Your kneecap could be tracking in a way that is causing your knee pain to get worse!

Here, you can look closely at how my patient’s kneecaps move as she contracts her quadriceps. For those of you who have keen eyes, you can see how one side doesn’t really move the way you’d expect.

Typically, asymmetries are not the end of the world. There is a normal amount of variation amongst people but when you see movement like this with knee pain congruent with the tracking issue then you know it is something you need to look into more.

We see a more lateral/diagonal shift of the patella when she squeezes her left quad and a more superior-compression only movement on the right.

Upon further inspection, we see:

-Weaker quads (most notably the Vastus Medialis Oblique - VMO) and adductors on the left

-Taught and irritated lateral patellar retinaculum (the tissues surrounding the kneecap)

-Weak and poor flexibility on the L glutes and hip external rotators

So how did this particular patient develop this issue? Well, she was an avid runner with a history of right hip pain. Over time she adjusted her running technique to favor the left side.

This led to asymmetries all up and down the left pelvis, hips, knees and ankles which only really manifested itself as pain about two weeks prior to this video being taken!

So what are you to do if you are a runner and notice glaring asymmetries, a hitch in you form or even pain? Look towards a qualified physio to address your weaknesses and mech axis before your caught up in the chronic pain zone.