Having an asymmetry in your femur is a real pain – literally. As someone who has dealt with discomfort and pain from this exact issue, I can say that the exercise I’m about to teach you is a game-changer. Because it targets and strengthens specific muscles, it helps correct the angle of your thigh bone and fix your knee position.
When your kneecap is facing a different direction than your ankle or hip, it can significantly impact your standing and walking. This dysfunction is called a femur disparity and can ripple throughout the entire body, including your ankle, knee, hip, and more. Remember, the body is a kinetic chain, and any asymmetries throw the whole system out of balance! Here is an image of a femur disparity where you can see the right knee cap turning in compared to the right hip, the right ankle, and even compared to the left knee.
This fantastic exercise is called the Side Lying Runner. What’s amazing about this exercise is that the floor is utilized as resistance to help you engage the muscles that are weak and pull your knee out of alignment.
While this exercise may seem challenging at first, watch the video for a demonstration, and I’m also adding detailed instructions below.
Give it a try and let me know how it feels for you!
- Lie on your side with a pillow supporting your head.
- Your bottom leg should have the knee directly below the hip with the knee bent at a 90-degree angle and the foot flexed behind you.
- Your top leg should have the hip at a 90-degree angle, the knee at a 90-degree angle, and the foot flexed, and that leg can be resting on top of a couple of yoga blocks.
- Now use the glute and hamstring on the bottom leg to slightly push that leg backward, engaging your glutes and hamstrings. The key is to make sure that both the heel and the pinky side of the foot are pushing into the ground at the same time (that’s the hard part).
- Again, it’s IMPORTANT to make sure the heel and the pinky side of the foot are pushing into the ground and that leg is slightly pushing backward.
- Hold this position for one to three minutes.
