Got Knee Pain, Read This!
Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 2:27 pm
I have trained dozens of people, who have had excruciating to mild discomfort in the knees, especially when hiking down hill, and these following techniques have helped in most cases.
They have been doing squats, reverse lunges, step-ups, side step-ups, Romanian deads, and Bulgarian split squats to strengthen there hips, hams, and quads, also been having them do yoga, there is a dvd "Yoga for Athletes", which has a section for a specific sport exercises, and a sub section for a specific body part (for example:hips, shoulders,legs).
Many folks at the gym have no idea how to use there hips during squats, deadlifts, rdl's which can lead to improper lifting, muscle imbalances, and injuries.
During squats, lunges, Bulgarian squats, and set-ups the knee should be in line with your toes, and not extend beyond you knees (especially when starting or injured), which can be achieved by pushing back the hips instead of starting the movement by bending the knees, or using your lower back to lift the weight instead of your much stronger hips when ascending, learning the "hip hinge" movement is extremely important!
When descending, ascending, or crossing rocky terrain, most backpackers are not conscious of where there knee track is, which can lead to pain and injury or overuse injuries in the long-run, this is where proper strengthening exercises come into play.
Besides strengthening the muscles around the knee (VMO), it is paramount to engage the strongest muscles of the body, your hips (glutes), when descending and ascending, bending your knees slightly and leaning forward slightly, pushing your hips back slightly and contracting your glutes, this will take stress off your knees and lower back.
Push your hips back enough so that your shoulders are above or close to above your feet, don't overdue this by making it look like your trying to do a good morning exercise. The key is that you knees do not extend past your toes, and the weight of your upper body should be supported by your much stronger hip muscles and poles.
To see the difference walk down a fight of stairs with your upper torso straight and you will notice you knees will go past your toes when you sift your weight onto your front foot while stepping down (with a heavy pack the knee moves even further past the toes), now instead , consciously push you hips back slightly and bending your knees, you'll feel a big difference, I guarantee!
Of coarse descending in a zig-zag fashion is all ways recommended where feasible, but this sometimes is not.
Check your knees while your hiking during the day to see where your knees are in relations to your toes, especially during the latter part of the day, when one gets tired, and especially trying to cross over tricky terrain later in the day.
Employing these techniques may alleviate your knee pain after those dreadful descents and extended your backpacking years.
During descents, especially steep ones, use the above technique, once you have mastered it, and move faster than normal, it is the breaking action that stress the knee, faster movement will lessen this breaking damage.
Make sure if you try these exercises get a trainer to show you how to preform them properly so you do not learn improper form, and that you do not injure yourself.
They have been doing squats, reverse lunges, step-ups, side step-ups, Romanian deads, and Bulgarian split squats to strengthen there hips, hams, and quads, also been having them do yoga, there is a dvd "Yoga for Athletes", which has a section for a specific sport exercises, and a sub section for a specific body part (for example:hips, shoulders,legs).
Many folks at the gym have no idea how to use there hips during squats, deadlifts, rdl's which can lead to improper lifting, muscle imbalances, and injuries.
During squats, lunges, Bulgarian squats, and set-ups the knee should be in line with your toes, and not extend beyond you knees (especially when starting or injured), which can be achieved by pushing back the hips instead of starting the movement by bending the knees, or using your lower back to lift the weight instead of your much stronger hips when ascending, learning the "hip hinge" movement is extremely important!
When descending, ascending, or crossing rocky terrain, most backpackers are not conscious of where there knee track is, which can lead to pain and injury or overuse injuries in the long-run, this is where proper strengthening exercises come into play.
Besides strengthening the muscles around the knee (VMO), it is paramount to engage the strongest muscles of the body, your hips (glutes), when descending and ascending, bending your knees slightly and leaning forward slightly, pushing your hips back slightly and contracting your glutes, this will take stress off your knees and lower back.
Push your hips back enough so that your shoulders are above or close to above your feet, don't overdue this by making it look like your trying to do a good morning exercise. The key is that you knees do not extend past your toes, and the weight of your upper body should be supported by your much stronger hip muscles and poles.
To see the difference walk down a fight of stairs with your upper torso straight and you will notice you knees will go past your toes when you sift your weight onto your front foot while stepping down (with a heavy pack the knee moves even further past the toes), now instead , consciously push you hips back slightly and bending your knees, you'll feel a big difference, I guarantee!
Of coarse descending in a zig-zag fashion is all ways recommended where feasible, but this sometimes is not.
Check your knees while your hiking during the day to see where your knees are in relations to your toes, especially during the latter part of the day, when one gets tired, and especially trying to cross over tricky terrain later in the day.
Employing these techniques may alleviate your knee pain after those dreadful descents and extended your backpacking years.
During descents, especially steep ones, use the above technique, once you have mastered it, and move faster than normal, it is the breaking action that stress the knee, faster movement will lessen this breaking damage.
Make sure if you try these exercises get a trainer to show you how to preform them properly so you do not learn improper form, and that you do not injure yourself.