With a knee injury.

The knee joint, the knee is the joint connecting the femur, tibia and the patella. (Wikipedia)

Knee pain, this nagging and debilitating pain that interferes with normal human life. Many of us at least once in your life felt it. But why it appears? A grueling workout? Injury? What? How to treat it? Today we will look at some of the things briefly I will tell.

IMPORTANT! The information below relates solely to strength training with a barbell and may not coincide with the recommendations for improving travmobezopasnosti knee joints in people doing Jogging, martial arts, athletics, competitive sports, etc.

Flexibility And Stability

Warm up and do stretching before you exercise. We often hear, and also about the benefits of flexibility and its development for prevention of injuries of joints and spine. This is partly true, but in that case, if done correctly and right. Actually, not all the joints and ligaments of health need flexibility. Here, for example the knee joint, flexibility, especially increased, only harm, unless, of course, the normal flexibility of the knee joint was not violated by the previous injury. The knees first of all need stability!; Stretch any of the components of the knee joint, deliberately raising his mobility was a mistake.

The stability of the knee improves enough power extensor of the thigh, calf muscles, and the strength of ligaments, fixing the knee. The latter will be stronger, but only if your legs will become stronger. For example, by regularly performing squats with a barbell on your back or chest, and deadlift and other exercises of the same type.

Hip. Front or back surface?

Heard this one? : "Injuries of the knee joint or the recovery should place special emphasis on training quads". Further, typically, the client is taken to the simulator for the extension of the leg and asked to do 15-30 repetitions 4-5 times a week, then leg press and then of course control the "Shot" is a combination of the first and second. "Only to squat in any case!; And deadlift you, too bad!"...

What can I say? Probably nothing...

Remember, it does not matter — you already hurt your knee or you just fear for his health, muscles front of the thigh, regardless of how good they may be, will not help you practically nothing! Even more: the quadriceps is perhaps the only major muscle group of the lower limbs, which not only helps, but on the contrary, is opposed to the integrity of the knee joint.

Why? you may ask, and rightly so, it's appropriate. Let's think together

What the knee injury is most common? That's right — stretching, partial or complete rupture . Next: what makes this bunch? True: ensures the stability of the joint, resisting excessive movement of the femur relative to the tibia bones. It is quite logical. What muscle group attaches below the knee joint and pulls the tibia back into the pelvis, relaxing the load on the anterior cruciate ligament? Well, of course: the muscles of the back of the thigh! So if you care about your feet, do not fear the deadlift. Train your hamstring (and hip extensors in principle) as often as possible and harder, aiming the training of the quads leave bodybuilders and negligent professionals.

Amplitude. Full or part-time...

It's about "good" leg press, and "harm" squats below parallel. So, what is usually recommended by doctors, teachers, former doctors, and some not so logical to coaches (not always with medical backgrounds) to reduce the load on the knees? As a rule, to cut the amplitude. For example, to squat only up to a right angle, or slightly below, and parallel to the hips with the floor. Or press the foot, that essentially the same — to reach the amplitude of the deep squat machine leg press task almost impossible for an individual not having normal flexibility.

What is wrong with this Council? Three points.

First: remember that the easier, the chest press touching the chest or half the amplitude? Naturally, the shorter the amplitude, the easier it is. Great! So performing squats not until the end or the leg press you can work with a much more substantial weights than squatting on the floor. While this is memorized.

Second: what travmoopasno for the joints and spine, greater or less weight? Also simple — the more weight, the greater the risk. And it will fix.

Third: what is the angle for the most unstable knee joint? Don't bother, I'll say it — 90 degrees. So Flex your knee by the doctor, so, after several pressure, to understand how stable the investigated joint.

Get the result. To reduce the load on the knee joint, we are actually suggest man... to work with large weights in the most unstable part of the amplitude! So?)))

And now without jokes: the people! Exactly squat to full depth, when the pelvis drops markedly below the knee, the most safe for the components of the knee joint. Remember that. If you know how to create the required depth by movement of the pelvis relative to the knee joint and not only through the knee, then at the lowest point, due to the bend position of the lumbar spine, pelvis rotated forward and stretched condition of the extensors of the hip, the knee is the most stable position, and the anterior cruciate ligament in the most unloaded condition.

If you know and practice proper squat to full depth, you never put on the barbell weight, exceeding functional capacity of the knee joint. The components of the joint over the years, will get stronger without losing functional flexibility enough to safely immerse yourself in the full depth with 2-3 hundred pounds on the back. so go for it!

Running or something else?

To run, I'm very positive. This is a great exercise. Strengthening the heart and the entire cardiovascular system. The increase in lung volume and disease prevention. Increase muscle tone. Weight reduction. Anyway is fun, can be an hour to spend alone with your thoughts, to think or listen to music. BUT! That's awesome, if you follow the simple rules. Namely... a Warm up before running (but not exhausting), proper breathing while running, heart rate (therefore, learn to listen to your heart and body in General, do not know how modern gadgets help) and of course run either on the earth or on special platforms with rubber shock absorbing cover. Take care of the joints.

Warm-up and prevention.

In principle, all good, if there are problems. A warming cream before exercise? Yes, please! Knee pads? Of course! Hard bandages on his knees while performing sit-UPS with extreme weights? Definitely!!!10 minutes on the bike before the main workout? Yes, good idea. Flattening of the tibia at the beginning of the workout, again, YES! Add some more leg press with light weight for 5 or 6 times, too cool.

But remember if there is a problem, first consult a doctor. No self-medication, price of laziness or "I know everything" is too high!