T Nation

Knee Pain Question

#1

Hello !

So both my chiro and massage therapist said my left knee seems to rotate/collapse inward a little bit. Nothing major , and my chiro can fix me up right away. But it keeps coming back and I’ve been getting knee pain . Usually on the inside , but sometimes all over.
I notice that my quad on that side isn’t as strong when I’m doing single leg extensions, is it definitely the cause of my problems? It doesn’t seem to squeeze or activate with very light weight.
Is this what I should be focusing on to fix the issues ? What are the best ways to get my quad to fire properly ?

Thanks !

#2

I had something similar, possibly. It took a combination of getting the vmo stronger/actually doing something, getting the hips stronger, and loosening up the outer edge of the quad. If any of those sound like it I could type out the pt exercises I got on Tuesday, or maybe others will have some good ideas in the meantime (on phone now, struggling, back to a computer Tuesday).

Is it just pain or popping in and out of place?

#3

It’s just pain . I think loosening up the outer edge of the quad would help a lot. I foam roll it daily, but it never seems to change or improve.

#4

Have you tried a pvc pipe? It makes a huge difference for me. The rumble roller is too extreme but a pipe was perfect once I got used to it. There are usually short sections of 4” available at Lowe’s and the like.

#5

My knee pain is usually tied to tight calves. After a day of rolling on a baseball, my knees will loosen up. My .02.

#6

I’ll try both of these out, thanks guys !

#7

Most knee issues come from problems at the hips. In general I would focus on your hammy’s and glutes as the priority using RDLs and hip thrusts. This should help settle your knee pain, allowing you to increase your quad strength/bulk/timing etc.
I suspect at the moment your quad issues are probably the result of pain, rather than the direct cause.
Hope that helps.