Combatting Knee Pain

Dan Foley • January 5, 2023

Very often in clinic, I work with patients who are unable to perform their training routines due to persistent knee pain. Typically, knee pain is blamed on arthritis or issues with the meniscus. Regardless of whether these issues exist, knee pain can often be a result of a hip or ankle issue. This means that we can manage and improve knee pain by performing various techniques and exercises to the hips and/or ankles.

After starting up with CFW, Steve mentioned he was dealing with a few aches and pains, wondering if I could take a look and help him out. One of the issues he was dealing with was some left knee pain at the front of his knee, that had been on and off for a long time. During my evaluation, I noticed he was limited in his left hip range of motion compared to his right. On top of this, I found that Steve had a lot of tightness in his lower quads, hip flexors and low back muscles. When a joint is not moving properly (i.e left hip), other joints have to pick up the slack, which in this case was his left knee. We also noted that the left leg did not seem to be as stable as the right leg when performing certain movements, like single leg squats, step downs, etc. After showing him some techniques that loosened up his hips and some activation exercises that targeted certain hip and knee musculature, we found that his symptoms and his movement were much improved.

Since we seemed to be on the right track of managing his symptoms, I developed a home exercise program for him and we planned to meet 1-2x a month to check in and progress the exercises as needed. Consistency with rehab plans is key!

Here is some of the routine I gave for Steve, that way you can get an idea of how it would look (videos attached):

  1. Quad Foam Roll (or Lax Ball) – 1min
  2. Piriformis (Hip Rotator) Lax Ball Release – 45-60secs Piriformis Release
  3. Glute Bridges – 2×15
  4. QL (Low Back) Release QL Release
  5. Kickstand RDLs (Light Band) – 5sec holds 2×6   Kickstand RDLs
  6. Split Squat Heel Raises – 2×8 each side Split Sqt Heel Raises
  7. Bear Crawl Holds (add leg lift if too easy) – 2x to failure/fatigue Bear Crawl + Leg Lift
  8. 90/90 Shin Box (Recovery) Stretch – 2x 1min 90 90 Shin Box (1)

Simply working through the pain usually just delays or aggravates the issue.  If you are dealing with knee pain, (or any pain at all),  please reach out and I can help you get started on the right track. I have tons of videos and various routines that can address all types of issues, and am happy to share them! My email is dpfoley6@gmail.com . I have already been meeting with other members at the gym for movement screens and PT consults. If interested, shoot me an email and we can set something up!

 

The post Combatting Knee Pain appeared first on CrossFit Wilmette.

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