How To Do Vastus Medialis Exercises
- VMO Activation. Sit upright in a chair, with your knees bent, ball between your knees and your feet flat on the floor.
- Ball Clench Extensions.
- Twisted Leg Raise.
- Ball Bridges.
- Ball Wall Squats.
- Vastus Medialis Stretch.
Why is my VMO not growing?
The VMO gets weak when it does not activate as much. This tends to happen when there is pain or swelling in the knee. Swelling inside the knee joint capsule can cause the brain to stop normal muscle activation in the quadriceps.
How do I strengthen my VMO muscle?
Seated Isometric VMO and Adduction: Sit on a chair or platform where your feet hang freely. Place a ball between your thighs and squeeze the ball together activating your VMO. Hold your contraction for 10 seconds. Again, feel your VMO to ensure its activation and increase length of contraction as you become stronger.
Can you preferentially train the VMO?
A systematic review we looked at included 20 different studies. The authors concluded that the VMO cannot be preferentially activated and strengthened (Smith et al., 2009). Only 3 of the studies were able to display any preferential VMO activation.
During this attempt to isolate VMO activity, some designated exercises executed include but are not limited to the following:
- Quad sets.
- Terminal open chain knee extension exercises.
- Straight leg raises (SLR) with external rotation of the lower extremity.
What causes a weak VMO?
What Makes the VMO Weak? The VMO gets weak when it does not activate as much. This tends to happen when there is pain or swelling in the knee. Swelling inside the knee joint capsule can cause the brain to stop normal muscle activation in the quadriceps.
How do I check my VMO strength?
To check the contraction of VMO sit with your legs out in front of you and a rolled up towel under the injured knee (the knee should be slightly bent). Put your fingers over the area of VMO as shown in the picture below. Push your knee down into the towel. You will feel the muscle tightening under your fingers.
How do I know if my VMO is weak?
If you’ve ever had a nagging pain on the inside of your knee or a knee that seems to buckle or give way, there is a fair chance you’ve had some dysfunction in the VMO muscle. VMO dysfunction is very common in runners, hikers, cyclists, athletes involved in jumping sports and after any knee injur.
Clenching a squashy ball between your knees as you do vastus medialis exercises really helps to make sure the VMO is switching on.
- VMO Activation.
- Ball Clench Extensions.
- Twisted Leg Raise.
- Ball Bridges.
- Ball Wall Squats.
- Vastus Medialis Stretch.
Why strengthen the VMO?
VMO is short for vastus medialis oblique muscle. It is one of the quadriceps muscles on the inside front of the thigh, just above the knee. Strengthening this muscle is particularly important for knee rehabilitation as it helps control the position of the patella (kneecap).
How do you know if your VMO is weak?
If you’ve ever had a nagging pain on the inside of your knee or a knee that seems to buckle or give way, there is a fair chance you’ve had some dysfunction in the VMO muscle. VMO dysfunction is very common in runners, hikers, cyclists, athletes involved in jumping sports and after any knee injury.
SELF-CARE TIPS:
- apply heat to the VMO muscle 10 minutes each day to increase blood flow and reduce tension.
- if you’re a runner or hiker, avoid the hills (in the short-term)
- ensure your shoes are not overly worn.
Why is VMO so important?
The vastus medialis obliquie muscle (VMO) is important for keeping the kneecap tracking correctly. This means it stabilizes the patella as it moves. In healthy, pain-free individuals the fibers of the VMO are active throughout the range of movement.
When is VMO most active?
The VMO is most active in the final 30 degrees of knee extension. Prophylactic bracing does reduce the frequency of injuries to the joint that is being protected in most instances. The patella is used as a pulley by the vasti musculature to generate force and extend the knee.
15 Best Vastus Medialis Exercises
- Wall Sit With Hip Adduction.
- Squat With Hip Adduction.
- Squat With Externally Rotated Hips.
- Narrow Stance Squats Or Leg Press.
- Heel Elevated Squat.
- 1.25 Squats or Pulse Squats.
- Sumo Deadlift (or Plie Squat) With Dumbbell.
- Leg Press With Externally Rotated Hips.