Patellar pain, or pain under the kneecap, is a painful condition that can be treated effectively with the right exercises. Get the best patella pain exercises you can do at home to eliminate your kneecap pain and start to feel better today. Demonstration of patellofemoral pain exercises presented by a physical therapist.

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➡️ RESISTANCE “BOOTY BAND” FOR HIP EXERCISES: https://urlgeni.us/amzn/smallresistanceloops

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✅ UPDATED VERSION OF THIS VIDEO: https://youtu.be/kLKHZgu_czI
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Pain that occurs under the lateral (outside) edge of your kneecap is a common orthopedic problem that affects many people.

Termed “patellofemoral pain syndrome”, this pain can hit while running, squatting, going up/down stairs, or even simply walking. Fortunately there’s a lot that physical therapy including stretching and strength exercises can do to help.

Pain under your kneecap is typically caused by one of two problems - either your kneecap isn’t moving normally or the bones under your kneecap (femur and tibia) aren’t moving normally.

Your kneecap should sit squarely in a “groove” in your femur on top of your knee joint. As your knee flexes and extends, your kneecap moves up and down and should remain squarely in this groove. Pain can arise when the kneecap starts to ride on one side of the groove; this rubbing causes friction, inflammation, pain, and eventually a wearing away of the cartilage.

The best exercises for patellofemoral pain are those that will improve the alignment of your patella during movement. This is best accomplished by strengthening your quad muscle and your hip abductors.

The following exercises are ones that I recommend to my patients on a daily basis. They are easily performed at home and there’s no equipment required.

0:00 BEST EXERCISES FOR KNEECAP PAIN
3:38 Orthotics
5:36 Straight Leg Raises
6:12 Straight Leg Raises Foot Out
7:00 Hip Abduction
7:54 Hip Hikes
9:06 Lateral Box Steps
10:08 everse Lunges
11:34 Band Walks Forward
13:10 Band Walks Lateral

1. ORTHOTICS (to prevent pronation, internal rotation, and adduction) (3:38)
Flat feet can be a major cause of lateral knee pain. As your foot collapses, or “pronates”, it causes your tibia (lower leg bone) to twist inward which causes your kneecap to ride in the wrong spot and cause pain under your kneecap. This problem can be minimized with some good orthotics with arch support.

✅ CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TO FIX YOUR FLAT FEET AND PRONATION PROBLEM: https://youtu.be/MHqMLLjmDPI


2. STRAIGHT LEG RAISES WITH QUAD CONTRACTED (5:36)
Strengthening your quad muscle can help your kneecap stay where it needs to as your knee flexes and extends.

3. STRAIGHT LEG RAISES WITH FOOT ROTATED OUT (6:12)
You can bias the medial quad (vastus medialis) by externally rotating your foot (pointing it out) and performing a straight leg raise. This will serve to pull your kneecap back to the middle where it belongs.

4. SIDELYING HIP ABDUCTION (7:00)
Strengthening your hip abductors will help to keep your femur in a better position during movement.

5. HIP HIKES (7:54)
Taking the sidling hip abduction exercise and making it weight-bearing. Your hip has to work harder to push your body weight against gravity making this an effective way to strengthen your abductors.

6. LATERAL BOX STEPS (9:06)
Combining lateral motion with flexion and extension against a resistance (raising to a higher level). These can be easily done on stairs or a weight bench to make them harder.

7. REVERSE LUNGES (10:08)
Work on lowering yourself slowly and in control into a lunge. Your focus should be keeping your knee right over your toe (not letting it buckle inside or out) while not letting it get out in front of your toe.

8. BAND WALKS FORWARD (11:34)
Probably my favorite way to train the quads and hip abductors to work together.

9. BAND WALKS LATERAL (13:10)
My final exercise to really roast your hip abductors. Great way to strengthen your hips to pull your femur into a better alignment.

Looking for more great workouts and exercises to treat your knee pain? Give these a try:

✅ BEST EXERCISES TO FIX KNOCK KNEES (KNEES THAT CAVE IN): https://youtu.be/xac4g75KhcM

✅ BEST STRETCHES FOR KNEE PAIN: https://youtu.be/Rjojo8ysStQ

✅ EXERCISES TO INCREASE KNEE STRENGTH: https://youtu.be/rZjthGWVq7Q

✅ FIX PATELLAR TENDONITIS AT HOME: https://youtu.be/-dJIxiZcy_8