It is normal for young children to be knock-kneed, but as they grow up their knees should align normally over their ankles. When the legs continue to angle inward as a child ages, the condition is occasionally treated with surgery, but this is rare. Exercises may not help people with a knock-knee deformity, but if an injury or muscle weakness causes the knees to drop inward, exercises that strengthen the supportive muscles around the hips and knees help put the knees back in optimal alignment. These leg exercises also work to prevent knock knees from developing.
Tube Walking
Tube walking is a knee and hip strengthening exercise that uses a circular resistance band. The muscles of the outer thighs and glutes are the primary movers in this exercise, but all the thigh muscles work to stabilize joint alignment. To perform this exercise, place a resistance band around your ankles and your hands on your hips. Push your knees outward until they are in line with your ankles. Point your feet forward. Then, step sideways to the right across a room without changing the parallel position of your feet or knees. Retrace your steps to the left. Watching yourself in a mirror lets you make sure you don't cheat.
Step-Ups
Steps-ups are an exercise for the hip flexors and glutes that not only strengthens your hips and knees, but also improves your balance and core strength. To perform step-ups, stand in front of an aerobic step or platform. Place your hands on your hips so you cannot use your arms to keep your balance. Then, place your right foot onto the platform and step up, raising your left knee up to waist level with the knee bent. The right knee should align over the right ankle, not drop inward. Reverse the motion when you step down. Alternate sides.
Single-Leg Dip
The single-leg dip strengthens the glutes, hips, quadriceps and hamstrings for an all-over knee and hip exercise. Two chairs provide balance so you do not fall over while doing this difficult exercise. The chairs also help you keep your knee in the right place over your ankle because you can catch yourself with your arms if you start to let the knee collapse. To begin, stand between two chairs facing away from each other and hold the back of each. Extend your left leg forward with the heel a few inches from the floor and all your weight on your right leg. Then, bend the right knee a few inches and hold for three to five seconds. Repeat on the left leg.
Knee Stabilzation Series
The knee stabilization series challenges one leg to stabilize the knee while the other leg moves in all directions. This works your balance and strengthens the inner, outer, front and back of the thighs of the moving leg. To begin, stand sideways holding the back of a chair. Extend the leg farthest from the chair out to the side and then cross it behind your standing leg. This works the outer and then the inner thigh of the moving leg. Next, turn to face the back of the chair, still holding on, and extend your leg backward, then kick it forward. Repeat, standing on the opposite leg. Observe the position of your knee in a mirror as you perform this exercise. The knee should stay in line with the hip and ankle to build strength with proper alignment.
Member Comments