Beware the irritated rectus femoris

I used to think the psoas was the devil when it came to flawed posture and injuries, but now Im not so sure. Sure, it can be troublesome for a number of reasons, but for those with knee issues Id like to take a closer look at the rectus femoris instead.First off, Im sure youre wondering, How do I know if my rectus is a problem? Try the modified Thomas Test to find out Sit on the edge of a table or counter with your buttocks on the edge. From here, grab one knee and pull it to your chest while laying all the way back with the head and neck relaxed.What youre looking for here is the position of the lower leg in relation to the ground. If your lower leg is perpendicular to the ground, youre fine. However, if your lower leg is not at perpendicular, you have a short or stiff rectus femoris. The gentlemen in the picture below is a great example. Notice how his upper thigh is parallel to the ground, but his lower thigh isnt perpendicular. Id be willing to bet that more than a few of you are going to fail this test miserably So what do you need to do if this is the case? Rather than stretching your one joint hip flexors, you need to focus on your rectus femoris, a two-joint hip flexor that crosses both the hip and the knee. If you failed the test above Its very similar to a regular lunge stretch, but by having your back foot elevated we take your hip into extension and knee into flexion, effectively stretching the rectus femoris from both sides. Focus on staying tall throughout. Coaching cues would include keeping the chest up, posteriorly tilting the pelvis, and squeezing the stretch-side glutes. To get even more bang-for-your-buck, try pairing this stretch with some glute activation work to further restore the balance around your hips.