Do you have a nagging knee pain that just won’t go away?
Do your knees ache after going up and down a flight of stairs?
Do your knees ever feel wobbly, unstable or like they will give out?
If you’ve said yes to any of the above, your vastus medialis muscle may be the issue. Keep reading to find out more about it!
Our knees do so much for us. They bear our weight when we are upright. They allow us to bend down, squat and change positions, like going from a seated position to standing. They allow us to engage in leisure activities like running or playing soccer. Imagine doing all those things without knees and legs that do not bend – how difficult would that be!?
Vastus medialis is one of the muscles that make up the quadriceps, which is a group of muscles in the front of the thigh. It is located in the inner part of the thigh and attaches to the inner part of the knee. The main action of the quadriceps muscle group is to extend (straighten) the knee.
While vastus medialis assists in this action along with the rest of the group, it also plays a crucial role in slowing down excessive collapsing of the knee inwards. Without this action of the vastus medialis, we would be at risk of injuring some important structures of the knee joint every time we engage in weight-bearing activities, not to mention the possible pain that can be caused in different areas of the body by inefficient joint mechanics.
This exercise trains this key function the vastus medialis. Try it out and let us know how it went!
Author
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Since earning his Masters of Science in Physiotherapy in 2013, Mathew has been specializing in acute injuries, complex injury histories, recurring injuries, performance enhancement, and concussion management. He is one of few physiotherapists in Canada integrating advanced practices including P-DTR, Neurokinetic Therapy, Anatomy in Motion, and Neurofunctional Acupuncture.
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