Knee Information

[Davantalus]

I've relied heavily on webmd.com - anyone have other good links?

 

Obviously, none of this information should take the place of seeing a licensed professional.

 

General:

 

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97801.htm

 

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/4/1680_50108.htm

 

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=88&topcategory=Knee

 

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=4630

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/sports_and_fitness/aa62106.asp

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/arthritis/hw28334.asp

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/tv6560.asp

 

See a doctor?:

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/sports_and_fitness/aa62164.asp

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/sports_and_fitness/aa62289.asp

 

Good thread stuff on torn ACLs:

 

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=12509

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw124476.asp

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw124499.asp

 

Knee excersises:

 

http://www.orthoxpress.com/knee3.html

 

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/83/97804.htm

 

Glucosimine/Condroiten threads:

 

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1657

 

http://www.karateforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=5408

 

Pictures:

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw139757.asp?printing=true

 

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw143237.asp?printing=true

 

Various posts I found interesting or helpful...

 

Dijita says, "I woke up this morning, got out of bed and walked, and my knee cap popped out and I fell to the floor."

 

Reply from ZR440 -

 

Ah yes, the old sublexation of the patella. I had that. Doctor told me to do leg curls and extensions. Unfortunately, your's sounds quite serious and I don't think there is a quick fix by the weekend other than ice and ibuprofen. Go see a doctor.

 

Excessive movement of kneecap. Hurts like h-e-(double hockey sticks), doesn't it? You might be able to use a neoprene knee wrap to keep it centered for now, but you really need to see a doctor. There might be something serious going on there.

 

Ti-Kwon-Leap -

 

1. Get 8-9 FULL hours sleep (this is more important than anyone realizes.

 

2. DO NOT fully lock your knee out until it has a chance to heal. (this applies to whether or not it is the supporting leg.

 

3. No deep knee bends! tell your instructor about your injury so he doesn't give you a hard time.

 

4. before each workout carefully warm up by doing the "bicycle" exercise while on your back or some other non-stress warmup.

 

after each workout or whenever you have time, ice the knee till it becomes semi numb and proceed to massage till the pain returns. repeat 2 or three times.

 

5. you might consider taking a Glucosamine/Condroitin suppliment till your knee improves.

 

I would suggest a couple days of complete rest or at the very least extremely light activity (like swimming for example)

 

The possibility exists that you may have damaged the cartilage or connective tissue and it may require seeing a physical therapist specializing in sports injury.

 

Shudokan -

 

Greetings, I'm new to this forum and will give you my best opinion on how to strengthen your weak leg. I'm a nurse and have learned that the body has a very powerful homestatic ability in healing. What this means is, what is good for one leg is good for the other. In other words, you can strengthen the good leg and the weaker leg will get stronger and build muscle. You won't be off balance especially as the healing process continues. I realize that this may be hard to believe but studies have shown that even when in a cast, the weak leg can build muscle due to strength training on the non-injured side.

 

Rich67 -

 

There's a little piece of tissue in the knee socket called the meniscus. It's normally smooth and well-lubricated, but as you age or put more stress on your knees, it loses its lubrication and also may tear. The only way to check out how it is doing is thru ortho surgery, or an MRI. I say, as long as your knee isn't "giving out", don't worry too much. Just do more quadricep exercises. I hear that weak quads make knees more susceptible to injury. Also try taking glucosamine supplements. Mild knee pain is common as you age, but that just means it's getting weaker and can't handle the stress you are putting on it. If you're a runner, try taking some time off and see if it improves. If not, just try the quad exercises (leg extensions, lunges, squats) and build them up.

 

WhiteBelt -

 

I think there needs to be a stick for knee problems. You know, given that this is a MA forum.

 

- see a doctor

 

- maybe even a physiotherapist

 

- work on your quads

 

-> squat, deadlift, maybe lunges

 

- work on your hamstrings

 

-> straight leg deadlift, good mornings, glute ham raise

 

- glucosamine, chondriotin, MSM help (but I doubt I spelled two of them correctly)

 

- see a doctor

 

sindian -

 

My advice to you is to do weight training. It hurts like hell after knee surgery, but it's important. The best exercises, according to my physical therapist, are the leg press, leg extension, and leg curl. Do some squats, leg raises, and calf raises if you have time. My doctor didn't want me to do the leg extensions for a while after my surgery though, so be careful. I'd also get on the treadmill or the stair climber. Don't forget to keep stretching. Also, keep wearing your knee brace for a while. I still wear mine just to be safe. Also, take it easy in class. Train hard, but listen to your body.

 

TKDLadyInSC on Glucosamine/chondrotin -

 

Here is what my orthopaedist told me:

 

There is no proof it works, & there is no proof it doesn't work. Try it.

 

I tried it and it didn't do anything for me (knee problems). He said it's 50/50 with his patients. Some swear by it, and others, nothing.

 

TKDLadyInSC on weighted kicks -

 

Weighted kicks! Bad Bad News.

 

Think of it like this (but don't do this)!

 

Take your dog Scruffy. tie a rope around Scruffy's waist. Leave 5' of rope loose. Pick up the rope and throw it. Nothing happens. Scruffy just looks at you like you're an idiot.

 

Now tie a 10 lb weight to the other end of the rope. Thow the rope. Bye Bye Scruffy.

 

Same thing happens to your knees. Bye Bye knees.

 

And believe me, knees are important. I am 28 yrs old and just had knee surgery 5 days ago. I thought TKD was tough, rehab is horrible . Save your knees. Pain is no fun.

 

Like many people said, do slow motion kicks, builds muscles.

 

Do ab work. Strong abs allow you to chamber and retract your kicks faster.

 

If you wanted to do some kind of weighted kick, you would need to figure out a way to attatch the weights to your thighs. This seems a lot safer and would help tone muscles too.

 

CanuckMA -

 

SEE A DOCTOR. Never 'suck up the pain'. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. The MCL can be rehabed without surgery but it takes time. I got a 2nd degree tear on one of mine couple of years ago and it took 6 months og 3-times a week therapy to get it fixed. I still wear a brace while training.

 

GrrArg says, "My point, if the doc says they're fine but they continue to hurt, go back and use pester power until they have a proper look at them, worked for me."

 

And my favorite from the ever practical TheDevilAside -

 

"Duct tape it."

 

Good luck with your knee problems!

 

Dav

 

Edited for typos

[BritNoob]

Very handy, thanks!

[GrrrArg]

Good post Davantalus. I'll see if we can have this made into a sticky thread given the amount of people who have trouble with their knees.

[Davantalus]

Thanks! I was shooting for a sticky.

 

I figured that while I was researching my own problems I might as well try to compile all the information here!

[Bretty101]

Sticky - yeah!!!!

 

Good stuff!!

 

Bretty

[SaiFightsMS]

Let's bump this up.

[Aodhan]

Another bump with a bit more information:

Tendons connect muscles to bone, ligaments connect bone to bone. Your patella is contained inside a tendon, and is a pyramid shape. It tracks in a "V" shaped groove at the end of the femur. When you sublex or dislocate it, you have basically popped it out of that groove.

There are 4 ligaments in the knee, Anterior Cruciate, Posterior Cruciate, Medial collateral and lateral collateral. The cruciates form a large X (Hence the cruciate), and all 4 stabilize the knee by connecting the femur to the tibia.

There are two menisci in the knee, one lateral (Towards the outside of the leg), and one medial (Towards the inside of the leg.) They are halfmoon in shape, and provide padding between the tibia and the femur (They rest on top of the tibia.)

There are dozens of treatment regimens, depending on what the injury is. Even if you are able to walk without pain, any time you injure the knee you should get it checked out, there is a lot of damage that can be done that won't have associated pain (Other than immediate at time of injury.)

Aodhan

[Davantalus]

Crossposted from another thread I contributed to...

My knees aren't horrible, but they definitely hurt, sometimes very much, sometimes they don't even want to support my weight walking to class!

I've been experimenting with multiple cures. A combination of the below list has helped MY knees feel much better. There seems to be no magic bullet:

1) No carbonated beverages! The carbon dioxide does more to your body than just making you burp. Definite information and studies are scarce but I've read about it breaking down bones, cartilage, ligaments. Besides, cutting soda is good for you anyway.

2) Grow some more muscle! Eat after your workouts and make sure you're getting enough protein. Grab some protein powder, even.

3) Don't stomp. If there's a move in your style that requires it, don't stomp if it's not a test.

4) Take Aikido? I've been taking Aikido for about two month, you have to get off the floor hundreds of times per session. It worked for me. You might have to substitute with weight lifting or gravity exercises.

5) Find a floor that doesn't hurt! I've managed to train on a wooden basketball gym floor thrice a week while decreasing my injuries sustained from it. However it would be better for your joints if you practice on well-insulated carpet, or similar.

6) Glucosimine/Condroitin! Take these vitamins once *every* day. You won't see results until you've been taking it for about a month. And even then, you can't be 100% certain they help. But I'm not going to stop taking them to find out!

Your milage WILL vary, and I agree with Grr, I'd cripple myself doing all those exercises, I rarely work my knees at the gym, and even then I only do 10-15 reps.

Share your knee voodoo people! I want to know!

[Davantalus]

Thanks for the info Aodhan!

Additionally A few months ago I found a chance to visit bodyworlds. I highly recommend it, especially for people with knee problems because you can see in real life what your knee looks like!

If you live in a city listed, I command you to go.

http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/pages/home.asp