The most common injured area is...
Many of you will know about the issue I’ve had with my knee over the last few months, thanks to some body boarding and ‘old lady breaststroke’ during the August bank holiday weekend.
Its turns out I’ve torn part of the cartilage in my knee, and I now have the long slow recovery process to work through, as I’m very keen to avoid a surgery on it.
Did you know the knee is one of the most commonly injured areas in the body?
The knee can be impacted by changes to other areas of the body, in particular the ankle and hips as these sit above and below that region.
Bones that directly impact the knee are the femur (thigh bone), the tibia and fibula (shins) and patella (knee cap).
The muscles that surround those bones are the calves, hamstrings, quads, glutes and they all play an important role in the function of the knee.
Common knee injuries are
- Patella Tendinopathy (jumpers knee)
- IT band Syndrome (runners knee)
- Patellofemoral Syndrome
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury
There are a range of tests we can perform to assess and diagnose knee pain. The results from these would then inform us which stretches and exercises to perform as part of the recovery programme.
Although the cartilage damage isn’t listed as one of the common injuries, I’m going to share with you some of the exercises and recovery techniques I’m using at the moment. The key with all recovery exercises is to make sure you do them regularly.
In my case I’m doing them every day, usually in an evening when I get home from work.
Because I’ve adapted and been using my better leg for a long period of time as bending my knee on my injured leg has been painful, there has been a small amount of muscle wastage on that side and it is slightly slower to react to get to full muscle contraction, so part of the programme is to build the strength up in the hamstrings, quads, calf and glutes.
The other side to the programme has been to regularly use the foam roller again, as my muscles were very painful to massage during the session.
So far the programme has been going well, I’m determined to do my exercises and force myself even when I don’t want to. Knowing I have somebody to hold me accountable to the programme also makes a difference, which is why I know so many of my clients book sessions with me as they know they have to do it.
I’m still very aware of the pain, but I can see small improvements. I angle I can bend my leg back at the knee, before pain sets in is getting better. I can do more walking again, but I’m still very mindful on the speed I go, and how I get up from the ground if I’ve been sitting down.
I know there is still a long way to go, and I’m making sure I’ll be fit ready for camping, hiking, surfing and all the adventures with the boys this year.
Have you got any injuries at the moment that you’re dealing with?
