THE POPLITEUS MUSCLE
[Knee-pain 🗝 muscle]

The popliteus is a fairly small muscle located behind the knee. It runs from the lateral side of the femur (lateral meniscus/joint capsule) to the medial side of the tibia, lying deep beneath the calf muscle. Its role is to unlock the knee just after the heel touches the ground when you are walking or running. It also has an important role when running downhill as it assists the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in decelerating the femur and preventing its sliding forward on the tibia.

Because of its role in assisting the PCL on downhills, runners can start developing symptoms after an abnormally long hill-training session. People with unstable knees (torn ligaments, torn meniscus, arthritis…) are also prone to develop a popliteus problem because of its important role in stabilizing the knee.

Working with prof. athletes, in my case tennis players, who are changing surfaces a lot, the popliteus is a very important structure to look at especially if the athlete suddenly suffers from knee problems after starting to train on a different surface!

The popliteus muscle is kind of a 🗝 muscle, if there are any irritations inside or outside the knee happening the popliteus usually reacts with tightness and trigger points which can lead to pain of the knee.

Popliteus muscle problems remain under-diagnosed to this day, meaning that a lot of runners suffer from it without knowing. Its small role in gait function and its deep location make it unsuspected and underestimated by a lot of health professionals. Also its symptoms are strangely very similar to those of a torn collateral ligament, a torn meniscus or a Patellofemoral Syndrome. So if you have been experiencing knee pain and it does not seem to heal, ask your health professional about the popliteus.

Popliteus muscle problems simply appear as tendonitis, muscle tightness or trigger points so it should be treated the same way meaning anti-inflammatory- and physio treatment. Especially with fascial and trigger point treatments I experienced very good results! Popliteus muscle problems are fairly easy to treat and respond well to treatment, so keep your 👀 open! (hier: Würzburg)
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