Knee stability exercises probably aren’t top of mind when you hit the gym. But having stable knees is super important in a bunch of different scenarios—from running a marathon to climbing the stairs to squatting down to pick up a child—which means doing these types of moves on the reg is actually a really smart idea.
“Everybody could probably benefit from some sort of strengthening to improve stability of the knee,” Carrie Whitelam, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC, a physical therapist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, tells SELF.
Thankfully, incorporating knee stability exercises into your gym routine is easier than you may think: We have three great examples right here, along with step-by-step instructions for weaving them into your workouts.
First though, what even is knee stability…and, um, why does it matter? Read on for all the must-know info.
What exactly is knee stability?
Knee stability can encompass a lot of different things, but to boil it down, it’s “the ability to maintain alignment and positioning of your knee during movement and activity,” Whitelam says.
There are passive structures in the body that help with knee stability, which include certain ligaments, Whitelam explains–such as the ACL and MCL. And there are active structures that help out too, which include muscles such as the quads, hamstrings, and hips, she adds.
When it comes to knee stability, each of these muscles plays a slightly different role: The quads help straighten the knees, the hamstrings work to bend them, and the hips serve as the “steering wheel” that controls the position and alignment of the knees, Braidy Solie, DPT, SCS, CSCS, a Minnesota-based physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist with Training HAUS, tells SELF.
Basically, another way to think about knee stability is how well these three muscle groups work together to control the joint during movements like squatting, lunging, and stepping up, Solie says. During a squat, for example, you need all three players firing and coordinating with each other to complete the movement correctly and prevent your knee from collapsing inward.
Why does knee stability matter?
Having good knee stability isn’t just about squatting with perfect form. It also helps reduce our chances of knee pain and injury as we exercise, participate in sports, and move about our day-to-day.