Knee Pain That Keeps Coming Back? Weak Buttock Muscles May Be the Cause
Your knee hurts, so you rub it, ice it, maybe buy a knee support. Weeks later it's still there: on the stairs at work, getting up from a low sofa, on your evening walk. Here's what many people don't know. The problem often isn't the knee at all. It's your buttock muscles.
How your buttocks protect your knees
Your buttock muscles (glutes) control the position of your thigh. When they're strong, your knee stays in line over your foot as you walk, climb stairs or squat. When they're weak, your thigh rolls inward and your knee drifts towards the other knee. This twists and overloads the knee, and it starts to hurt.
Why buttock muscles get weak
- Sitting most of the day at a desk, in traffic or on the couch
- Little exercise, or exercise with no strength work
- An old ankle, knee or back injury that changed how you move
- After pregnancy
Signs your knee pain may come from weak glutes
- Pain around or behind the kneecap on stairs, squats or after sitting
- Your knee caves inward when you squat or step down (check in a mirror)
- One hip drops when you stand on one leg
- Your knee is fine at rest but sore after activity
- Your hips and buttocks tire quickly walking uphill
Why treating only the knee doesn't work
Painkillers, rubs and knee supports can ease the pain for a while. But if the weak link is your hip, the pain comes back as soon as you're active again.
How we treat it at Katasi Physiotherapy, Westlands
We watch how you squat, step and walk to see where your knee loses control. We ease the sore area with hands-on treatment, then give you a short set of buttock and thigh exercises, made a little harder each visit, so your knee stays in line on its own. Many people notice stairs getting easier within a few weeks. For more on kneecap pain, read Knee Pain on Stairs and Squats?
See a doctor first if
Your knee is very swollen, locks, gives way, or you can't put weight on it after a fall or twist.
Book in Westlands
Don't let knee pain keep you off the stairs, the field or the gym. Visit Katasi Physiotherapy at Kerai Office, Mogotio Road off Muthithi Road, Westlands, Nairobi. Call or WhatsApp 0705 717 353 to book.