This blog will help to understand the biggest myths around knee pain. You may have heard of some of these key misconceptions before….
We will help you to understand why and where you may have been going wrong, and what you really need to do to live a pain free happy life.
No one wants to be told they cannot participate in something they really want to be able to do because of the potential risks it may cause to the body. So let’s put to bed the myths and give you the right steps to become pain free.
1) If your knee pain doesn’t go away it may be something more sinister that requires a scan
We understand it may be concerning when your knee pain is lingering and is getting to the point where you are worrying about it stopping you from your day to day activities.
It may feel like something more serious that you initially thought… It may even cross your mind that the knee may require further investigations like a scan to know for sure what is going on in the knee.
At Prosport we want to treat the cause of the problem and work our way back unraveling the issues that may have resulted in the knee pain you have now. In some cases it may be that your pain may need further investigations to identify any underlying problem if your therapist feels appropriate.
In most cases an MRI/scan will not help with the rehab process and getting you back to full fitness. Therefore unless your therapist recommends an MRI/scan, it is best to stick to your rehab identifying key areas not working hard enough to get your body working as efficiently as possible so you can return to the things that you love and need to do sooner.
2) Quad and glute exercises will fix your knee pain
It is very common prior to physiotherapy treatment for patients to try and fix the problem themselves. One of the ways to do this is to search the web for a magic bullet exercise that will help get rid of the pain.
In most cases these exercises are VERY generic, They are not specific to the type of injury, and are not going to help every patient when everyone has different goals to achieve. For example they will not have the same benefit for a sedentary woman who wants to be able to climb the stairs pain free compared to an active male who wants to run a marathon.
This is all accounted for here at Prosport, your goals are taken into consideration and the exercises are specific to the movements you NEED and WANT to be able to do.
Normally these exercises found on the internet will guide you to strengthening the muscles around the knee (the quad) or around the hip (the glutes).
These exercises will not always give you the results you want to see. Prior to completing these exercises, it is always a good idea to start with an assessment so your therapist can identify what areas need improvement.
3) Sufficient rest will allow you to continue with regular exercise
The second self management strategy is to do nothing. Give the injury time to rest and hopefully it will be gone when you return to your normal activities
Now rest is vital to allowing the body time to heal and recover from an injury, but in most cases this simply isn’t enough to stop the pain from coming back.
The key to being pain free is ensuring that each part of your body is tolerating load efficiently without overcompensating in other areas. Rest may help give your injury time to heal but it will not ensure your body is moving efficiently.
Subconsciously your body will try to protect itself from more pain and in most cases this often includes working other muscles harder.
4) A knee brace will provide all the support you need to play sports
Although a knee brace can have a number of benefits, it is NOT going to prevent or completely get rid of your knee pain.
Knee supports are fantastic at being able to provide support for the knee, but in most cases your knee may require an assessment to rule out anything sinister and put in place the correct steps to make sure that the problem doesn’t get worse.
You can use knee support alongside your rehabilitation to help keep the knee stable and also to reduce any swelling.
However do not expect it to work like a magic wand, as I can guarantee this is not the answer you are looking for.
5) Keep running through the pain and it will go by itself
You may have experienced a tweak in your knee before and thought nothing of it, so instead you continue with your regular exercise and slowly over time the pain goes away.
This is a great result as it means you can continue with your normal day to day activities.
However this isnt always the case.
In most situations the knee needs time to heal, this includes sufficient rest, once you have done this it is important to identify if there is anything sinister going on inside the knee which may require further investigations. Once this has been ruled out, we need to ensure that your body continues to move the SAME way it did prior to your injury.
As mentioned previously your body will subconsciously continue in a way to ensure you don’t experience pain, and in doing this causes other muscles and parts of the body to pick up the slack which later on down the line can cause you to experience pain in those areas.
An assessment will identify key areas that are not doing enough work for you and other areas that are picking up the slack as a result.
Steps to get back to being pain free
Step 1 – Follow this link // https://prosportphysio.com/contact/
Step 2 – Click the appointment button.
Step 3 – Book the time that suits you and let us get you back to the activities you need and want to do.
Do you feel held back when it comes to running?
You want to run faster for longer but feel like your body is the only thing holding you back….
You may have already searched the web for the next best exercise that will increase strength and stamina. But the secret is behind the efficiency of the way your body moves.
Step One: Interval training
Interval training is a method of training that allows your body to work at higher levels of intensity for shorter periods of time followed by a rest or active rest period.
The body is not normally designed for withstanding high levels of intensity for long periods.
Not many people out there can run a marathon at a sprint pace.
So interval training allows the body to meet higher levels for shorter periods to prepare the body for performing higher intensities.
The benefit behind interval training is that you can do it anywhere and you can also adapt it to suit yourself.
You could sprint for 20 seconds followed by jog for 1 minute or sprint for 30 seconds followed by a steady walk for a minute and a half, the choice is yours. This may alter depending on what goals you want to achieve.
The more you do the more the body will adapt to the demand of the exercise, The quicker the body will recover which means you can have less rest time and increase the amount of time you perform higher intensities at. This will in the long run enable you to maximise your running potential.
Step two: Have an appropriate plan/target in place
We’ve all been there at the start of the new year and we have set ourselves high expectations of being able to hit new fitness goals, whether it is weight loss, muscle gain, or being able to run a certain distance.
Sometimes we can be a tad too optimistic when setting these goals and they slowly become more and more unrealistic. It can be a bitter pill to swallow having to give up on this goal you have set yourself but it can also throw you off making any progress at all.
To see improvements in your running performance it is important firstly to note that progress needs to be made in small steps. This is what will keep you on track in the long run. The end goal needs to be realistic for you! Not for your running partner!
Set a goal you can achieve so you can continue to make progress and also maintain this progress.
Ask yourself:
- Is it specific to you?
- How are you going to track your progress?
- Are you able to continue this consistently?
- Do you believe you can achieve the goal you have set?
- Can you do this in the time you have set?
Step three: Improve form and efficiency of movement
You may already be aware that at Prosport Physiotherapy we emphasise the importance of being able to run efficiently. If you’re not putting enough load into one part of the body another area will pick up the slack. This is your body’s natural response and it is completely normal.
You could’ve experienced an ankle injury before in the past and now you might be struggling with pain in the knee or the hip or the back.
This is a very common presentation and this is why it is so important to ensure that we have a good understanding of your previous injuries.
The truth is, if you aren’t running efficiently it doesn’t really matter how much interval training or what equipment you have.
The last thing anyone wants in the run up to a big event is to get injured, or to get injured as a result of running a big event.
Running without any muscular imbalances will ensure that you are at your best ability. Everything should do its job rather than other areas picking up the slack.
It is common for people not to experience any pain as a result of muscles overworking, however they are more susceptible to injury in the future.
It is important to also make sure that your body is able to maintain efficiency whilst at high intensity for long periods of time.
If you are interested in booking one of our running assessments to identify key areas that require strengthening please call us on 01484 443173 or email wecare@prosportphysio.com