Cause number 3 – Posterior Weakness
Photo: author’s archive
Your knee is a hard worker but isn’t very smart. So far, we all understand that it is influenced heavily by what the foot tells it do but we really need to appreciate just how much influence our posterior muscles tell it what to do as well. To do so, we need a little anatomy lesson:
We all know where our butt is located but we must understand that the glute maximus attaches into the lower leg via the IT band on the side of our leg. Knowing this and remembering that we rely on a “rubberband” effect for muscles to generate force, makes us realize the importance of having glutes that can properly lengthen and accept load as we decelerate into the squat position. Without this ability, a Crossfit coach will see an athlete whose knee won’t track properly and “cave” inwards.
**side-note: I tell athletes when I have them foam roll their IT band and I hear them scream, then I know that this is an indicator that their glutes are on vacation and the poor IT band is taking all the stress for it.**
“Your musculo-skeletal system is set up like a giant tug-of-war match.”
