Walking backward: the secret to fixing knee pain?

We runners only ever practise moving in one direction: forward. And, as with anything done repeatedly, this can lead to muscular imbalances and injuries. The next time you’re hitting the treadmill, slow it down, crank up the incline and turn to face the rear, to show your knees some love. Walking backward on an incline has been shown to improve knee extension, strengthen the quadricep muscles and overall reduce knee pain.

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What is runner’s knee?

Runners often struggle with patellofemoral pain syndrome, a.k.a. runner’s knee, which refers to pain around the kneecap, which is sometimes accompanied by grinding or clicking noises during knee flexion or extension. Runner’s knee can be caused by patella misalignment, over-training or tight or weak muscles around the knee.

Benefits of backward walking

Increased quad strength: your quads will be engaged throughout the full movement, but will be working the hardest during terminal knee extension (the point where your trailing leg is fully extended, pushing off the ground). Just like running up a hill, the incline will increase the difficulty of the exercise and will determine the intensity at which your quads are working.

Improved knee extension: during forward walking, your body isn’t working hard to achieve terminal knee extension–it just happens during the natural stride pattern with momentum. Strengthening your quads by focusing on achieving this terminal knee extension will improve your knee range of motion.

Engaged glute stabilizers: in the hinged position, the glute of your planted leg will fire with each step to stabilize and support the movement.

Great for rehab: some exercises for improving knee extension, such as the leg extension machine, can put a lot of stress on the knee. Since backward walking is a closed chain movement (your feet are grounded), it’s much more controlled and stable, making it ideal for rehabbing an injury.

How to do it:

1. Set the treadmill to an incline of five and an easy walking speed of 3 km/h. Face backward, away from the control panel.
2. Hold onto the hand rails for support.
3. Lead with your glutes by hingeing forward at your hips and engage your core.
4. Use a toe-to-heel walking pattern, and power through your trailing leg as it straightens out to push off the ground.
5. To increase the difficulty of the movement, increase the treadmill’s incline.