When the back of our knees hurt, many of us blame it on tight hamstrings or cranky calves. But what if there was another muscle that could be playing a role?
As it turns out, there’s a powerful little muscle behind your knee called the popliteus — and if you’re like most people, you might’ve had no idea that it existed until it started flaring up. The good news is that when paired with rest and a home care routine, gentle massage to (and around) this busy muscle may help bring some relief.
Below, learn about massage for back-of-knee pain, including the dos, don’ts, and easy techniques to add to your self-care regimen.
What Is the Popliteus Muscle?
The popliteus is a small, deep muscle that starts from your inner calf, wraps upward across the back of the knee, and stretches to the outside of the joint. It’s not a muscle that most people think about often — or even know they have. But it plays a crucial role in the unlocking and rotation of your knees.
Because of this, it’s a main muscle that powers your “gait cycle” — or how your legs and knees move when you walk. It’s also found in an area called the popliteal fossa, which is home to several other important structures. These include the:
- Popliteal artery, an extension of the femoral artery
- Popliteal vein, a smaller vein near the popliteal artery
- Tibial and common fibular nerves — two branches of the sciatic nerve
Causes of Behind-the-Knee/Popliteus Pain
If you’ve been dealing with nagging pain behind your knee lately, here are some factors that could be contributing to it:
Overuse
The popliteus contracts when you lift your leg behind you, and it extends as your knee straightens forward. This means that when you run or sprint, it can absorb a lot of shock — especially if you tend to overextend your leg during forward strides.
Over time, this can manifest as overuse pain, which might feel like a stiff, dull ache in the back or sides of the knee. This type of pain also tends to flare up more when you climb stairs or walk uphill.
In more serious cases, overuse (or trauma to the knee) can lead to a popliteus strain, which involves tears in the muscle fibers. These injuries can range from mild (grade 1) to serious (grade 3) and are more likely to impact athletes — especially those who’ve had a knee injury in the past.
Muscle Imbalances or Weaknesses
Even though it might not seem connected, weakness or tightness in other leg muscles can also contribute to back-of-knee pain.
For example, the hamstrings are notorious for being tense — and if they’re too tight, they can “pull” the knee joint slightly out of alignment, straining the popliteus as a result. At the same time, when there’s weakness in the glutes, hamstrings, or calves, the popliteus often has to work harder to compensate, leading to overuse and soreness in the process.
Certain Health Conditions
When you have a mysterious case of behind-the-knee pain, muscle imbalances and overuse aren’t the only causes to be mindful of. While the source often is muscle-related, more serious cases can also involve a nerve, joint, or even a circulation issue.
With that in mind, here are some health conditions that might mimic popliteus muscle pain:
- Arthritis or age-related wear and tear
- Injuries, like a ligament sprain or meniscus tear
- Sciatica, which can cause traveling nerve pain down through the back of the legs
- A baker’s cyst
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a medical emergency involving a blood clot in the leg
With that said, be sure to check with a doctor if your back-of-knee pain is sudden, severe, or comes with other symptoms — such as significant swelling, numbness, or tingling.
How Can Massage Help Popliteus Pain?
When it comes to simple muscle aches and tightness, massage can bring some surprising benefits to a sore popliteus.
Gentle, circular motions up the leg toward the heart can warm up the muscle tissue, with certain techniques like friction massage supporting circulation and healing. At the same time, it can break up tension in key leg muscles — like the hamstrings and calves — all while relieving tightness in the popliteus muscle itself.
By stimulating the muscle tissue and nerve receptors, it can also help relieve pain, relax the muscles, and promote a soothing boost of endorphins. And combined, these benefits can make it a helpful remedy for behind-the-knee pain — whether you use it for short-term relief, or as a long-term complementary tool to support your leg muscle health.
Safety Tips To Keep In Mind
While back-of-knee pain is often a case of simple overuse, there are times when massaging the area may not be safe, like when you have a cyst, nerve compression, or other health issues.
If you’re wanting to self-massage away popliteus pain, here are a few tips to remember before starting:
- Get the OK from your doctor first, especially if you have any health conditions, knee pain that is severe, or any symptoms of (or history of) blood clots.
- Avoid massage if the area looks inflamed, swollen, or red, or feels hot to the touch. These can suggest active inflammation or a more serious health issue — in which case, it’s best to hold off on massage for now.
- Start with light, soothing pressure, and gradually work with deeper pressure as needed. This can help you better protect the deep, crowded, and delicate structures at the back of the knee.
- Opt for gentle hands-on pressure and avoid high-powered massage tools (such as massage guns) directly on the back of the knee.
- Stop massage if you notice any tingling, numbness, or traveling pain when applying pressure, as this could signal an underlying nerve condition.
Massage Techniques for Back-of-Knee Pain: 5 Ways
Whether you’re a runner wanting to warm up your popliteus before you hit the trails — or simply need some behind-the-knee pain relief — here are a few soothing massage techniques that could help:
Effleurage
Before working deeply into any muscle, a few minutes of effleurage can help encourage blood flow and loosen up the tissue. Effleurage is a Swedish massage technique that involves light, circular motions — perfect for warming up delicate areas like the knee. Simply:
- Sit in a relaxed position that allows you to easily reach your knee.
- With both hands, begin to massage in gentle circular motions all around the knee. Start at the front of the knee, massage down toward the calf, and sweep back up toward the popliteus. (You can even include the lower hamstrings if it feels good to you.)
- Repeat for 1–2 minutes.
Cross-Fiber Massage
If you have knots or trigger points that you think may be impacting your knee, massaging across the fibers might help loosen things up. This technique is sometimes used by physical therapists to break up adhesions in dense muscle tissue — and in many cases, it can help soothe a tense popliteus. Here’s how:
- Sit down, relaxing your knees over the edge of a chair or couch.
- Reach behind the knee and gently feel around to find your popliteus. You might notice that it feels tender or achy in a certain spot.
- Use your fingers to massage gently in diagonal vertical motions – starting at the inside of the muscle and working your way toward the outer knee. (The popliteus muscle fibers wrap across the knee at a horizontal, slightly upward angle — so outward up and down motions can help you work across these fibers.)
- After a few seconds, take note of how the massage feels. If it feels soothing to you, you can continue for 2–3 minutes more.
Calf Self-Massage
As covered earlier, tightness in surrounding leg muscles can throw off your knee’s stability and alignment, putting more stress on your popliteus as a result.
While it can be tough to target your quads or hamstrings with just your hands, a simple manual calf massage is an easier option – and it can often make a surprisingly positive difference in behind-the-knee discomfort. To try it:
- Sit comfortably in a loose criss-cross applesauce style position. (Your legs don’t have to be tucked to your body here; just bent in slightly so that you can reach your calf.)
- Use your thumb and pointer finger to lightly press into the muscle tissue on both sides of your Achilles tendon.
- With moderate pressure, begin to massage up the calf with short, circular strokes.
- If you notice a tense area or knot, pause and keep the pressure there for an extra few seconds to help it release.
- Continue to work your way to the top of the calf. As you reach the larger muscles, you can start massaging in bigger circular motions. (As an optional step, you can flex your foot upward to work more deeply into the tissue.)
- Repeat for 5–10 minutes.
Foam Rolling
Foam rolling is a manual technique that involves using steady pressure to break up tension in the muscles and fascia. It’s slow, focused, and can be as gentle (or deep) as you need it to be — meaning it can be a good option for muscles like the calves, hamstrings, and popliteus.
If you have a foam roller on hand, here’s one simple movement to try:
- Find a comfortable space to sit with your legs extended, and place your foam roller horizontally under the back of your knee.
- Take a deep breath in, brace your core, and use your hands to lift your body off the ground. Right away, you might notice the gentle pressure starting to break up the tension.
- Optionally, you can roll back and forth with short, mindful motions. The popliteus is a delicate muscle — and it tends to get really tender if it’s tight. So, be gentle as you roll.
- Roll for a total of 1–2 minutes.
Popliteus Release With a Massage Ball
When it comes to popliteus self-massage, a massage ball can essentially act as a “mini” roller — making it the perfect tool for quick relief at home, at the gym, or on the go. To try it:
- Grab your massage ball of choice. (A tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or spiky massage ball are all great options.)
- Sit on the ground with your legs extended, and place the ball under your popliteus muscle.
- Raise yourself slightly, and gently roll around the muscle for 20–30 seconds.
Can You Use a Massage Gun Behind the Knee?
The short answer is no — you don’t want to use massage guns (or most other electric massage tools) directly behind your knee. While they can be great for larger muscle groups like the hamstrings or quads, the popliteal fossa is delicate; there are numerous sensitive structures in the area including an artery, ligaments, and multiple nerve branches that travel down the leg.
So, in the interest of staying safe, it’s not recommended to use massagers in this area directly.
Instead, if you want to use an electric tool, it’s best to focus on muscle groups around the knee, like the hamstrings, quads, or calves. This way, you’re still able to break up tension and pain, while also protecting the nerves, ligaments, and veins near the popliteus itself.
Self-Massage Tips for Deeper Relief
To get deeper relief from popliteus self-massage, here are a few tips to remember as you go:
- Start with heat. Applying a warm compress for a few seconds can help boost blood flow and relax your muscles before you get to work.
- Focus on muscle tissue, and avoid putting too much pressure on areas that are especially bony or delicate.
- Don’t forget about your other leg muscles. Spending a little time on your gastrocnemius and soleus (calf muscles), as well as the hamstrings and quads, can often help indirectly soothe knee pain.
- Breathe and stay mindful as you go, paying attention to how your body responds to different techniques and pressure levels.
Movements for a Stronger, Healthier Popliteus
If you’re like most people, you may not have realized that the popliteus muscle even existed until it started causing you trouble. The good news is that once it’s had some time to heal, adding the right stretching and strengthening movements to your routine can help it feel and function better in the long run.
Two movements worth considering include:
Standing Block Popliteus Stretch
The standing popliteus stretch offers a quick, easy way to combat the tension that often builds up in this little muscle. All you’ll need is a small block (like a yoga block) to get started. Then:
- Step forward with your affected leg, and place the ball of your foot on the yoga block.
- Step back with your opposite leg.
- Flex your foot so that your toes lift up off the block.
- Rotate your foot outward until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of the knee. Hold for 3–5 seconds.
- Bring your foot back to the block.
- Then, place your hands on your hips, and slowly tilt your body forward to feel a deep, relaxing stretch in the popliteus. Hold for a few seconds more.
Standing Internal Tibial Rotation
The next step beyond mobilizing the popliteus is strengthening it, and the standing internal tibial rotation is one simple exercise that can help you do just that. Here’s how it works:
- Stand next to a sturdy wall, and place your hand on it for support.
- Bend your knee and lift your affected leg out behind you.
- As you lift your back foot, slowly rotate it internally past your opposite leg. You should feel the popliteus activate here.
- Repeat for two sets of 8–10 reps.
The Takeaway on Popliteus Massage
The popliteus probably isn’t a muscle you think about often, but it certainly makes itself known when it’s strained or tight. Luckily, gentle manual massage techniques can often help — bringing benefits like soothing tension, easing pain, and even promoting better mobility.
With that said, it’s important to check with your doctor if you’re not sure what’s causing your behind-the-knee pain. They can help you rule out any serious causes, like cysts, nerve issues, or blood clots.
Once you know it’s safe, you can try gentle massage techniques like cross fiber, foam (or ball) rolling, or effleurage to soothe the popliteus directly. And if you want to focus on the larger muscle groups surrounding the knee, certain home tools can make the process easier.
Pick up the MedMassager Body Massager Plus to get started with restorative home massage today, or learn more about how it works.
