T Nation

Knee prob

Bodybuilding
#1

G’day fellow T-maggers!

My girl has a knee problem at the moment, and I thought that maybe you guys might have any suggestions. She is the typical aerobics chick – going to 3 classes of just aerobics every week and no weight training – it is like my worst nightmare. Anyway, when I tell her to squat, her excuse is that her right knee hurts. When she does squat there is a loud click in her right knee. She says that it hurts on the upper section of the knee, and also complains of tension under the kneecap.

Of course my first suggestion was for her to strengthen the joint by repeatedly squatting over me, but unfortunately, I doubt this will give her knee much benefit.

As I live in Norway, there is no ART docs here either. I know it’s heard to give advice without seeing the case, but do your best!

Thanks In Advance,
DC

#2

All that stepping may be leading to tendinitus or something worse. Get it checked out. And if there is no pain start full squatting to correct any imbalances. Also, as step classes never "isolate’ the hamstring. Get her to do some leg curls and romanian DLs for them.

#3

Well, this sounds like what I have just been diagnosed with. I had knee pain doing deadlifts last week. I went to the doctor, and he said I have patello-femoral syndrome. It’s basically an overuse injury that happens to many people in sports.

I bet all her aerobics classes have caused this. Basically, she needs to take some anti-inflammatories and ice the knee 2-3 times a day for 20-30 minutes.

She should also stretch the leg and avoid anything that causes the pain. Most often, anything that causes deep knee bending will cause pain (squats, deadlifts, sprinting, cycling, etc).

So she should go easy on the knee until it gets better. Get her to rehab it with some strengthening exercises. Try one-legged leg extensions (I know, this exercise sucks. I never use it. But for rehab it will help.) Also, have her turn her foot outward while she does this.

Other than stretching, pain medication, icing and some strengthening exercises, it's obviously going to take a little time.

I’m in the same boat. My knee has been tender and hurts if I try any loading…so it looks like it’s going to be a few weeks before I can start hitting the squats again!

Hope that helps. I just posted something about this on the board and am asking the opinion of others who have had the same thing. Check it out!