Dr. Mitch Broser
The knee is primarily a hinge joint, made up of the femur and tibia. Although it moves primarily through flexion and extension, it must also rotate! Twisting activities make up about 50% of routine daily activities, including normal walking. It is far more common in sports. More than 120,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries happen every year in the US, with the incidence slowly increasing. Within the first 2 years of ACL reconstruction surgery, patients have a similar risk of injuring their opposite ACL or tearing their graft. They also have a significantly increased risk of having a 2nd ACL injury with rates ranging from 4- to 25- fold. ACL injuries cost the US health care system a whopping $1 billion annually! Many knee injuries, such and ACL and meniscus injuries happen when a rotational force is put through the knee. Most ACL injuries involve either a non-contact deceleration, jumping, cutting action, or a direct impact on the knee. Yet, rotational training or rehabilitation of the knee is often neglected.
Rotation of the tibia relative to the femur, or vice versa, is also a very important mechanism for maintaining joint health. Through sufficient rotation and compression in the knee joint, the cartilage acts similar to a sponge, removing waste products and bringing nutrients into the knee joint space. Individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) show significantly less knee rotation and less general knee range of motion. Knee rotation is also reduced in twisting movements, including walking, squatting, and kneeling.*
From a performance, injury prevention, joint health maintenance, and rehabilitation perspective, training knee rotation is fundamental. In the “Knee Rotation – End-Range Control” Kinstretch Express class, we will be training knee rotation to lay down the foundation of a healthy, resilient knee.