Knee S.O.S.! How often have I heard the cry of complaint when it comes to knee pain?
For those of us with a few years of mileage on our knees, the plea for knee pain relief can be all too familiar.
This includes me, too. Years ago, I was a regular runner - up to 7 miles a day, with a half marathon and a medal in a triathlon event my crowning glory!
Yet after a few years, the running took its toll, and with a repeated "tweak" on the knee, my running morphed to walking.
I still walk every day. But there's more to the story. Now, after years of paying more close attention to alignment of my knee joints during exercise as well as daily activity, I can now run and jog - should I so choose - without the tweak effect. More on this later.
Here's the thing. The knees are a very vulnerable joint, and we place all kinds of challenges upon them. Is it any wonder that they start to demand a little extra attention after while?
Let's take a look at on overview of knee injuries, why the knee is such a vulnerable joint, common movement "mistakes" that can compromise the knee joint,and what we can do about it!
Knee Injury Overview
Officially, a knee injury can affect any of the ligaments, tendons or fluid-filled sacs (bursae) that surround your knee joints. A 
knee injury can also affect the bones, cartilage and ligaments that form the knee joint itself. And because knee joints are so complex, combined with the amount of use knees get over a lifetime, along with the range of injuries and diseases that can cause knee pain, is it any wonder that the signs and symptoms of knee problems are so persistent?
There are common mistakes that we make in our daily movement that can cause knee damage, discomfort, pain - and even worse, injury.
The GOOD news is there are easy corrections that we can make to reduce negative impact on the knee joints, create a situation where we are diminishing the chance of inflicting further damage, and rebuilding them at the same time. Read on.
Why Is The Knee Joint So Vulnerable?
The human body may be a fantastic design, yet we ask so darn much of the knee that does one really wonder how it holds up to the challenges? We twist, turn, move laterally (think dashes side to side on a basketball court), leverage…just for starters. And don't get me started on what sports ask of our knees. (Actually, I already DID get started on that one. And don't knee injuries top the list of current and veteran athletes?)
This all adds up to a heap of trouble when it comes to needs, leading to potential injury of ligaments, tendons, meniscus (cartilage that curves within your knee joint), dislocation, bursitis…and this is not even an exhaustive list. Should you have recurring knee pain or malfunction, you should see an orthopedic surgeon to get an appropriate diagnosis and treatment. For our purposes today, I'll stay focused on the preventative.
Briefly, it is a long, long from ankle to hip and we ask our knees to process the whole challenge. There are 3 big mistakes in carriage and alignment that are huge contributors to knee pain. Let's look at them next, and then I'll provide some simple solutions that you can start to implement immediately.
End of Part 1. Next time: 3 movement mistakes that lead to knee pain.
P.S. Can't wait to read Part 2? You can read this article in its entirety here: Knee S.O.S. !
© Lani Muelrath, M.A., All Rights Reserved
Comments