Good Tai Chi Habits Don’t Create Knee Injuries
- Joseph Eber
- Nov 9
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 28
Knee pain is one of the most common problems in Tai Chi. Many practitioners blame it on age or weak joints, but more often it’s a matter of how we move - especially how the hips and knees interact when the body turns. When the knees turn with the hips, strain is inevitable. In this article, I explain the real cause of knee strain in Tai Chi and how “opening the kuas” allows the hips to turn freely while the knees stay safe and aligned. In addition, releasing the hamstrings is vital in allowing the body’s weight to bypass the knees and sink to the feet.
Recently, a posting on Facebook made the following statement:“Good Tai Chi Habits Don’t Create Knee Injuries.”
It received well over 130 comments. All the comments offered some insight, but only one or two touched on the real reason why so many Tai Chi players have knee problems. Many responses mentioned that the knees must align with the toes. Others stated that the knees should not extend beyond the big toe. A few pointed out that the knees should not bend inward or roll outward.
All of these are true, but there is another key principle that Tai Chi players must understand to truly protect their knees. If this one thing is not done, all the other precautions don’t matter.
The Tai Chi form is a continuous series of movements in which the trunk turns left and right. This turning places a big demand on the knees because when the knees turn with the trunk, injury occurs. In many postures, the feet remain planted while the trunk turns. The knees then face a dilemma: they connect both to the hips and to the feet. So, when the hips turn and the feet do not, should the knees follow the hips, or stay aligned with the toes?
The answer is clear: the knees must stay aligned with the toes because the knee is a hinge joint designed to move forward and backward, not sideways. Unfortunately, most beginners - and even many advanced players - allow the knees to follow the hips, creating a shearing force that leads to strain and injury.
To understand this, take any posture in your form where your trunk turns but your feet stay where they are - an example would be the transition from White Crane Spreads Wings to Brush Knee. If your hips and knees turn together, notice the pressure in your knee. Notice also how your lower back tightens, which cannot be correct. In addition, your rooting disappears because the turning of the knees pulls the legs upward rather than letting them sink.
How, then, can you turn the hips without turning the knees?The answer lies in the kuas—the hip joints. They must loosen, bend, and hollow; in other words, they must open.
To feel this, start by doing it incorrectly. Stand with your kuas relatively straight and turn your hips. Your knees will want to turn with them, and you’ll feel pressure building in the knees. The knees may roll inward or outward, misaligning with the toes. The lower back will tighten, and the ming-men will close.
Now, do it correctly. Go into a horse stance, bend your knees deeply, and flex your hip joints. Then slowly rotate your hips. When the hip joints (kuas) are relaxed and open, the hips will turn while the knees remain stable and aligned with your toes. Furthermore, when the hips open, you naturally sit back more, preventing the knees from extending beyond the toes. Your lower back will relax, and your weight will sink more naturally to the feet. Once you can feel this in a horse stance, you can apply it to any posture.
Another reason for knee injuries is that the body’s weight often gets stuck in the knees. If you feel your weight in your knees, something is wrong. The correct way is to allow the body’s weight to pass through the knees and sink into the feet. To do this, two things must happen: the kuas must open, and the hamstrings must relax and release downward.
To feel this, go into a horse stance. First, keep your kuas and hamstrings tight and notice how the pressure collects in your knees. Then, relax, bend, and hollow your kuas while letting go of the hamstrings. You will feel your weight sink through the knees into the feet.
The bottom line is this: To prevent knee injury, the knees must move independently of the hips so that when the hips turn, the knees remain aligned with the toes. In addition, the hamstrings must relax and release to allow the weight to sink past the knees into the feet. The only way to achieve this is by relaxing, bending, and hollowing - opening -
the hip joints.
If you are having difficulty “opening” the kuas, please see my articles:
You can also explore many related articles here:
👉 Deep River Tai Chi Blog Index Each of these offers practical methods to refine your Tai Chi, protect your joints, and deepen your internal understanding—no matter what style you practice.