Knee stability exercises likely aren’t the first thing on your mind when you head to the gym. Stable knees are crucial in many situations, like running marathons, climbing stairs, or squatting to pick up a child—which makes regularly performing these movements a smart strategy. “Everybody could probably benefit from some sort of strengthening to improve stability of the knees,” says Carrie Whitelam, a physical therapist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Fortunately, adding knee stability exercises to your workout routine is simpler than you might expect. Here are three excellent examples, complete with step-by-step guidance on incorporating them into your workouts. But first, what exactly is knee stability, and why is it important? Continue reading for all the essential details. What precisely is knee stability? Knee stability involves many aspects, but essentially, it’s “the ability to maintain proper alignment and positioning of the knee during movement and activity,” Whitelam explains. Certain ligaments, like the ACL and MCL, are passive structures in the body that contribute to knee stability, Whitelam adds. Active structures like the quads, hamstrings, and hips also contribute to support, she adds. For knee stability, these muscles each have a distinct function: the quads straighten the knees, the hamstrings bend them, and the hips act as the “steering wheel” to manage knee position and alignment, explains Braidy Solie, a physical therapist and strength and conditioning specialist with Training HAUS in Minnesota. Essentially, knee stability can be viewed as how effectively these three muscle groups coordinate to control the joint during activities such as squatting, lunging, and stepping up, Solie notes. For instance, during a squat, all three players must activate and work together to execute the movement properly and stop the knee from caving inward. Why is knee stability important? Good knee stability goes beyond just squatting with perfect form.
