Knee pain is a real bummer. It can stop you from training. So why don't you prevent it in the first place?
Simple ways to prevent knee pain
1. Release you Iliotibial (IT) Band (photo above)
Your IT band is found at the side (outside) of your thigh. It's along your pant seam from your pelvis to your knee. It becomes very tight from activities that involve running and cycling. So triathletes you have to work the hardest at releasing it.
To release it get a tennis ball/trigger ball/foam roll and place it along the IT band at a spot that hurts (that's the spot along the band that's tight) and stay there till the pain subsides then move to another painful spot along it.
2. Strengthen the muscles around your knee
These would be your quads and hamstrings. Strengthening your buttock muscles help too.
For your quads and gluts, you could do half squats, controlled step ups and downs or the leg press machine at the gym.
For your hamstrings you could do leg curls at the gym or simply with resistance bands, ankle weights or pulleys.
Talk to your physiotherapist more about this.
2 comments:
isn't leg curls machines open chained exercises and have very little benefits carry over to sports. No doubt that it is a good isolation exercise but maybe we should look at integrating the exercise. Exercise like hip extension on the swiss ball is good as it integrates the glutes in the hamstring movement.
What is your view on this ?
Thanks
with Regards
Khijra
Hi Khijra
Thank you for your comment :)
You're right to an extent. The type of strengthening technique used will depend on the functional needs of the individual.
For a cyclist, a closed chain hamstring strengthening technique would be beneficial. For a runner, an open and closed chain exercise would be beneficial as they do bend their knee behind them in the swing phase of the running gait.
Warmly
Aized
Physiotherapist
Physio Solutions
Post a Comment