Hi all. HOpe those who might have been or are in my situation can offer their advice. Basically, my knees are starting to hurt, perhaps on account of the squats/deadlifts I’ve been doing for the past couple of years, and the many years of running I did before getting into weightlifting. Anybody have suggestions as to what protocols/supplements would help my knees. It’s not a matter of chronic pain, but rather just a feeling of discomfort I am beginning to feel, like when taking the stairs, etc. Thanks for any feedback!
Try chrondroitin and maybe some glucosamine. Warm up twice as long as you should. Ice it after a session. Change the angles on lifts that cause the most pain/stress. A wider squat stance helps. Avoiding lunges and hack squats help. Just shift the focus to the hams/glutes/posterior chain sometimes. Also, avoid having the leg in a position where the foot is turned in our out relative to the thigh. It should be in line with the thigh. If you squat with legs at a 30 degree angle, feet should be in line with them, not straight ahead. That foot position adds to the shearing forces on the knee. Consider altering your cardio to sled dragging, rowing, rock climbing, swimming, etc…
How flexible are you (i.e., in the leg lowering test)? You may have extremely tight hamstrings, hip flexors, and especially weak abductor muscles. Do your knees tend to “buckle” when approaching the lower portion of a squat? How tall are you? It sounds like you’re in the beginning stages of tendonitis.
To Chris!
Thanks so much for your reply…you are right on the money with your reply. Yes! I definitely as very tight in my hip flexors, and lower body in general. I am so conscious of that, but make little time to stretch (that’s one area I am very weak on).
And YES! My knees DO buckle when I squat heavy for myself and I have been wondering how to counter the knee buckling as well.
Finally, I’m not tall - I’m about 5’8". Anyway, your assessment of my situation impressed me greatly…if you have any suggestions on how what to do based on what I’ve shared here, please feel free to reply again. Thanks much!
fuse your tibia and femur.
There are also herbal topical formulas that may help relive pain. Boswellia, devil’s claw, tumeric are some. Look for natural products that contain these, like Lakota joint care products. I rub these creams on my achey knees at night before bed and they feel great in the AM, when I train. If I don’t they are still stiff and achey.
I think you are approaching this (at least partially) from the wrong angle. NO CHRONIC CONDITION is caused by the LACK of some supplement…SO…any supplement (whether it helps or not) will not “cure” your problem anymore than covering your ears will keep you from hearing who is knocking at the door. Eventually, the damage one is doing would get so bad that even the supplement would not help. What will you take then? Of course this type of thinking isn’t really your fault since the current medical paradign pushes people to look for something to take for every illness.
Anyway, you need to attack the problem at it’s source–whether that is tight hamstrings, poor technique, etc. Finding a good chiropractor who is an expert in the extremeties (could be an externally rotated tibia, or an anterior femur head, etc) would not be a bad idea either. There is also a dietary/immunological issue with many joint issues, but that is beyond the scope of this message.
Lorne-
You’ve identified your weaknesses, so now you need to take the appropriate steps to remedy them.
My suggestions would include:
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Lighten the load on your squat weight and focus on maintaining knee integrity when approaching rock bottom. An alternative might be the one-legged version.
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Stretch your hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors. You desperately need to improve your flexibility in those departments.
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Strengthen the abductor muscles via a low cable attachment. IMO, this is a great exercise.
Supplements won’t make any difference (they usually don’t). Good luck with the “knee-hab” and I hope this information is helpful!
I agree with the notion that supplements may help reduce symptoms, but not the cause. You say that you’ve been running? Could be a repetitive strain injury. Drop running for a while and find out if it still bugs you.
Be causal with your approach, not symptomatic. Your squat technique is likely sub-optimal if it causes your knees to hurt. Have someone who’s qualified assess your exercise form.
And Stretch! Anyone who has pain and doesn’t stretch is only doing it to themselves.
to Chris!
thanks for your great feedback. I appreciated it! You mentioned, “Strengthen the abductors through a low cable attachment.” Sorry for sounding so ignorant…can you explain what that means? Thanks again!
ReturnToForever has given an excellent answer!
Thanks.
I’ve kind of been there, so I could wax about this stuff for qutie awhile. All I can really say in the end is that self-education about any problem is the best path.
Also, check out Ian King’s last article “out of Kilter” (or whatever). His philosophy reminds me a lot of Alexander Technique (something else that would really help with your use of your joints if you can find a teacher in your town.) Prolotheraphy is also an effective treatment is you have lax ligaments which in turn causes patellar instability.
Best of Luck.
Glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM have worked wonders for me, and insulin resistance be damned, I love my running too much.
Heating pads at night are wonderful too…I usually wrap my knees up for 15-30 minutes on medium heat…aaah.
Sylvan Mind Control Method.
No, seriously.