Patellofemoral knee pain occurs when there is a dysfunction in the joint articulation between the patella and the surface of the tibia (the thigh bone) that the patella glides on. This is a common complaint in runners and athletes competing in running, cutting and jumping sports such as football, soccer, netball and basketball.
One of the common underlying causes of this knee pain and joint dysfunction is a lack of adequate strength in the necessary quadricep muscles of the thigh and knee to stabilise to patella during these activities.
The VMO is the muscle on your inner thigh and knee that is one of the primary stabilisers of the patella. Strengthening this muscle can significantly help reduce patellofemoral pain when running.
A simple exercise that recruits your VMO is the ballerina squat. To perform this exercise stand on one leg with your opposite knee bent and your thigh pressed against the wall. Push this thigh as strongly as possible into the wall and hold this position for 15 seconds. Repeat this in 3 sets of 5 repetitions. By the end your inner quad muscle of your standing leg will feel quite fatigued. For video instructions, click here.