How does abnormal motion of the feet cause pain in the knees?
When the feet roll in too far during walking and running, the knees turn in towards the centre of the body (the knees move towards each other).
This is known as a valgus stress. Increased pressure on the inner aspect of the knee may be sufficient to cause a mild sprain to the ligament supporting the knee in this area.
Between the bones of the knee is a cushioning structure called the meniscus.
The meniscus on the outer aspect of the knee may also become irritated or damaged due to the valgus stress, which causes an uneven opening and closing of the knee joint.
A muscle imbalance is created between two of the major muscles around the knee, called Vastus medialis and Vastus lateralis.
The imbalance causes the inner muscles (Vastus medialis) to work harder to do its normal job and through this it may become strained.
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