Oh my aching knee .....

[Gardengirl]

So I've been doing squats and lunges type workout for a long time. I have come a long way from despising squats, mainly it seems because they were so hard for me to do. That's the good news.

Now my knees are talking to me and it's not because of bad form. I did some research and it look like my knees are not tracking correctly. I was examining my IT band, quads and hamstrings and holy cow are they tight. Major lump in my hamstring. Why I didn't recognize this, I don't know! I actually did an examination that hurt like crazy!

So I'm thinking that the knee might not be tracking correctly because it's being pulled off track due to all the tight muscles. Have I created a muscle imbalance? I should have been doing more yoga? My legs are pretty strong but I tried to do a P57 today and it was HARD!

I don't want to lose ground but think I need to do something to balance out the muscles and get the knee tracking right again and loosen up these tight spots. I need suggestions because I have mainly circuit type workouts and not sure where to go from here.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[glamgal]

I have a recurring issue with one of my knees that sounds similar to yours. It is actually my piriformis that gets tight...then within a day or two, I will have a dull ache in my knee, which proceeds to ache in my ankle a day or two after that. My massage therapist says that the piriformis is so tight that it pulls on the muscles, which in turns puts stress on the joints.

Massage helps me. They will work specifically on my glute muscle by digging in with their elbows. At home, I lay on the hard floor and have my husband dig into the glute area with the heel of his foot until he gets to a tender spot and he will keep putting pressure on it for 5-10 minutes. It usually helps a lot.

I'm interested to see what suggestions others have. My issue flares up when I've been sitting too long at work (like 10+ hours). I've been told by another massage therapist that one of my hips is slightly higher than the other and I should try to correct this by sitting on a small riser under one butt cheek.

[cfwb]

There are a number of workouts/options which include stretches for muscles which support the knees. I recommend Strong Knees (I believe you can just select the stretching section), or the stretches in Jill Miller's Kneehab. I've also recently found the book Yoga for Healthy Knees http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Healthy-K...+for+knee+pain which I've also found helpful in stretching and strengthening leg muscles and ligaments. Since tightness in the low back and hips can be related to knee pain too, you might look at Viniyoga Therapy for the Low Back, Sacrum, and Hips (these practices have a good deal of kneeling work). Most of these are focused on rehabilitation or strengthening muscles to protect already-weakened joints, but you can still take the stretches and exercises and add them to your more intense routines.

[Gardengirl]

Jennifer, funny you should mention ankle! The inside of my ankle has been bothering me too. Inside part, same side as the inside knee that bothers me. I thought it was because I'd sprained it a couple of years ago. Maybe not!!! I was also told by a client of our who was a chiropractor that my right hip was higher than my left. I .... ignored him and did nothing. I have been looking for a reputable massage therapist.

Cfwb, I actually bought Strong Knees at the Collage going out of business sale and did the 7 Minute portion on Sunday and Monday, and did a couple of those exercises while watching tv last night.

And ..... my knee feel better today. but the question is was it the P57 workout that nearly killed me, Strong Knees, or not doing any squats or lunges the last 4-5 days!?!? I also bought a yoga mat today and have been scoping out some local classes. I think I found one that might fit and they offer a $40 unlimited monthly pass for beginners.

The thought of my knee being a recurring problem is really scary. You really can't do much if your knees don't work! Hopefully I'm on to a way to rehab the problem.

[Scorpio6]

In 2013 I found out from a P.T. the reason my L knee was not tracking correctly was because of bone spurs and also weak quad muscle that was allowing the kneecap to drift.

Non=weight bearing exercise for knees I was given which helped tremendously:
30 knee presses w/ rolled up towel under knees, legs stretched out in front of me as I was sitting
30 knee presses w/ bolster under my knees
30 leg extensions sitting on side of couch or bed, no weight
10-20 wall squats, slow, no weight

I have progressed to doing the supported leg extensions w/ ankle weights that Karen Voight shows in Easing Into Fitness and I can do plie squats again as well as parallel plie squats w/ a ball between my knees. Karen has you support the knee with a 3 lb weighted ball under the knee.

You need to get an X Ray to see if you have bone spurs. In the meantime, my physical therapy exercises may be of help to you.

One last thing -- also found out from P.T. I needed prescription arch supports! Makes a BIG difference and I am never without them. Altho I got a pair from the P.T., I really like the ones better that I got from my chiro. You don't have to wear ugly shoes either, mine are "Pelvic Stabilizer" brand I got fitted from my chiro, and they go into anything. Of course I have worn various types of flat shoes, usually ballet type flats, for years

Good luck!

[kitty12]

Hi - can you explain what you mean about your knees not tracking correctly? For example, are you referring to how your knee caps track when you squat, or are you talking about more of an alignment issue that is related more to using proper form. For example, when you lunge, your knees (whole leg) go in towards the center line.

If it is the knee cap itself, it could also be just the way you are built. My knee caps track way to the outside and have for years. I dislocated my knee cap in 8th grade and in the following years when it would periodically pop in and out by itself (causing me to splat on the floor), they told me the only way to fix it was surgery. Luckily after about 10 years the problem of it subluxating completely went away. But the knee cap still tracks to the outside and there is nothing I can do about it.

I have a history of an SI imbalance and if my SIJ rotates, it will make one leg longer than the other. This does not mean that my legs are different lengths and I don't believe they are. I have learned how to tell if I am out though - it rarely happens right now - and can do an adjustment for it myself. I have to maintain strong hips, core, and lower body. If I start to go out of alignment frequently, it is really bad for the knee. I now have arthritis in both hips so even more important.

If your issues persist, you may want to consider an assessment with a PT. They can help identify any imbalances and come up with a plan to address them. One thing I found when my knee was bad a few years ago was that anything like a "quad set" (which it sounds like Scorpio6 is describing), or leg extensions would have had a really bad effect on me. I saw a PT through work that described it as the magical exercise before knowing what was actually wrong with my knee. I could barely walk after doing two sets. When I then went to a Sports Medicine PT that did a full assessment. I was told that doing quad sets or anything which "locks down the knee cap" can be dangerous for someone with cartilage damage in their knee. We stayed with wall squats and eventually moved to regular squats. I went to PT again last year before I learned that I now have arthritis in my other hip, and the PT thought I had weak quads and had me do wall squats again eventually adding weight. You mention P57 is difficult - where do you feel it the most? Barre tends to be quad intensive. Barre was very helpful for my knees as was Strong Knees (I love the stretch segment).

[Gardengirl]

I may go to a chiropractor for evaluation. We've been swapping calls for 2 days.

The articles I've read on chondromalachia seem to be spot on with my symptoms. The articles describe how tight muscles can actually pull the patella off track. They recommend massage and strengthening inner thigh, muscle on inside of the knee, and stretching.

P57 was hard while I was doing it. Legs were quaking!. I think that P57 is working muscles I haven't been working. I'd have been okay if there were 1000 reps of everything! Lol!

So I guess I stay away from squats and lunges for a while and try out some yoga and some isometric work and see what happens.

Any other workouts like P57 without 1000 reps of each move? I need to work up to P57.

[kitty12]

Chondromalachia is basically what I have - cartilage damage under the knee cap. Do you have any other barre DVDs or tried any others? Most of them will also work similar muscles as P57. Hopefully if you identify any imbalances you are able to return to your other workouts. I can do pretty much anything now even though my knee is noisy when going up stairs. I am currently doing BBL which is perfect for me, but includes lunges and squats both.

[Jennifer R]

I have dealt with pelvic rotation/leg imbalance/hip and knee pain for years. A couple of years ago I found out via a CT scan for another reason that I have a lumbar scoliosis-that explains a lot, and I have modified my exercise program since then.

I have also experienced the pain in the lower medial corner of the knee, and it's invariably associated with a very tight piriformis and IT band on the side of the pain. Sitting (especially on long plane flights) really worsens it; and when it is acting up I can't do anything involving step ups or even step on a 4 inch platform without aggravating.

Chiropractic adjustment always helped me when things were really flared up, but I didn't want to be going off to get adjusted every other week forever.

I found a lot of relief with Jill Miller's Yoga Tune Up at Home, hips and glutes. I just call it Ass Torture. It's not comfortable, but it works very well.

I have also found a great deal of relief from using the exercises in the book "3 Minutes to a Pain Free Life" which is a whole lot of filler for a little nugget of wisdom. PM me for more info.

The program put out by Lawrence Gold called Somatics was also very useful for me when I was having a lot of hip and knee pain. It is E X C R U C I A T I N G L Y slow but very effective in building awareness and increasing range of motion. He has tons of free videos on YouTube, but I wound up printing up a couple of pages of his instructions and have now memorized them.

"Everyone" in my family has knee problems but I've been able to avoid any serious problems so far at 61. I can do ass to grass squats and get on and off the floor with no problems. I can also do squats and lunges without pain.

It's not *just* a knee problem but an alignment issue, sometimes involving places far away from what hurts.

[Aunt Famous]

When I was doing really heavy and intense weight workouts with a trainer, my knees made a whole assortment of really lovely creaking and grinding noises, hurt when I climbed stairs and walked, and would often buckle (or revolt!) during weight sets. I parted ways with my trainer about a year ago, and I have switched to mostly Pilates (reformer, mat, springboard) for lower body strength training. My weekly cardio consists of two dance classes, two days of spinning, Leslie, boxing, and walking everywhere. I have also made a point of wearing really comfortable shoes.

I am pleased to report that I no longer have actively bad knees. (In fact, I just straightened both legs while sitting, and rather than the snap/crackle/pop of the past, my knees glided smoothly and silently.) I am pushing 47 years old, thinned down from this switch (only 4 pounds over my college weight!), and mentally feel a whole heck of a lot better. I have also (knock wood) been without the nagging back/neck/hip injuries that seemed to crop up regularly. Apparently, it was time for a change.

Good luck. Knee pain stinks.

AF