Soft Tissue Treatment of the Popliteus
Joe Heiler at Sports Rehab Expert asked me if I could do a short video on soft tissue treatment of the popliteus. The popliteus is an often overlooked muscle in soft tissue therapy, so I thought it would be a great idea.
Anatomy
The popliteus attaches onto the lateral condyle of the femur and partially into the lateral meniscus, the belly of the muscle passes along the back of the knee, crossing the popliteal fossa, and attaches onto the medial one third of the proximal tibia.
The popliteus is an accessory muscle to knee flexion and helps to rotate the knee medially in the open chain and laterally in the closed chain (when the tibia is fixed).
Indications for treatment
You may want to consider treating the popliteus when the client is experiencing pain in the back of the knee during movement, when tibio-femoral rotation is compromised, or if there is a loss of flexion at the knee.
Precautions
The popliteal fossa contains many neurovascular structures that pass down into the lower leg and foot. For that reason, the belly of the muscle will be difficult to palpate and treat, so it is advised that you focus your treatment on the attachments of this muscle to influence it.
Patrick
patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com
16 comments
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great tutorial, thanks Patrick
Any good resources on etiology of strains to the popliteus? I have only a few articles and some mention in books, what are your thoughts Patrick?
I can’t say that I have any resources on the etiology of popliteus strains. I would welcome anything that you can find though.
patrick
Nice Vid man!!!
i am having difficulties in extension and flexion on my knee in 4th months after my ACL surgery. I was kind a feel theres something on back of the knee and a little bit medial side of tibia bone, blocking the knee to extending and flexing. My PT cant figure out what is it…until i found your vid on youtube. I tried the massage and it works like magic!!!
I have question though, is it necessary to do the treatment on the trigger point? cause i have hard time to find it and your vid kind of unclearly point the position
Thank you.
No, you don’t need to find the ‘trigger point’. I don’t think I even mentioned the word trigger point in that video. It isn’t something that you need to look for or find in this case.
Patrick
thank you. any suggestions on self massage to resolve this?
Julie,
As far as self massage, I can’t really think of an easy way to get back there on your own?
patrick
Dear Patric,
I expirince sharp pain bhind the knee whe I go up and down stairs
I was diagnosed with hamstring strain but I feel it more at back of the
Knee. It has been 5 weeks and in physco therapy but they only treating
The hamstring. Any advise?
Thanks,
Judy
My advice would be to find another physio.
patrick
Hi Patrick!
Any suggestions or can you point towards some things to keep the pop from acting up?
Have you looked at your training program to see why this may be a potential problem?
patrick
Is it normal for a popliteus injury to cause extreme swelling of the knee? This happened twice and it took a few weeks each time to heal. How long does it take for this muscle to heal on its own? The MRI showed a cyst as well near the muscle. Should I ask my massage therapist to work it, or would that cause more harm if it isn’t fully healed?
Sandy,
This can happen with a bakers cyst sometimes although you can also have swelling at the knee for various reasons. I would seek medical consultation.
patrick
I’ve been having what I thought was ITBS; however, my popliteal muscle is constantly tight and sore. When I do a figure four with my leg (flamingo pose), I have pain and it’s very tight. My doctors, PT, etc. dismiss the popliteal as a contributing factor to my ITBS; however, could it be the cause of my lateral knee pain when I run? MRI showed no tears in anything but did show a massive baker’s cyst. Any advice would be great.
Rhonda,
There is no real advice I could provide you with through the internet. Your best bet is to find a qualified professional in your area who can put you through the appropriate testing to determine a course of action.
patrick
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