BODY: Sheep!! It all makes sense now.

I get it now, you guys. I mean, I think I’ve known this deep down for a while now and I did hear this explained in quite a few Fitness Conferences that I have attended over the past few years. But when it is actually examined and put to the test, it is this shattering epiphany of revelation!!!!

Perhaps you are already aware of what I’m about to say. YET, maybe you’re also like me and it’s encouraging to hear this fact again! Like if you have ever experienced any knee: minor or major issues, tightness, weird pain, surprise twinges, cartilage damage, meniscus tears, or any and all kinds of knee surgeries. You know, I honestly think that this goes for the majority of us….

Knees really do get a bad rap.

And blamed for SO MUCH!!! Seriously, why are they great one day and then…!!BAM!!💥Hello, interior knee pain💥Ouch, major stabbing?!?!💥Whoa, snap-crackle-and-pop💥!!! And why do knees seem so susceptible to injury and wear-and-tear from daily life or sports and fun activities?? Whether it seems like a spontaneous knee spasm or there’s a terrifying awareness that something popped that should not have popped, knees seem to have so many issues.

Yet, there is a major BUT about blaming knees for most problems – – – and this is excluding an exterior force that created a knee trouble, like blunt force trauma from an incident or an accident, of course. Back to the BUT:

Knees are SHEEP!!! 🐑🐑🐑

Another way to express this is: Knees are the dumbest joint in the body…

I mean no disrespect to the sheep out there!!

I apologize, lil sheepy, I promise that I will explain myself!!

Before I go on, I say “knees aren’t the smartest” with the utmost respect for knees and how they work and function!! I love my knees and everything that they do for me, even despite all the nuttiness that they have been through! Allow me to introduce you to my left knee that has two surgeries in it’s history – – an ACL Reconstruction and a Meniscectomy (a meniscus clean-up procedure) – – – and this is the knee that is awaiting another ACL Reconstruction in the “sometime” future. Yet, it is still fully functional, minus the whole running, jumping, and quick twisting/pivoting thing. I’m still a big fan of my knees, even with my collection of scars!

So, hear me out:

FACT #1) Knees are specifically a hinge joint, meaning they bend and they straighten, or they flex and extend. Yes, it’s true that when the knee is bent there is room for a little rotation… BUT rotation is not meant to be a major function of the knee because it is there for stability purposes. Whereas joints like the ankles and the hips are meant for mobility purposes and ROTATIONAL movement.

FACT #2) Bones can do nothing without the muscles that are attached to the bones. Another way to understand this is that muscles pull the bones where they want them to go and this is how we are able to move any body part or walk around. Muscles are the leader 100% of the time, being given neurological information from the brain and nervous system. The bones always do what they’re told to do, no matter what.

And, since we know that EVERYTHING is connected – – like the ankles link to the knees through the lower leg bones (tibias and fibulas) and the knees link to the hips though the upper leg bones (femurs) – – then we can put FACTS #1 & 2 together to see how important it is for the ankles, knees, and hips to work together along with the musculature and fascia that tie them all together.

With this in mind, let’s revisit this loving statement: the knees are the dumbest joint in the body. Figuratively, the knees have no mind of their own and they only follow whatever the ankles and/or the hips tell them to do.

Picture the knee as a cute little sheep. It’s sitting in it’s perfect alignment of a plot of grass, eating contently. Now imagine the ankle is a sheepdog and the hip is the sheep herder. If the sheepdog chases the dog to the right, (so the ankle rotates the tibia to the right), the sheep/knee will turn and “run” to the right. And if the sheep herder guides the sheep to the left, (so the hip socket musculature rotates the femur to the left) the sheep/knee will follow to the left.

As much as this sounds like great communication skills, the trouble arises when the ankle or the hip has a dysfunction or a compensation and can no longer perform it’s movement job properly. Maybe the ankle has lost some of it’s range of motion due to tightness or perhaps the hip may have some type of an impingement. Either way, now the ankle or the hip can no longer move optimally so guess which joint so often takes the brunt for these issues? THE KNEE!!! The ankle or the hip lose their function, causing the knee to have to pick up the slack and become responsible for more movement, which it is not designed to do. OR the hip and the ankle move their respective bones in a deficient way so the knee has extra medial or lateral pressure (to the right or the left of the knee cap), which is so often the start of grinding in the knee that wears out the cartilage and can lead to a long-term condition like arthritis.

It’s at this point that we may feel some (or a lot of) knee pain or discomfort. And we think “what’s wrong with you, KNEE?!?!” When really we should be looking at the ankle or the hip and asking “what problem are either of YOU having that is pushing my knee out of it’s perfect alignment or forcing it to work in a way that might be detrimental to it’s structure?”

Doesn’t that just make you think a bit differently about your beautiful knees???

Like, for example, if you have experienced any wear-and-tear in the knees or you have one “bad knee” that gives you some trouble. Excluding a fall or a disaster moment where knee trauma occurred, many times the reason for this knee pain or the erosion in the knee is due to either the ankle or the hip (or another part of the body because yes, it’s all connected) being out of alignment in some way, shape, or form. Why? Because the knee cannot move poorly without help from it’s neighbors. There is no such thing as a “bad knee,” only bad posture or lack of function in which the knee is asked to do too much or is pushed out of it’s optimal position.

Of course I am simplifying quite a bit here; however, that doesn’t make anything that I have explained any less true. And it changes so much to realize this, in my opinion!! Because if you and I are experiencing any knee discomfort, we can start to get curious about WHY because now we know that the knee has no say in this knee pain. So we can begin to look at the ankle, the hip, and the musculature in the legs to begin examining why the knee pain and discomfort actually exists. And it’s amazing how a little ankle and hip mobility/strengthening work and a little stretching alleviates some of the worst cases of knee pain!!!

IF we choose to get curious about the knee pain and not ignore it, of course. 🧐 Sometimes, on the onset, it seems far easier to deny the pain exists with the “no pain-no gain” mentality and push through it. Or even to limit movement as a whole to avoid the knee pain. But these very rarely, if ever, actually solve the problem because, no matter what, the pain festers and generally gets worse and worse until it can no longer be ignored or denied. And limiting your activity level because of knee pain really diminishes the quality of life because you may be avoiding doing things you really enjoy.

With regards to me and my extensive knee injury history, I wholeheartedly believe that proper ankle and hip mobility and function makes very happy knees! I also believe that my various knee incidents stemmed from only really looking at my injured knee for healing, strength, and recovery (thank you, Physical Therapy ☹️) as opposed to looking at how my ankles and hips responded to my traumatic knee injuries. I now see this being one of the most glaring gaps in all of my recovery periods because my body was not treated as a unit, especially my lower body, and I did not realize it’s importance until after my multiple knee injuries.

And now, here I am! And I totally get it because it makes so much sense! So, currently if I feel any knee twinges or discomfort in my knees, I pay attention to my ankles and hips immediately and it all goes away with the proper attention and patience. And I still move through my trainings and my daily life with no chronic knee pain, and super minimal and rare acute pain, even though my left leg has no ACL, meniscus damage, and a hole in it’s medial cartilage. My left knee is still happy and able to move really well regardless of it’s VERY messy interior. I feel like my knee is proof that if you take care of and pay attention to your ankles and hips, you can free yourself from so much knee pain or at least make the knee pain drastically decrease. Just something to keep in mind!!

THAT, as well as to keep searching for the answers you and your body require for a pain-free life. It takes a lot of love, patience, listening to your body, researching the many options available to you, finding the right person or people to guide you, and never settling until you find what you’re looking for. Remember this:

The answer you seek is out there, waiting to be found. Before stopping the search early and exclaiming “I have tried EVERYTHING and nothing works!,” please ask yourself if that’s really true, (It’s not, I assure you), remind yourself how amazing and capable you are, (because it’s true, without question), and remember that you deserve to have the best quality of life possible. No matter how long it takes to get it right (like almost 6 knee surgeries, maybe?!?! That’s me!!!🙋🏻‍♀️) or how many attempts you’ve had or how many times you’ve had to Reset/Refocus/Readjust/Restart….you will find the answers that best serve you, your body, and the ways you desire to move and live your life.

I vow to never give up on my knees, my mind/body/spirit training, and my desire to get back to dance, running, jumping, taking fitness classes, teaching fitness classes, you name it, no matter what!!

And you?? Please vow to never give up on you. NO MATTER WHAT!! ❤️❣️❤️❣️❤️