Knee Alignment for Happy Knees

This TOTW is all about keeping the joints in your lower chain happy! Many of the moves we do in Pilates are meant to set your knees up for success in your every day movements like walking, running, and standing. This week, I'll give you even more cues to practice healthy knee mechanics so you can experience reduced knee, hip and ankle pain off the mat (side note, your side butt is responsible for a lot of knee tracking - get ready to work it!)

Some General Rules:

• The middle of your kneecap should generally always track in line with your second toe (next to your big toe.) If you're standing in parallel, that means you'll make a number 11 shape with your feet, shins, knees, and thighs.

• Keep your knee vertically stacked over your ankle bone in knee flexion (shin perpendicular to the floor) vs jutting the knee forward past the toes.

Hot Tips for Class

• Bridging:

  • It's most common for your knees to bow out toward your pinky toes in this position. Use your inner thighs for support by pushing your big toes into the floor. Fire up that BTE #bigtoeenergy!

• Squats

  • Sit your hips back to keep you knees over your ankle bones and try not to bow knees out to the side. Whatever compensation you do in bridging, you'll likely repeat here, so take a peak at those knees and readjust!

• Lunges

  • Your body is most likely to compensate in single leg work by rolling knees in, not out. Use your side butt and push into your pinky toe to realign your knee to neutral!

Want More? Try it with me in this mini-workout!