What is vastus medialis oblique

The ideal position of the patella is somewhat centered in the groove which reduces the amount of compressive and sheer forces on the patella and groove. The patella moves up and down in the groove during knee flexion and extension and the vasti muscles quadriceps in thigh are thought to help control the patella motion. The VMO was thought to be the primary controlling dynamic force from the medial side of the patella, but some studies indicate that there are numerous variables that can affect the tracking of the patella.

The VMO is most active in the last 20 degrees of knee extension. If this occurs repeatedly the groove or the patella begins to experience damage to the articular cartilage. The lining within the joint, synovial lining, becomes inflamed and the knee begins to hurt. Recent studies indicate that the VMO and vasti muscles play a role in controlling the patella and the way it moves within the groove.

In the study the non-symptomatic test subjects experienced more lateral tracking of their patella at 15 degrees of knee flexion than symptomatic test subjects experienced at the same flexion angle. The lateral tracking of both groups is indicative of a non-functioning VMO. I highly recommend seeking a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist to develop your initial exercise program, so that you are performing adequate and appropriate strength exercises tailored to your needs.

Regards, Patrick. Thank you Patrick for your comments. I train for Spartan races by running both on both flat and mountain terrain between 5 and 15 miles. I build up week by week to attain the longer distances. On occasion I get a pain in my VMO.

It may occur on one side at a time or in both. The pain does not feel like a cramp as I have experienced in my calves or feet pain and locking up.

It seems to happen if I extend my self to far when I add miles on my run compared to previous distances. My question is it simply muscle fatigue? Why do my other muscles not experience this issue? I have not had any knee issues so I do not believe that is an underlying issue?

If it is not fatigue is there something else it could be? I will start performing your exercises listed above. Thanks again. Hi Todd, Thank you for your comment. Anterior knee pain is unfortunately a common symptom experienced in casual and experienced runners. From your detailed explanation, there are 3 things that may be influencing your knee pain. Strengthening exercises will assist with improving running efficiency and muscular performance.

A minimum of weeks of resistance based exercise is required to achieve this performance goal. You can perform these exercises as an adjunct, concurrently with your running training. The change of gradient has a significant impact on muscular usage. An article in shows that both incline and decline gradients have a significant increase in Quadriceps muscular activity. Similar to the reason above, I believe a strengthening program of the lower limb will assist with this.

Finally, an alternative cause of your symptoms may be the patellofemoral joint Kneecap and Femur. The patellofemoral joint pain is the most common cause of anterior knee pain, particularly in runners.

Therefore a thorough knee assessment is often required to assess the root cause of the issue. Hoping this helps with your question Todd, by the sounds of things you are going about your goal of Spartan Running the right way, being consistent with gradual progressive loading. Lower limb strengthening will provide you with improved running efficiency and performance, although I recommend that you consider the whole leg with your strength program.

Also some additional reading from Physio Campbell, where he discusses lower limb strength exercises — with examples of exercises, over a 3 part series. If you are a Sydney Local, you should pop into one of our 4 CBD clinics for an assessment of your knee pain, so that we can keep you achieving your goals painfree.

Start with a low step to ensure comfort in the knee joint. You can always progress to a higher step, as shown, when you feel more comfortable and your muscles get stronger. As with the previous exercise, this move will strengthen both knees at the same time. You can perform this exercise at home with a chair and a resistance band or on a leg extension machine.

This exercise takes the first exercise, the floor extension, to the next level, with added weight. Most people experience knee pain at some point in their lives. Strengthening the muscles and ligaments around your knees can help stabilize and protect your knee. The telltale symptoms of sciatic nerve pain are severe pain in your back, buttocks, and legs.

Pelvic floor exercises are important, no matter your gender Here's the most recent research and…. Whether you're a trail runner or sprinter, the right pair of running shorts goes a long way in keeping you comfortable and protected. See the 10…. Strengthening this muscle is particularly important for knee rehabilitation as it helps control the position of the patella kneecap. The vastus medialis obliquie muscle VMO is important for keeping the kneecap tracking correctly.

This means it stabilizes the patella as it moves. In healthy, pain-free individuals the fibers of the VMO are active throughout the range of movement. In patients with patellofemoral knee pain or chondromalacia patella, the muscle fibres contract in phases inconsistently.

As a result, they also fatigue easily. The specific role of the VMO is to stabilise the patella within the patella groove and to control the tracking of the patella when the knee is both bent and straight.

Mis-firing and weaknesses in the VMO cause mal-tracking of the patella and subsequent damage to surrounding structures and aching pain. First, you must ensure that your VMO is contracting properly. Long-term injuries such as Patellofemoral knee pain are often caused by VMO malfunction. To check the contraction of VMO, sit with your legs out in front and a rolled up towel under the injured knee. Put your fingers over the area of VMO muscle on the inside of the thigh and contract the muscle.

The knee should push down into the towel and the leg straightens so that the foot lifts off the couch. If the muscle does not contract, continue to practice whilst pressing down gently on the muscle and concentrate on contracting the muscle fibers underneath your fingers. If your patella is not tracking properly, or if you have pain when trying to perform VMO exercises then taping your patella can help. Tape is applied to the patella with support strips pulling it away from painful areas.

This may enable you to perform strengthening exercises without pain. Sit on a chair, or the floor and place your hand on your VMO muscle to palpate feel it contracting.