We all know that men and women are different, even in how we exercise [1]. Add to those differences the fact that women are more likely to suffer knee injuries [2]. The difference is structural; the width of our child bearing hips angles the thigh bone (femur) in such a way that it creates some laxity and instability in the knee joint. Not to mention the ebb and flow of hormones [3] women experience monthly can affect knee stability too.
One way to protect your knees is to strengthen your hips, or anatomically speaking your glute med [4] – the muscle that fills in the side of your pelvis (see an image of the muscle here [5]). Having strong glute meds helps to control the thigh bone, which then helps to stabilize the knee joint. Sounds like a win/win situation to me.
To see how to strengthen your hips, just .
Side Squats with Theraband
- Tie a resistance band around your ankles. Start with red/medium band and work your way up to green/heavy.
- Begin standing with feet directly underneath your hips.
- Squat halfway down and side step to the right as far as you can manage.
- Bring left leg toward right, returning to your starting position.
- Step to the right 10 times, then reverse stepping to the left 10 times. Repeat for 3 sets.
Fit's Tips: This is a great exercise for runners and can help prevent patellofemoral pain [6], aka pain on the outside of the knee. Couple this with rolling out your IT band [7] and you will be good to go. Preventing injuries means you log more miles and stay on the road!
Source [8]