Yoga guide
No trial has shown that yoga, or any exercise, changes the shape of knock knees, and in young children they're a normal stage that usually settles by about 7. What practice can change is how your knees move: knees that drift inward in squats, lunges and landings improved with technique training, and with strength work combined with knee control, in trials. Yoga's standing and one-leg poses are a way to practise that, with side-hip strength alongside, though no trial has tested yoga for it.
This guide covers the difference between the shape of your legs and knees that cave in, children's legs and when they need a GP, knock knees and arthritis in adults, what the evidence shows, the poses to try and the ones to change, the feet, and the classes to follow. A knee that locks, gives way or swells, or a child's leg that changes on one side, needs checking: the warning signs are below.
Our searches found no trial of yoga, published or registered, for knock knees or for knees that cave in. The only reports are a study of 14 preschool children with no comparison group and a conference summary with no numbers. The one adult trial that X-rayed the legs after exercise was in bow legs, and the gap between the knees changed by about 1 cm.
Most children are knock-kneed at 3 to 4, and their legs usually settle by about 7, sometimes later. UK children's services say exercises, splints and special shoes aren't needed. See a GP if one leg is affected, they're getting worse or they last past about 7.
"Knock knees" can mean the shape of your legs when you stand still, which your bones set, or knees that drift inward when you squat, lunge or land. The second responds to practice: technique training, and strength work combined with knee control, reduced it in trials.
Hip strength is only weakly linked, if at all, to knees caving in, and 9 weeks of strength training made 66 women stronger without changing how they landed. Yoga's standing and one-leg poses let you practise keeping your knee over your foot (our reading; untested in yoga).
In 47,588 teenagers, about 6% had knock knees, girls more often than boys, and women on average sit a little more knock-kneed than men. In teenagers, knock knees were no more common in those with pain at the front of the knee.
If you already have knee arthritis, a knock-kneed alignment raised the odds of the outer part of the knee getting worse about 5-fold. Yoga did about as well as strengthening exercise for knee arthritis pain in one trial, but two 2026 reviews disagree on how much it helps: our yoga for knee arthritis guide covers it.
The NHS in Wales describes knock knees as "when there's a gap between your ankles when you stand with your knees together", adding that "It's common in children aged 3 to 6 and usually gets better on its own as they grow without causing any problems." Doctors measure the angle between the thigh and shin and the gap between the ankles; a gap of up to 8 cm is normal in young children.
Adult knees normally sit in a slight knock-knee. "Knock knees" can mean the leg shape when you stand still, which the bones set, or knees that drift inward during a squat, step-down or landing (doctors call it dynamic knee valgus), often with the foot rolling in. The first doesn't change with exercise; the second can.
The knee angle on a phone video from the front is repeatable, but across 16 studies it agreed poorly with lab measures in single-leg squats. Use a video to practise, not to diagnose.
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On average, women have a slightly more knock-kneed alignment than men, with plenty of overlap.
Without arthritis, the link with pain is weak: in 446 pupils, knock knees were no more common in those with pain at the front of the knee. In people who already have knee arthritis, a knock-kneed alignment raised the odds of the outer knee getting worse about 5-fold in studies of 237 and 950 people. Whether it causes new arthritis is mixed: one analysis found a link above 3 degrees of knock-knee, another didn't.
Standing poses (mountain, warrior II, triangle, chair, goddess and lunges), one-leg balances (tree, warrior III, half moon), kneeling and deep knee bends (hero pose, lotus, a deep squat). In lab studies, a wide squat (goddess) and an upright lunge loaded the inner knee least of the standing poses, one-leg balance more; tree pose worked the side-hip muscles hardest, and stance width in triangle pose changed which leg took the load. These describe loads in healthy people, not outcomes.
In 196 children, legs were most bowed at 6 months and close to straight by 18 months; knock knees peaked at about 4, at an average of 8 degrees, and up to 12 degrees and an 8 cm gap between the ankles was normal from 2 to 11. Other groups peak a little later or lower, and in one X-ray study the angle kept falling until about 10. Most legs settle by about 7 or 8, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says some children's legs aren't straight until 9 or 10.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says "Bracing, corrective shoes, and exercise are rarely helpful". A 2026 NHS leaflet says "Exercises, splints or special shoes are not recommended.", and NHS guidance for GPs says physiotherapy can't correct knock knees. Active play is what children need, and yoga is fine as play, not as treatment.
Across 73 studies, mostly snapshots in time, children with overweight were more likely to have knock knees, though growth was the main thing that set how marked they were. Children's Health Ireland says a healthy weight and good vitamin D levels support normal growth. Weight is one factor among many, not a fault.
Knock knees on one side, or that are painful, getting worse or severe, can have a cause such as rickets, a growth plate injury or a bone condition, and need a doctor. Severe knock knees that don't settle can be corrected with a small operation that guides growth, usually from about 8; it relies on growth being left, so Children's Health Ireland refers severe cases before 10. Our knock knees guide covers it.
No trial has tested yoga for knock knees or for knees that cave in. Most of what follows is about movement training in general.
Our searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov in November 2026 found no trial of yoga, published or registered, for knock knees, knees that cave in or leg alignment.
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A study of 14 preschool children with knock knees did hatha yoga with no comparison group and gave no numbers in its summary; at that age knock knees settle on their own, so no change can be credited to yoga. A 2025 conference summary in 45 women with flat feet reported less knee caving after 8 weeks of yoga poses, with no numbers and no peer review. The only yoga study in a journal that measured knee valgus, in 9 young people with obesity and no comparison group, found it went up at heel strike, not down.
The one adult trial that X-rayed the legs after exercise was in 40 women with bow legs: after 12 weeks, the gap between the knees narrowed by about 1 cm, close to what an X-ray can measure (our reading). In children, the legs straighten with growth, and the paediatric services advise against exercise for it.
A 2025 review of 35 studies in 1,095 healthy adults found technique training and core strengthening reduced knees caving in where they were in line to start with, and that strength work combined with practising knee control may reduce it where it was greater. In a review of 10 studies, 7 programmes of 2 to 10 weeks reduced it. Injury prevention programmes reduced the inward load on the knee when landing in 28 studies.
In 66 women, 9 weeks of strength training made them stronger but didn't change how their knees moved when they landed. Hip strength was at most weakly linked to knees caving in across 33 studies, and mostly not linked at all in a 2026 review of 22.
In 36 young adults whose knees caved in, 6 weeks of supervised Pilates improved the knee's angle in a jump test, though the summary gives no effect sizes. In 34 novice runners, 12 weeks of home Pilates didn't significantly change knee caving while running. In 30 young volleyball players, 8 weeks of Pilates reduced landing errors. Using yoga's standing and one-leg poses the same way is our extrapolation from these and the movement-training trials, not something a yoga trial has shown.
In 205 female athletes, the 9 who later tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a key ligament inside the knee, had landed with their knees moving further inward. But in 710 elite players a landing test couldn't predict ACL injuries, and across 9 cohorts no measure of the knee moving inward did. The Q angle (how the thigh and shin line up at the kneecap) didn't predict kneecap pain in 18 cohorts of 4,818 people.
Across 8 meta-analyses, injury prevention warm-ups halved ACL injuries. A 2026 position statement describes programmes of 10 to 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week, but says direct evidence that training aimed at caving knees itself cuts injuries "remains limited".
Neuromuscular training eased kneecap pain and improved function across 17 trials of 871 people (moderate certainty), without consistently changing how the legs moved.
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Short foot exercises improved foot position in people with flat feet in one review, but another found no clear change in the arch. A study of 28 women without random allocation reported a large drop in knee caving after 6 weeks, an effect that would need a proper trial to confirm (our reading). Foot orthoses had only small effects on the knee in walking. Foot work is worth doing for the feet themselves, not as a knock knees fix.
A 2026 review of 14 studies found yoga eased knee arthritis pain and improved function, at low certainty. A 2026 network meta-analysis of 29 trials found tai chi and another Chinese exercise reduced pain against no exercise, and yoga improved mental health. In 117 adults, yoga was about as good as strengthening for knee pain, and an online programme's gains in 212 adults had faded by 24 weeks. Our yoga for knee arthritis guide covers it.
In 24 teenagers with pain at the front of the knee, 8 weeks of yoga videos was followed by better knee scores, with no comparison group. Strengthening and stretching have better evidence: our yoga for knee pain guide covers it.
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Our editorial starting point: side-hip work and standing poses with your knees on track, 2 to 3 times a week for 6 to 10 weeks, the length of the movement-training programmes. Our knock knees and Pilates for knock knees guides give the same reading.
In chair pose, warrior II, goddess and lunges, keep each knee in line with your second and third toes, and watch in a mirror. Practising the line is the part that changed knees caving in, in trials.
If your knees touch before your feet do, stand with your feet hip-width and parallel in mountain pose and forward folds rather than together (our suggestion). The mountain pose page offers both.
Track steadier one-leg balances and knees that stay in line on video, not the shape of your legs in a photo. A phone video is a guide, not a measurement.
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Supine isometric hip abduction (belt press): "3 to 5 holds of 5 to 10 seconds, twice a day, at a light effort" (the move page's dose). Side-lying leg raise: 2 sets of 12 each side; clamshell: 2 sets of 15 each side (our yoga for IT band syndrome class).
Glute bridge: 12 slow lifts, feet hip-width, knees over your middle toes all the way up; single-leg glute bridge: 8 each side; knee side plank: 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side (our yoga for IT band syndrome class).
Mountain pose: "Stand for 5 to 10 slow breaths, 2 or 3 times" (the move page's dose), feet hip-width. Chair pose: 2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths; warrior II: 3 to 5 breaths each side, a short stance, front knee over your middle toes (our yoga for IT band syndrome class). Goddess: 2 holds of 3 breaths, bending only a little (our yoga for knee pain class). High lunge: 5 breaths each side (our yoga for glutes class). Standing wall press: "3 to 5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds each side, twice a day" (the move page's dose).
3D demoMountain pose (Tadasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoGoddess pose (Utkata Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoStanding wall-press hip abductionBeginner · A wallTree pose: 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side, fingertips on a wall, foot at your ankle or calf; warrior III: 3 breaths each side, twice, hands on a chair (our yoga for IT band syndrome class). Half moon: 3 to 5 breaths each side, bottom hand on a block (our yoga for glutes class). Hip hitch: "3 sets of 15 slow reps each side, 3 times a week" (the move page's dose), starting with 2 sets of 10. Single-leg stand: 2 holds of 30 seconds each leg (our knee control warm-up).
Slow calf raise: 10, rising through the big toe without your ankles rolling in or out (our Pilates for knock knees class); towel toe curl: 2 sets of 12 each foot (our editorial starting point). Foot work hasn't been tested for knock knees.
Our suggestion, as our knock knees and Pilates for knock knees guides do it. It's a guide, not a test: a phone angle matched lab measures poorly in single-leg squats, and no movement test predicts an injury for one person.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Chair pose (Utkatasana)
Our suggestions, unless a move's own caution is quoted. Nothing needs leaving out because of knock knees themselves: knee pain, a meniscus problem or arthritis decide the changes.
If your knees touch before your feet do in mountain pose or a forward fold, stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Rest your lifted foot at your ankle or calf, never pressed into the side of your knee, as our yoga classes cue it.
Sit high on a block in hero pose: its page says your body weight takes the knees to the end of their bend, and if your hips can't turn in far enough, the knees twist to make up the difference. Pad your knees and keep kneeling short, and come out at once if your foot goes numb or tingles.
There's no reason to force lotus or half lotus with knock knees, and their pages warn that long sits can press on the nerves in the leg.
If your knees bend backwards when they're straight, keep them soft in standing poses rather than locked; our yoga for hypermobility guide covers it.
Our 25-minute yoga for IT band syndrome class is the closest yoga class: side hips lying, bridges and side planks, then chair pose, warrior II with the front knee over your middle toes, tree pose, warrior III and hip hitches. Do it 2 to 3 times a week for 6 to 10 weeks (our editorial reading). The yoga for glutes class adds the hip and glute strength; the knee control warm-up adds squats, lunges and landings before sport.
A 25-minute yoga class for IT band syndrome: side-hip work lying down, bridges and side planks, then one-leg poses with the pelvis level, and a rest.
25 minBeginner17 movesBand, wallA 25-minute yoga class for your glutes: bridges and locust, chair pose and lunges, warrior III and half moon, side work, then a short stretch and rest.
25 minBeginner16 movesStep, wallA 20-minute warm-up that trains your knees to track over your toes: side-hip strength, squats and lunges with alignment practice, balance and quiet landings.
20 minBeginner10 movesWall, bandA 25-minute Pilates class for knock knees and knees that cave in: bridges, side-hip work, then squats, lunges and step-downs with your knees on track.
25 minBeginner14 movesWall, stepA 25-minute knee-friendly yoga practice with no kneeling and no deep bends: shallow standing poses, hip and thigh strength on the floor, and supported stretches.
25 minBeginner15 movesFirm cushionThirty minutes of standing yoga for balance: strong standing poses, one-leg poses at the wall, and side steps, backward steps, reaches and sit-to-stands.
30 minBeginner16 movesWall, bench or boxKnock knees on their own aren't a reason to see anyone. These are the warning signs from our knock knees and knee pain guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Most knock knees and bow legs in young children are normal. Get them checked if:
Its knock knees page lists "your child is under the age of 2 or over the age of 5" among its reasons to see a GP, earlier than the "about 7" above, which follows children's hospital and paediatric sources. It also lists knock knees that started when you were an adult.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if a child gets sudden pain in the hip, knee or thigh, can't put any weight on a leg, has a leg that has changed shape or points at an odd angle, feels unwell with a high temperature or hot, cold and shivery, has severe pain low in the tummy as well, or is getting worse.
For a limp with no obvious cause, see a GP.
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Rickets, from a lack of vitamin D, can cause knock knees as well as bow legs.
There are other signs of rickets: swollen, painful wrists, aching bones, weak muscles or teeth coming through late.
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Sharp, catching or giving-way pain, or new swelling, is a reason to stop and get it checked. Come out of a pose at once if your foot or lower leg goes numb or tingles in a kneeling or cross-legged pose, or if you feel a sharp pain inside the knee when twisting or rising from a deep bend (our suggestion, from case reports and injury studies).
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
No yoga trial exists, and the one study in children had no comparison group, at an age when legs straighten with growth anyway. The only adult X-ray trial of exercise, in bow legs, changed the gap between the knees by about 1 cm.
Caving in is a movement, not a bone shape: people with straight legs cave in too, and it responds to technique and strength training.
Hip strength is at most weakly linked to knees caving in, and strength training alone didn't change how women landed. Practising the movement matters.
They're normal at 3 to 4 and usually settle by about 7, and UK and US children's services say exercises, splints, braces and special shoes aren't needed.
In teenagers, knock knees were no more common in those with front-of-knee pain, and the Q angle didn't predict kneecap pain in 18 cohorts. The link that matters is with arthritis that has already started.
A landing test couldn't predict ACL injuries in 710 elite players, and across 9 cohorts no measure of the knee moving inward did. Warm-up programmes still lower the risk across groups of athletes.
The poses that matter here are strength and balance poses done in a short stance, at a wall or with a chair; none needs flexibility (our reading).
No. No trial has shown that yoga, or any exercise, changes the shape of the legs, and in adults the bones have finished growing. What yoga can help with is how your knees move: knees that drift inward in squats and lunges respond to practice and strength work.
Poses that strengthen the side of the hip and let you practise keeping your knee over your middle toes: clamshells and side-lying leg raises, bridges, chair pose, warrior II, goddess and lunges, then tree pose and warrior III for one-leg control. Our yoga for IT band syndrome class puts them in order.
Usually. Most children are knock-kneed at 3 to 4, and their legs settle by about 7, sometimes later, and a gap of up to 8 cm between the ankles is normal in young children. See a GP if one leg is affected, they're getting worse, they last past about 7, or your child has pain, a limp or is unusually short.
They don't need special exercises, braces or shoes: UK children's services say these aren't recommended, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says they're rarely helpful. Yoga is fine as play and movement, but not as treatment.
Exercise can't change the shape of your bones. It can improve your strength and how your knees track when you move, which is what matters for comfort and control. Knock knees that start in adulthood, or that change on one side, are worth showing a GP.
It's often a movement habit rather than your bone shape: the knee drifts in, and the foot often rolls in with it. Practise slow squats and lunges with your knees over your middle toes, filming yourself from the front, alongside side-hip work.
Leg shape on its own is only loosely linked with pain: in teenagers, knock knees were no more common in those with pain at the front of the knee. If you already have knee arthritis, a knock-kneed alignment raises the chance of the outer part of the knee getting worse. Exercise is still the main treatment for knee arthritis.
Stand with your feet hip-width rather than together if your knees touch first, keep your front knee over your middle toes in lunges and warrior poses, and rest your foot at your ankle or calf in tree pose. Pad or shorten kneeling, and leave out hero pose and lotus if your knees hurt.
No study has tested Iyengar yoga for knock knees. The one small study of Iyengar yoga in young people with obesity found knee caving at heel strike went up, not down, with no comparison group. Careful alignment cues and props can help you practise knee tracking, as any careful class can.
Foot exercises may change how your arch sits a little if you have flat feet, but their effect on the knee is small and inconsistent. They're worth doing for the feet themselves, not as a knock knees fix.
Two to three times a week for 6 to 10 weeks is our editorial reading of the movement-training trials, and you can carry on after that. Judge it by strength and control, not by how your legs look.
The same applies: yoga can't change the shape of bowed legs, and in the one adult trial, exercise changed the gap between the knees by about 1 cm. Bow legs that get worse after age 2 need a GP check, and our bow legs guide covers them.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
