Ankle Mobility Influences Knee Pain
The Kinetic Chain
When the ankle lacks mobility or control, the kinetic chain is disrupted. The thigh muscles are forced to work harder to stabilise the knee, often pulling excessively on the kneecap (patellar) tendon to manage movement. Over time, this increased demand leads to overuse, irritation, and pain.
Pain at the front of the knee, just below the kneecap, is a very common complaint, particularly during repetitive knee-bending activities such as cycling or going downstairs. It is typically sharp or achy and clearly localised to that area.
While avoiding painful activities is sensible, complete rest is rarely the solution. Light, well-chosen movement supports tissue healing and load tolerance. Addressing the ankle–knee relationship is essential. In cases of patellar tendinopathy, slow eccentric strengthening remains the most effective approach. Eccentric work involves loading the muscle–tendon unit as it lengthens, building resilience rather than simply chasing strength.
In this context, patellar tendinopathy is rarely the result of a single incident. It is almost always the cumulative outcome of a habitual activity: a movement pattern repeated thousands of times, where the ankle–knee–tendon chain was slightly misaligned, slightly overworked, and never given the right conditions to recover.
The angle of the ankle directly affects the knee. This becomes especially noticeable when the ankle overreaches during activities such as cycling, or when walking downhill or descending stairs.
This relationship sits within the lower-limb kinetic chain, where movement at one joint shapes the forces and angles at the next. The ankle acts as a key coordination point: its position determines how ground or step reaction forces travel up the leg. At the knee, this can be the difference between forces being distributed efficiently or concentrated into localised stress on structures such as the kneecap.
Nor is age the culprit.
To attribute this pain to “getting older” is to mistake a solvable mechanical problem for an inevitable decline. The ankle can be mobilised. The saddle can be lowered. The tendon can be strengthened. These are not acts of defiance against age. They are acts of intelligence, applied to a body that remains capable of adaptation and change.
Endnote
If you cycle, check your saddle height. It is often set too high, or there may be a habitual tendency to point the toes.
When walking downhill or downstairs, the mechanics are usually the opposite of cycling, but the solution is the same.
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