Giulia Ralph is a qualified Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Weightlifting Coach, and Personal Trainer. She has a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition.
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Would you call yourself an active person? By active, I mean someone who moves a lot during the day. If your answer is yes, then I have another question for you – when was the last time you suffered from knee muscle pain?
Knee pain is actually a quite common complaint among adults, particularly athletes who often engage in a variety of sports, such as running, jumping, or quick pivoting.
Unfortunately, every knee injury cannot be prevented. However, the general awareness of knee anatomy, how injuries occur, and treatment may help you prevent possible complications from potential knee injuries.
The knee is one of the largest joints in our body and it can be vulnerable to injury. Knee problems can result in knee pain, difficulty walking, or stiffness.
Therefore, if you want to understand the reasons for knee pain, you need to understand its anatomy. This article explores the knee muscles: anatomy and main causes of knee pain.
There are three main knee joint muscles:
Now, let’s take a closer look at the knee muscles.
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These muscles are located at the back of the knee and help bend your knee when they contract. The hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh consist of the biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. Other supporting muscles include the gracilis, sartorius, popliteus, and gastrocnemius.
The biceps femoris is one of the three muscles in the hamstring group, forming the back of the thigh.
The semimembranosus is the medial of the three hamstring muscles. Chronically tight hamstrings could be a reason for lower back pain and knee pain.
The semitendinosus is the longest of the three muscles that run along the back of the thigh. It helps you extend your thigh, flex your knee, and rotate your tibia — the main bone in your lower leg (5).
These muscles make up the quadriceps muscle group. Their main function is straightening your knee.
The vastus medialis is the quadriceps muscle that is situated inside of the thigh.
The vastus lateralis is the outer of the four quadriceps knee muscles and you can feel it on the outside top of the thigh.
The vastus intermedius is located deep in the thigh, underneath the rectus femoris muscle.
The rectus femoris muscle is the bulk muscle of the Quadriceps group. It is the only quadricep muscle to cross the hip joint.
Read more: 17 Exercises to Build Chest Muscles, Tone Pecs, and Strengthen the Male Body’s Main Feature
There are 5 muscle groups around the knee:
Knee pain can affect people of any age. Pain in your muscles may be a result of injury, aging, types of arthritis, or mechanical conditions. The main signs of knee pain are:
There are various muscle groups that can contribute to knee pain: quadriceps (quads), hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, and core.
You already know that quads are one of the largest muscle groups. When your quads are tight, they can apply greater pressure to the kneecap.
Hamstrings are essential for stabilizing the knee and when your hamstring muscles are tight, this causes an imbalance in the muscle forces across the knee, placing more stress on the quadriceps muscles.
Your hip flexors are also essential for overall stability and engaging movements such as jumping and sprinting. When the hip flexors are strained, their function may be compromised, potentially impacting how forces are distributed across the knee joint and increasing the stress that is placed on the quadriceps and knee.
Your gluteal (buttock) muscles are the largest muscle group in your body. They are used most of the time for simple actions, such as standing up, walking, or stepping down. Tight glutes can potentially influence hip and pelvic alignment, altering movement patterns and leading to discomfort in the knee..
A strong, well-balanced core is crucial for body alignment when you are moving. Tight core muscles or imbalances can potentially impact this alignment. For example, muscle tightness or weakness may affect pelvis position, which can result in altered forces placed through hip and knee joints.
The two main muscle groups that operate the knee are:
The meniscus is a shock absorber that is situated between the end of the thigh bone and the top of the shin bone.
It may be torn when you twist or turn your upper leg while your foot is planted and your knee is bent.
Take a look at the common symptoms of meniscus tear:
In addition, the meniscus can wear down over time and cause pain when you move your knee.
Contact your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. A meniscus tear can be diagnosed via X-ray or MRI.
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Muscle pull or strain involves damage to a muscle or the tendons that are attached to it. You don’t need to be an athlete to encounter this problem. In fact, you can do a lot of daily activities and end up with a muscle pull.
A good example is lifting something heavy. And no, I don’t mean at the gym. It could be a bag from the grocery store, loaded with heavy products for your muscle-building diet.
So, what does a pulled muscle look like? Check out these pulled muscle in knee symptoms:
In addition, knee muscles twitching (involuntary contraction of muscles) is generally the result of muscle strain. However, sometimes muscle twitching can be a sign of a medical problem.
Do you want to make your knees stronger so you can fully enjoy your daily activities? The most effective way is knee-strengthening exercises.
Exercises to strengthen knees do not directly affect the knee joints but they strengthen the muscles around it. It’s best to start them with a light warm-up activity. If you experience pain during the knee muscle workout, stop immediately and speak to your doctor. People with severe knee pain should consult a doctor before exercising.
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Here are the best 6 knee-strengthening activities that increase blood flow to the muscles and make them more flexible (1):
This knee muscle exercise engages both the quadriceps and abdominal muscles.
The following exercise involves the hamstrings and gluteal muscles.
This activity engages the quadriceps, hip flexors, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles.
The muscles that are involved in this exercise are the hamstrings and gluteal muscles. You should perform this exercise on a weight bench that is purpose-built for this exercise.
You’ll be engaging the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles during the following exercise.
The muscles that are engaged during the exercise are the quadriceps and gluteal muscles.
Read more: 20 Best Exercises to Lose Thigh Fat While Targeting Different Thigh Muscles
Are you tired of a nagging pain in your knees? As I previously mentioned, the best solution in this situation is to contact a doctor. However, tight muscles can contribute to knee discomfort and the reason can sometimes be a lack of one simple activity – stretching after the workout.
Stretching the muscles that surround the knee can help improve flexibility, relieve tightness, and potentially reduce knee pain.
Take a look at the three post-exercise stretching activities that may help you relieve knee pain (1).
In addition to stretching, you could practice yoga as this may be beneficial to your knees. You can learn about yoga for knee strength in another article.
Knee muscle injury can happen to anyone at any age. The most common knee injuries include anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, meniscus tear, and patellar tendonitis. It is important that you consult a qualified health professional to obtain a proper diagnosis and treatment plan in such situations. The best way to get a diagnosis is to check the knee with an X-ray or MRI.
It all depends on the causes of the knee muscle pain and how uncomfortable it makes you. It is always best to speak to a qualified professional to get a proper diagnosis. Mild knee injuries may improve with rest, anti-inflammatory medications, ice, and physical therapy exercises. More serious knee pain may require surgery.
Joint pain is generally accompanied by swelling of the affected joint. It also takes a longer time to heal and will most likely hurt you even after rest. Muscle pain takes a shorter time and may be alleviated by movement. However, these are just general guidelines and it may not always be straightforward.
The RICE rule may be a short-term method for helping ease discomfort: Give your knee some rest, apply ice on the swollen area, wear a compression bandage, and keep your knees elevated. Other good ways of relieving knee pain include wearing comfortable shoes, performing appropriate exercises, and maintaining a healthy weight. Seek advice from your doctor if the pain becomes more frequent.
Common red flags for knee pain include sudden severe pain, consistent pain after surgery, persistent pain that doesn’t improve with compression, rest, ice, and elevation, swelling and warmth around the knee joint, and buckling of the knee.
The injury that takes the longest to heal is an anterior cruciate ligament tear. Recovery from this kind of injury typically takes 9 to 12 months.
In this article, you have learned about the knee muscles, anatomy, and the main causes of knee pain. In addition, you are now aware of effective knee-strengthening exercises and post-exercise stretches that can be helpful for flexibility and knee pain relief.
You should always contact a professional physician in case of frequent knee pains. Also, if you have a health condition, you should talk to a specialist before you start any exercise program.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not serve to address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on for making any kind of decision-making. Any action taken as a direct or indirect result of the information in this article is entirely at your own risk and is your sole responsibility.
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