Assisted passive extensions

In this example, the assistant places a rolled-up towel under the knee and then helps to straighten the leg to increase extension.

The importance of regaining knee extension

The last few degrees of extension are important in allowing the knee to lock back when standing still in a relaxed position.

This puts less strain on the trunk and lower back.

• Quote from peer-reviewed paper:

  "....When the knee joint is extended, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments get tangled and tightened if the tibia is rotated externally with respect to the femur (screw-home movement). Consequently, the knee joint becomes locked in a position; the tibia becoming more stable as compared to the femur. Therefore, the screw-home movement stabilizes the knee joint in the extended position...."

  Citation: Kim HY, Kim KJ, Yang DS, Jeung SW, Choi HG, Choy WS. Screw-Home Movement of the Tibiofemoral Joint during Normal Gait: Three-Dimensional Analysis. Clin Orthop Surg. 2015 Sep;7(3):303-9. doi: 10.4055/cios.2015.7.3.303. Epub 2015 Aug 13. PMID: 26330951; PMCID: PMC4553277.

• Quote from peer-reviewed paper:

  "....unilateral knee extension restriction changed trunk alignment and increased the mechanical load of the lumbar region during walking [and]....the mechanical load became more pronounced as the angle of knee restriction increased...."

  Citation: Nakatsuji S, Kawada M, Takeshita Y, Matsuzawa Y, Hata K, Araki S, Kiyama R. Effect of Unilateral Knee Extension Restriction on the Lumbar Region during Gait. J Healthc Eng. 2022 Aug 22;2022:1151753. doi: 10.1155/2022/1151753. PMID: 36046010; PMCID: PMC9424019.

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