg to ensure it is properly functioning.
When we run or create torque for squatting, we must be able to get proper internal and external rotation. If you don’t have movement here, or can’t disassociate the hip from the knee from the ankle, you are setting yourself up for injury. If those are stuck, something else is being stressed or has to give. Enter pain.
Use this video to follow along with Coach Nick to evaluate your tib-fib rotation. If you think it might be an issue for you, time to see a PT or professional in ART or other body work.
