Whether or not you agree with me on this post is okay - you're entitled to your own opinion. But the notion that knee valgus is always bad MUST be put to rest and here's why! . Yes, knee valgus is one of the more common positions of an ACL injury and during early rehab for an ACL, it's probably best to avoid a valgus position and teach your patient "ideal" lower extremity alignment. But once they're out of early rehab and in a more strength and conditioning focused program, teaching the patient to CONTROL knee valgus is an absolute MUST. It is a position that they will undoubtedly find themselves in during competition, no matter how well-trained they are in their cutting mechanics. Therefore, it is imperative to teach them to get IN and OUT of a knee valgus position with CONTROL. . While there are tons of ways to train this, some of my favorite exercises are curtsey lunges and transverse step up/downs. . The curtsey lunge involves dynamically coming in and out of hip internal rotation and adduction. Learning to control the pelvic drop on top of the femur during the curtsey lunge is something that is imperative for advanced athletic movements. . The transverse step up should start with pure hip rotation and minimize any transverse loads on the knee. Similar to the curtsey lunge, we are controlling the pelvis on top of the femur. I believe you can load this pattern, but when it comes to actually encouraging valgus in the step down, I believe this should only be done UNLOADED. . Teach your patient proper lower extremity alignment and cutting tasks, but also teach them how to move in and out of valgus as it's a position they will 100% find themselves in during competition. Your job as a rehab specialist is to prepare the athlete for ANY demands they might find themselves in on the field.
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