FitSugar

Show Your Running Knees Some Love

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:00:26 -0700

Running as a convenient form of cardio may be the bee's knees, but it can leave my knees aching. Although studies have found there is no connection between running and an increased risk for arthritis, there are some easy ways to show your knees some love.

Stay flexible: Tight hamstrings or quads can prevent the knee from going through its full range of motion, which can negatively impact the soft tissues that work the knee. Hamstrings can get especially tight for runners, and here are five easy ways to lengthen the muscles in the back of your legs. Don't forget to stretch your quads postrun, as well as your calves. Tight calves can create knee pain as well.

Keep reading for three more tips.

Cycling Tip: Ideal RPM

FitSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 03:00:00 -0700

National Bike Month may be drawing to a close, but I hope we all keep on pedaling. To protect your knees and prevent leg fatigue while cycling, you need to gauge your rpms - the revolutions per minute of your pedals. The magic number is 80 rpms. Between 60 to 80 rpms is considered ideal for your knees, and most racing cyclists try to stick between 80 and 110 revolutions. Regardless if you are trying to protect your knees or keep your legs from tiring too quickly, aim to pedal between 60 to 110 revolutions per minute.

To figure out your pace, count how many times your right leg comes to the top of the pedal stroke during a 10 second period, then multiply your count by six, and that number will be your revolutions per minute. Timing yourself, counting, and doing multiplication while biking can be a bit challenging, but you'll get the hang of it.

If you're really into cycling, you should invest in a cyclocomputer with cadence, like this one by Cat Eye $35. If you have a cycling computer that you love, share the details in the comments below.

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Things to Know About Running and Your Knees

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:30:00 -0700

Let's face it, running is a convenient form of exercise and can make you high. The only downside, I seem to experience is the occasional aching knee.

I take care of this important joint by strengthening my quads and rolling out my ITB. I do find it heartening that many studies have found that running doesn't contribute to osteoarthritis in the knee joint. Many of the studies on avid runners, weekend warriors and non-runners found that running did not increase the risk of developing arthritis. While little aches do creep up every now and then, the benefits of running seem to outweigh the pain.

Speaking of weight, it is true that every extra pound you carry on your frame creates an extra four pounds of stress on the knee. Running to stay in shape and keep off weight helps your knees, which in turn will keep you running. So get out there, and don't pound the pavement, run softly on the trail and enjoy your strong legs and healthy knees.

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DrSugar on Chronic and Nagging Knee Pain

DrSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:30:00 -0700

DrSugar is keyed up about the knee and the nagging pain in that joint that can frustrate your fitness drive. Here's what he has to say.

Let's begin with a brief anatomy lesson for the knee is a complicated structure with multiple moving parts and a variety of connective tissues holding everything together. For a dedicated athlete or even the average weekend warrior, the knee joint is a minefield of potential sites of injury. Commonly injured areas prone to inflammation include: the prepatellar bursa (in front of the knee cap), patellar tendon (holds the knee cap in place), anterior cruciate ligament (criss-crosses inside the knee), meniscus (lines the bottom of the knee joint), as well as the bones and muscles making up the knee joint.

Now that you know a little more about the structure of the knee, to see how it can break down read more.

Chronic knee pain is usually due to inflammation of tendons or bursa around the knee, however sometimes more serious injuries such as stress fractures of the tibia (shin bone) can also start as a nagging pain. Two of the most common chronic knee problems are patellofemoral syndrome (aka runner's knee), which affects the anterior knee, and iliotibial band syndrome, which affects the lateral knee and thigh. Both are very common and usually occur as a result of overuse or poor exercise habits. To prevent these syndromes it is important to minimize high impact activities when possible. This includes always using proper running shoes that fit well, avoiding downhill running, and minimizing jumping or running on hard surfaces, such as concrete. Other ways to decrease stress on the knee include mixing exercises such as running, swimming, and biking. The idea is to avoid producing only one type or repetitive motion at the knee joint.

If it is too late for prevention, then there are a number of ways you can help treat your soft tissue knee injury. The most important first step is to slow down and avoid the activity that is causing the pain. The most common culprit is running because it is such a common high impact activity. If you are an avid runner plagued with knee pain, you might have to switch to biking or swimming until the inflammation subsides. Ice, heat, and anti-inflammatory medications can also help with pain in an acute setting, but are unlikely to provide any long term benefit. For long term results, it is important to strengthen the muscles around the knee. This can be accomplished through physical therapy or core strength training with an experienced trainer. Another important solution is to have your feet evaluated for orthotics or other shoe inserts if you suspect that you have low arches or any other foot abnormality. It is also important to see your doctor for any severe knee pain or prolonged pain that is not relieved with methods described above to rule out more significant damage to ligaments or bones.

If you have a question for DrSugar, send me a private message here and I will forward it to the good doctor.

DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

Protect Your Knees on the Downside

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Hopefully you all are getting outside and going for some hikes. While hiking uphill feels great, works your backside, and increases your heart rate, walking down the other side can cause some serious knee pain. Walking, or even worse running, downhill can really stress your knee joints. Here are a few tips on how to protect your knees when headed down the other side of the incline.

Wake up your VMO: The VMO (vastis medialis oblique) is the muscle that keeps the knee cap tracking correctly. It is the inner part of your quads and soccer stars like Davids Beckham (he does have lovely legs – too bad the Galaxy uniform shorts are so long), have nicely developed VMOs. It is a lazy muscle so you have to wake up the VMO by giving it a little pat, smack, or flick. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

Zigzag: Instead of walking straight down the incline, try going in a zigzag pattern. Making your own personal switch backs significantly decreases the pressure on your knee joints. Plus if you are wearing a pedometer, walking this way will probably double the amount of steps you take on your descent.

I have another tip so read more.

Try walking backwards: Walking backwards gives tired muscles a break since moving this way uses the opposite muscle group of walking forward. Make sure to twist your head around to see where you are going and do alternate the shoulder you look over – you don't want to tweak your neck just looking to one side.

Fit's Tip: If your knees are bugging you after a vigorous hike, try rolling out your IT Band or use some hiking poles.

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Run For Your Life: Joint Pain and Running

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:30:00 -0800

Do you love to run, but worry about the future of your knees? You are not alone. If you take care of your body, it should take care of you and keep you running for life. Here are a few suggestions on how to make sure you are keeping your knees in top condition for life.

Don't run through joint pain. Listen to what your ankles, knees and hips are telling you! Deal with injuries quickly to prevent long term damage. Make sure to allow any injury to thoroughly heal before upping your running regimen.
Stick to soft surfaces whenever possible. Choose asphalt over concrete and grass over asphalt.
Wear supportive running shoes. Check out this list of running shoes ranked by podiatrists. It should steer you toward a shoe made for your foot and gait.
Replace your running shoes when they wear out. It is recommended that you replace your sneakers every 300 to 350 miles. Give those shoes the twist test to see if they are still supporting your feet.
If you are training for a long race, respect your rest days. Give your muscles and joints time to repair themselves from the wear and tear of your training.
Keep the muscular strength of your legs balanced and keep your hamstrings, quads and calves flexible. Tight leg muscles can put unnecessary pressure on your knees and create misalignment issues.

I sure do hope these tips keep you running for life!

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Fit Tip: Don't Lock Your Knees

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:30:00 -0800

It is the beginning of the year and a good time to review some fitness basics on how to treat your body when working out, specifically your knees. I am here to remind you to avoid locking your knees. When you are lifting weights, either with a machine or free weights, do not jam your knees to a fully straight position, forcing the joint to lock at its end range of movement. The sensation of a locked knee is the energy of the joint going back instead of up.

Locking your knee in this manner puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the joint, which in turn increases your risk for injury. When you lock the knee, the joint, not the muscle, is doing all the work, and the muscles were designed to do the work. The soft tissues of the joint are vulnerable and cannot regenerate, leaving your knees ripe for overuse injury if you tax them by locking the joint. When using the leg extension machine to work your quads, make sure you are just straightening the knee and not jamming the joint into a locked position. Control that last bit of straightening the knee with your muscles. Don't let momentum force you past a safe position.

Try to avoid the locked knee position when you’re lifting weights, cycling (for instance, if your seat is too high), or doing yoga or any other activity that puts extra weight on your knees. When working out at the gym or in an exercise class, ask a trainer or yoga teacher to evaluate your technique.

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How to Protect Your Knees When Hiking Downhill

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Hopefully you all are getting outside and going for some hikes. While hiking uphill feels great, works your backside and increases your heart rate, walking down the other side can cause some serious knee pain. Walking, or even worse running, downhill can really stress your knee joints. Here are a few tips on how to protect your knees when headed down an incline.

Wake up your VMO - The VMO (vastis medialis oblique) is the muscle that keeps the knee cap tracking correctly. It is the inner part of your quads and soccer stars like Davids Beckham, have nicely developed VMO's. It is a lazy muscle so you have to wake up the VMO by giving it a little pat, smack or flick. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

Zig-zag - Instead of walking straight down the incline, try going in a zig zag pattern. Making your own personal switch backs significantly decreases the pressure on your knee joints. Plus if you are wearing a pedometer, walking this way will probably double the amount of steps you take on your descent.

Try walking backwards Walking backwards gives tired muscles a break since moving this way uses the opposite muscle group of walking forward. Make sure to twist your head around to see where you are going and do alternate the shoulder you look over - you don't want to tweak your neck just looking to one side.

If your knees are bugging you after a vigorous hike, try rolling out your IT Band.

Source

Knee Health & Running: Roll Out Those IT Bands

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Running is one of my favorite ways to get my heart rate up, but let's face it - running can be hard on the knees. A very common injury for runners is the Iliotibial Band (ITB) Syndrome (for more on the ITB see The Skinny on: The ITB) - the ITB is a band of fascia that runs down the outside of the thigh. If you are experiencing pain on the outside of your knee or knees when running, it might just be this syndrome, which occurs when the ITB is too tight and disrupts proper knee function.

Here are the main symptoms to look out for:

Pain on the outside of knee that increases when running, especially running down hill, and the pain disappears soon after you stop running.
Tenderness when you touch the outside of the knee, with signs of inflammation.
As the syndrome progresses there may be a sharp stinging pain, or burning on the outside of the knee.

The best way to deal with the ITB syndrome is to prevent it before it starts. I find that releasing the ITB with a foam roller is the best and most direct approach. It can be a little uncomfortable (that is an understatement) at first, but if it is super painful you really need to roll it.

To learn how to roll out your ITB read more

Folks with excessive pronation are prone to ITB syndrome, so if you pronate and run look into getting a pair of orthotics (podiatrist made insoles) or supportive running shoes like Axiom 2 by Brooks designed to decrease pronation.

When I talk to folks that have been running for years, they tend to give me unsolicited advice and a lot of them tell me to take care of my knees.

So roll those ITBs out, even if you don't have knee pain since prevention is often the key to staying injury free.

Soccer, Quads, and Knees

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Although, we have all known for a long time that men are from Mars and women from Venus, the scientific community is just figuring out that we're different. It is not just men and women who are different exercisewise, it is true for boys and girls, too. Specifically, they are different when it comes to the knee joint.

Quarterback Tom Brady may be breaking NFL hearts with his ACL tear, but the injury occurs up to six times more frequently in high-school girls than in same aged boys. The reason is two fold: Boys experience a growth spurt in puberty that increases the size and strength of their hamstrings and glutes. Girls don't really experience a "power spurt" in the same way. Girls tend to have strong quads, the muscle on the front of the thigh, and weak hamstrings and glutes on the back of the thighs. This imbalance takes it toll on the knee, and specifically the anterior cruciate ligament, better known as the ACL.

The muscle imbalance and the dominance of the quad disrupts the correct muscular pattern, or "turn on function" of the back of the legs. Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center created a leg-conditioning program for female high-school athletes. The work focuses on activating and strengthening the backside of the body. And this re-education takes time. Generally three sessions a week that are 30 to 60 minutes long for an eight-week program.

To learn what the conditioning program entails, just read more.
Tim Hewet, who created the conditioning program explains the work like this:

ACL injuries don't happen when you have your knee flexed deep. So, [I'm] teaching them to get in deep, flexed position, turning on all the muscles on the back side of the leg, and at the same time, controlling or stiffening their core.

Preventing injury means more girls can stay on the field and hopefully have healthy knees as they age, a big concern for me and my aging knees. Take home message: If you have a daughter that plays soccer, basketball, or tennis you should look into creating a knee health program at her high school. If you play sports, keep your hamstring and glutes strong.

If you have torn your ACL, share the details of your recovery in the comments section below.

For more specifics on ACL injures, check our new Health Guide.

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