The knee – innocent victim or culprit?

Too often in the gym I see how the knee is given tasks for which it was not designed. People come around saying they have "knees done," but the problem is that we force the knee to be a concrete pillar that has to bear the weight of the world. Friends, the knee is not designed to bear weight - the knee's job is to be your body's main and masterful shock absorber.

A diplomat between two fires - why does the knee really swear?

Biomechanically, the knee is a so-called hinge joint that wants to move smoothly in only one direction: flexion and extension. It is like a precision tool that works perfectly as long as the joints above and below it do their job. In scientific literature, this is known as the kinetic chain principle - the knee is a "stability joint" between two "mobility joints" (the hip and the ankle).

The knee is a diplomat who gets caught between two fires when the upper and lower neighbors are not doing their job.

Sloping foundation - foot
When your arch collapses and "leaks", your tibia begins to twist inward. It's like a lopsided foundation under a house - your knee has to catch this twist, even though it lacks the anatomical tools to do so. This creates pressure on the inside, which you feel as a sharp prick.

Dull engine - buttocks
When your butt is "at rest" and cannot keep your thigh stable, your knee sinks inward with every step or squat. This creates a huge uneven load on the meniscus and cartilage. What's more - your kneecap is like a part (block) of a fine mechanism that must move in its intended groove. If your butt doesn't control your femur, the path of the patella shifts and it starts to rub against the cartilage with its edge. This is not wear and tear, but mechanical inaccuracy.

The knee is not "sick" at this point - it is simply an innocent victim trying to save the mess created by a stiff ankle and a weak butt. It is struggling to do the work for two men and then we wonder why it suddenly "screams".

Muscle activity is the "space creator" of the joint

Here is where we need to turn our thinking 180 degrees - the knee joint is not designed to bear weight! This may seem contradictory, but anatomically it is a fact. The upright position and vertical load must be maintained by your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes.

Scientifically, we are talking about tension construction here. When muscles are active and functional, they create space around the joint. If you "lock" your knees and just let the weight sink into the joint surfaces, you are wearing out your cartilage. It's like driving a car with the springs removed - every bump in the road hits the frame and axle. The result is this "pins and needles" feeling and chronic inflammation. Muscles are your airbag - when they are active, there is lightness between the joints.

Gym – strengthening the knee airbag and ligaments

Many people avoid squats or weights because of knee pain, but in reality, proper and conscious training is the only way to get your "shock absorbers" in order. The gym is like a laboratory where we teach the body new habits:

Controlled descent
When you squat or step onto the bench slowly and controlled, you teach your nervous system how to mold a soft shock absorber from the muscle. This is what protects the joint from impact in everyday life - for example, when going down stairs or running.

Strengthening ligaments
Liaises, such as the cruciate ligaments and collateral ligaments, are living tissue. They obey Wolff's law - controlled and progressive tension forces them to become denser and stronger. This creates a kind of natural protection or orthosis around the knee, which keeps the joint in place even in extreme situations.

Cartilage health through the pump effect
The cartilage of the knee does not have a direct blood supply. It is like a sponge that needs rhythmic loading and release (diffusion) to get nutrients. Strength training and squats are like "feeding" the cartilage - you pump fresh synovial fluid into it, which keeps the joint moving smoothly and prevents early wear.

Movement as flow

The body is not a collection of pieces, but a flowing whole. When we talk about the "lightness" of the knee, we are really talking about the movement of energy from the ground up to the center. When the knee is stuck or tense, this flow is interrupted. Our knees symbolize flexibility - not only physical, but also the ability to soften the blows of life and move with them.

A healthy knee means that you trust your body. You are not afraid to fall, you are not afraid to step. That trust is restored when you stop punishing the knee and start supporting it through the rest of the chain. The lightness that is created under the sole must be transferred through the knee up to the hip - it is an uninterrupted kinetic dance.

Your responsibility - don't be a passenger, be the boss of your body! 

We live in an age where we want a quick fix - a pill or an injection. But true freedom and ease come from within. When your knee hurts, don't just ask: "What's wrong with my knee?", but ask: "What am I ignoring in my body that makes my knee hurt so much?"

Treat the cause, not the symptom. This same rhythmic alternation of tension and relaxation that keeps the knee cartilage alive is also the foundation of the most important engine in our body. Your knees were given to you so that you can live life at full speed - to run, dance and conquer mountain peaks and discover the world with ease.

It is your responsibility to restore that "air underfoot" feeling and find your "forklift" effect, or a strong center. When the foundation is in place and the center is supported, the knee is free from this dull pressure. It can once again be what it should be – a supple, springy and free ally on your journey. This freedom is in your own hands, in every step and every squat you take today.

In the next post, we will move on to the topic of what is our biological life insurance – our muscles.

Until then, and see you in the gym!

xxx

Jana