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Avoiding a Knee Injury
by Chris Akard
There are two basic ways to injure your knee. One is by an acute injury. This is
the type of injury where something goes wrong in your activity and you receive
damage to the knee in that instant. The second type of knee injury is a chronic
injury. This is caused by use and abuse to the knee over a period of time. In
this column, I will show ways to reduce the risk of both chronic and acute knee
injury.
Chronic Knee Injury
To avoid a chronic knee injury, it is important to understand what positions
can cause the gradual damage to the articulation. I've identified two positions
that are highly responsible for chronic knee injury.
Unsafe Position No. 1 -- Less than a 90-degree angle
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Illustration A - The knee is at less than 90-degree angle.
Illustration B - Knee is now at a 90-degree angle.
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When performing any leg exercise or even bending to pick something up, it is
important to bend your knees at no more than a 90-degree angle. When the knee
does drop past 90 degrees, it puts a great deal of strain on the knee ligaments.
The leg muscles are not able to assist the bend as well and, as a result, the
ligaments in the knee take the load. Your ligaments are like rubber bands that
hold your knee in place. Keep it at 90 degrees and let your muscle do the work.
Unsafe Position No. 2 -- Pressure on the Patella (knee cap)
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Illustration C - Ouch! pressure on patella.
Illustration D - Use a cushion below patella.
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Pressure on the patella is the other culprit for chronic knee conditions. The
result of doing this over time develops what is known as chondromilacia. It's a
roughening of the back side of the patella. It causes a grinding sound and can
become painful and require medical attention. Putting pressure on the knee cap
is something that is usually done very unconsciously. Try to be more aware of
the patella and protect it with a cushion of some type.
Acute Knee Injury
We now know that an acute knee injury comes from a movement that causes an
immediate injury. Other than being careful, the only thing we can do is
strengthen the knee. This will significantly reduce the risk. The increased
muscle allows for joint integrity. The conditioning gives you awareness of the
knee and the muscles that support it. There are many exercises that will help
the knee. The leg extension is one that will add stability and strength to the
knee.
Leg Extension
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Illustration E - Do two to four sets of 15 to 30 repetitions.
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Remember, don't go less that a 90-degree angle on these. In fact, on the leg
extension, I recommend going down no less than 45 degrees. Exhale as you lift
up. Use a medium tempo and keep the weight under control. Extend your knees a
full extension. This will strengthen the quadricep muscle.
You only get one set of knees per lifetime. Take good care of them and
they'll take good care of you!
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