Should Your Knees Go Over Your Toes? What 40 Years of Bad Advice Looks Like
- Mendelssohn Angelo Casanas
- May 6
- 4 min read
About the Author: Hannah Breal, PT, DPT is the co-owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy in Charleston and Charlotte. She helps athletes and active adults rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence so they can move pain-free for life.
Made 2 Move Physical Therapy – Charleston | Daniel Island | Mount Pleasant | Charlotte
"My trainer told me to never let my knee go past my toe in squats or lunges."
One of my patients said that to me last week.
He's had knee issues for YEARS. I'm talking like, 40 years.
He says he's just always felt insecure about his knees.
I was having him go through some movements to assess his knee function, and he goes, "when I was 20, my trainer told me to never let my knee go over my toe in squats or lunges. What do you think about that?"
WOOF.
This is one of the most common things people with knee pain have been told.
And I actually think it's WHY a lot of people stay stuck with pain for years.
Why This Advice Backfires
If you're told to not let your knee go over your toe, you're probably going to avoid doing it.
When you avoid doing it for so long, your body gets worse at it.
When your body gets worse at it, you avoid it even more.
And sometimes that can even lead to pain especially if you're involved in a sport or activity that puts stress on your knees like cycling which is what he does
If you avoid that position in training, your body never has to adapt or handle the load there.
Over time, the quad, patellar tendon, and patellofemoral joint become less tolerant of stress in that position.
Which turns into a frustrating cycle:
Avoid the position because you've been told it's bad - get weaker and less capable - become more sensitive to it avoid it even more
And then you wonder why you feel weak, nervous, and unstable on one leg, bending your knee, or running around playing with your kids which is what he was struggling the most with
Swearing off certain movements and positions long term is one of the worst things you can do.
Trust me, I know it feels like it's safer, but it leads to more problems down the road.
What to Do Instead
Instead of avoiding the position, we need to gradually build your capacity in it and prepare your knees for the demands of your sport, workouts, and life.
Allowing your knees to move past your toes is safe and beneficial for strengthening your quads and improving your knee longevity.
But here's the key:
We have to gradually and progressively challenge your knees, slowly over time, so they actually adapt positively.
Translation?
You can't go from 40 years of avoiding knees-over-toes to doing weighted heels elevated squats in one day. and you shouldn't. please, don't.
If you haven't been loading your quads or doing any knees over toes exercises, don't start out too hot.
Where to Start: 2 Exercises We Used in This Patient's Session
During this patient's session, we did these 2 movements to start working on it in a controlled way:
1. Wall Sit
Squat down to just ABOVE where you start to feel pain. Some minimal discomfort or pressure is okay, but keep pain to less than a 3-4/10
Adjust foot position or elevate the heels to change the intensity
2. Heel Taps / Forward Step Down
Start on the ground not standing on any surface and let your knee go forward as your opposite foot taps the ground
As this feels better, stand on an elevated surface and progress from there
The Bottom Line
If you want to move with freedom, and without pain or fear, stop avoiding and start preparing.
I'm not saying that everyone needs to do sled pulls, knees over toes split squats, or backwards walking to solve their knee pain, but if you've been told to never let your knee go over your toe and you've been avoiding that position for years.
That might actually be the missing piece in solving your knee pain.
Dealing with knee pain and not sure where to start? Our team at Made 2 Move Physical Therapy works one on one with active adults and athletes across Daniel Island, Downtown Charleston, and Charlotte to build a plan that actually gets you moving again - without fear, without avoidance, and without pain. See how we work or hear from our patients who've been exactly where you are.
If You’re in Charleston, Daniel Island, Charlotte, or Mount Pleasant…
At Made 2 Move Physical Therapy, we help active adults and athletes and recreational athletes get out of pain and keep doing what they love.
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Written by Hannah Breal, PT, DPT, Co-Owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy, helping Charleston and Charlotte move pain-free for life.
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