Knee pain is more than just the Knees.

Your Knee Pain Might Not Be About Your Knees at All

I read a recent article from the BBC titled “How to Futureproof Your Knees” (Sept 26, 2025). It offers solid, science-backed advice on keeping your knees strong and healthy as you age. It talks about building strength, improving mobility, and avoiding overuse — all important factors.

But there’s something missing from the conversation. Something many people — even seasoned athletes and clinicians — often overlook:

Knee pain is often a symptom, not the root issue. And more often than not, the real problem starts higher up — in the hips.

The Hidden Link: Hip Dysfunction and Knee Pain

The body moves as a chain. When one link in that chain isn't functioning properly, the stress gets passed along to the next one. And in the case of the lower body, the knees often end up absorbing that extra load.

Here’s a common example:

• Your glutes aren’t firing effectively (often from too much sitting or poor motor control).

• Your TFL, quads, or adductors step in to do the work instead.

• This altered movement shifts how your leg moves and loads — especially during walking, squatting, or running.

• The knee becomes the victim, dealing with forces it wasn’t designed to handle.

This isn’t just theory. Research backs it up:

• Weak hip muscles are linked to knee valgus (inward collapse of the knee), a risk factor for ACL injuries and patellofemoral pain.

• Runners with knee pain often show poor hip stability and altered hip movement patterns.

• In rehab settings, addressing hip strength and function frequently reduces knee symptoms — even without directly treating the knee.

• What We Miss When We Only Treat the Knee

The BBC article rightly emphasizes exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee — quads, hamstrings, calves — and ways to build joint resilience over time.

But if you’re only looking at the knee itself, you might be missing the full picture.

Let’s put it simply:

The knee is a middle manager — it takes orders from above (hip) and below (foot). If the hips aren't doing their job, the knee gets stuck cleaning up the mess.

NKT finds the root cause of your knee pain.

How NKT Helps Reveal the Real Problem

This is where NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT) becomes helpful. Rather than focusing just on symptoms, NKT helps uncover the compensation patterns behind them.

It asks:

• Which muscles are doing too much?

• Which ones aren’t doing enough?

• What movement habits are throwing off your balance and mechanics?

By testing how your brain organizes movement, NKT can often pinpoint where your system is out of sync. And quite often, a "knee issue" turns out to be a hip, core, or even ankle problem in disguise.

The key idea is simple:

Look beyond the pain. Follow the pattern. Fix the source.

Takeaway: Train the Chain, Not Just the Joint

If you want long-term knee health — whether you’re a runner, hiker, lifter, or just want to stay active into your later years — don’t fall into the trap of treating the knee in isolation.

Here’s a better approach:

• Here at BodyMoxie we check more than just the source of the pan. Can your glutes fire properly? Can you stabilize on one leg without your knee collapsing in?

• Train your movement patterns. Don’t just build strength — build coordination and timing between hips, knees, and ankles.

• Pay attention to posture and habits. Sitting all day, standing on one hip, or walking with poor gait all contribute to imbalance.

  
  

Final Thoughts

Your knees will thank you for every bit of strength and mobility you build — but don’t forget to look above (and below) the pain. In many cases, the key to solving chronic knee issues is unlocking better function in your hips.

The pain might be at your knee. But the story usually starts somewhere else.