Prevent Knee Pain When Rowing

Rowing can be fun, and good functional exercise.

To prevent knee pain when rowing any craft or machine that uses foot bracing, foot wells, or other foot counter-force, do not push off the ball of the foot, pictured above.

Keep your heels down. Push off the whole foot, feeling the push-off through the heel. You will feel the more muscular strong push in the thigh and hip muscles, and the effort will shift off the knees. You will also get better stretch for the bottom of the foot, called the fascia.

Prevent knees from sagging or rotating inward.

Keep knees parallel and over the ankles.

• Use the same heel-down push off to prevent knee pain while ascending stairs - Better Exercise on the Stairs
• Keep heels on the floor when doing leg press exercise and half squats for weight lifting and daily bending. Get more leg and hip muscle use and built-in Achilles stretch.
  
• More on rowing, click Fast Fitness - Prevent Back Pain When Rowing

The prayer of the farmer kneeling in his field to weed it, the prayer of the rower
kneeling with the stroke of his oar, are true prayers heard throughout nature.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Drawing of heel-up rowing Backman!™ © copyright Dr. Jolie Bookspan
Photo of bad rowing knees by rileyroxx
Photo of good rowing knees by rileyroxx