Knee Pain Assessment Process for Personal Trainers

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Most knee pain stories sound the same: a new running plan, a few hard workouts, and then an ache that won’t leave. We take that familiar frustration and turn it into a practical roadmap. Starting with a clear scope—what coaches can do and when to refer out—we break down the anatomy that actually drives decisions, the screens that reveal load bottlenecks, and the progressions that build resilient knees.

We lean into a joint-by-joint approach: verify ankle mobility so the knee doesn’t become a substitute hinge, then probe hip rotation and control with the 90-90 position. From there, we show how calf capacity underpins every step—most people aren’t near twenty-five single-leg calf raises—and why the frontal plane is a silent deal-maker for runners and lifters. Expect actionable strength work like side planks with abduction, standing abductions, seated and standing calf raises, and carefully dosed plyometrics once tissue tolerance is ready.

Soft tissue isn’t a fix, but it is a useful window. We explain how targeted work on the adductors and surrounding tissues can calm sensitivity so better movement sticks. We also demystify scary imaging, remind you that MRIs find “something” in almost everyone, and focus on what changes pain: load management, smart progression, and consistent retesting. The thread through all of it is collaboration—building a dependable relationship with a physical therapist, documenting assessments, and using simple benchmarks to show progress your clients can feel and see.

If you coach people who run, squat, lunge, or just want to move without wincing, you’ll walk away with a simple, repeatable system: assess, address, load, retest, and refer when in doubt. Subscribe for more coach-first education, share this with a trainer who needs a clear plan, and leave a review to tell us the biggest knee question you want answered next.

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