Pacific Paddler magazine - August 2012 - (Page 24)

I can't run, my knees hurt Ouch!!! You’re ramping up your running to prepare for distance season. Suddenly your knee begins to hurt, but you try to push through it. As you continue on the pain is worsening; so much so that you have developed quite a limp. NOT GOOD! Let’s figure this out, break it down, and get back to running. After all, Coach [insert name here] will call you out if you give excuses. Worse yet, you may lose your seat in the canoe if you are not 100%, or not as fit as [insert another name here while shaking your fist]. Runner’s knee is one of the most common knee problems that doctors diagnose. However, it sneaks up on you without much warning and stops you in your tracks. The pain to the front of the knee usually creeps in just when you are feeling good and upping your game. Just to be illusive, it has other names too: patellofemoral syndrome or chondromalacia patella. Basically, runner’s knee is caused by stress between the cartilage of the femur (thigh bone) and the patella (kneecap) where they meet at the knee. This happens for various reasons, but the By: Danene Brown, PT and Jennifer Kelii, PT ing as the culprits to poor running style. Once the puzzle pieces come together, a plan to get you back to not only running, but also running more efficiently is put into action. EXCELLENT! In the meantime you may want to cut back on the mileage and try these exercises: Quadriceps stretch to lengthen the muscle across the knee. Hold onto a palm tree with one hand. Using your right (left) hand, pull your left (right) foot toward your butt. Feel the stretch in your thigh, hold 30 seconds, 3x. Single leg fly to build core strength, hip stability, and balance. Stand beside a table and place hand on it for balance. Balance on the opposite side foot with the knee slightly bent. Hinging at the hip, slide the hand forward along the table as you lift the opposite leg. Keep the weight distributed evenly in the foot to feel tension in the outer hip, hold 30 seconds, 3x. At Jaco Rehab, our slogan is to "Treat it, Don't Repeat it". Have fun this race season! most common ones are: imbalances in strength/flexibility of the hips and knees, faulty alignment of the femur versus the patella, and improper or excessive loading on the knee. Another reason may be a faulty running style. It may affect women more due to their natural curves, but can happen to any runner at any age. Likely it is a combination of these factors, and once the pain starts it’s like a domino effect ultimately putting you on the sidelines. We often see this surface when runners try to increase mileage, speed, or hill training and end up backsliding. If unchecked the cartilage in the knee joint may wear down, developing a more permanent problem…arthritis. DEFINITELY NOT GOOD! The good news is that runner’s knee responds well to physical therapy! Your PT should discuss your training efforts and shoe wear, then evaluate your strength, flexibility, and balance to determine your weaknesses. A thorough gait analysis, (hopefully with video), should reveal biomechanical flaws. Typically we see overstriding, heel striking, and upright postur- 24 Pacific Paddler - August 2012 http://www.jacorehab.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler magazine - August 2012

Cover Liberty Challenge 2012
Contents August 2012
Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge
Gold Coast Cup
MacFarlane 4th of July tradition
Waikiki Beach Boys Regatta
OHCRA Regattas 1,2 & 3
Na Ohana O Hui Waa
Island Iron Rips
I can't run, my knees hurt
OHCRA Champs photos
Calendar
HCRA State Program

Pacific Paddler magazine - August 2012