Knee pain is no joke. According to American Family Physician 1 in 4 adults experience knee pain in their lives and its occurrence has increased 65% over the last 20 years.
The question is how do we deal with it?
My name is Ben Pavlovich and I am a Pain-Free Performance Expert and certified fitness coach. I have worked with hundreds of athletes and individuals over the years, many of them dealing with knee pain. Throughout the journey of running my company TonedX I spent years studying and experimenting with different training methodologies and exercises as well as learning from some of the leading experts in the world on injury rehabilitation.
From this experience I learned some tips on how to help people get back on their feet and living pain free. Here are the 3 things I look to accomplish with any individual that comes to me complaining that their knees hurt.
1. It’s all in the hips
Iliotibial Band Syndrome or lateral knee pain is one of the most common knee injuries amongst athletes. In a study with female athletes they found that patients with lateral knee pain had weaker hip abduction in the affected leg. What does this mean? We need to build that booty and strengthen our hips. The glutes are the powerhouses that stabilize our pelvis, maintain good posture, and transfer load through the hip joint. Many times when the glutes are not strong enough during a lift our form begins to fail as other muscles like our quads have to overcompensate placing additional stress on the knees. Training all 3 glute muscles can help fix this muscle imbalances and get us back to lifting correctly. Exercises like the hip thrust, romanian deadlift, and cable hip abduction are all great ways to strengthen the glutes and start fixing our knee pain
2. Start with isometrics
The best exercises when first starting out are isometric exercises or ones where you feel the burn but are not moving through a full range of motion. Two examples you have probably done before are the plank or wall sit. The wall sit is an amazing exercise as it allows us to load the quads without having to go through a full range of motion where you might feel pain. I have all my clients start with isometric exercises like the wall sit or spanish squat to start strengthening their knees and get them ready to progress to more advanced lifts.
3. Back to Basics
Many times when a client comes to me complaining about pain we are able to fix it in 5 seconds by fixing their form. Video taping yourself and relearning how to do basic movements like the squat or deadlift should be one of your main priorities when dealing with pain. If you’re doing a squat, start with a resistance band above your knees and follow a 3-1-3 tempo where you drop down for 3 seconds, hold for one second at the bottom, and finish with a 3 second ascent. Become an expert at the basics and focus on slow and controlled movements. Healing takes time and there’s no need to rush.
If you’re dealing with any sort of joint pain just know you can absolutely reduce or possibly eliminate your pain completely with a proper workout routine. The body is incredible at recovery and can even regrow ligaments and tendons. It takes time so be patient, stay consistent and of course listen to your doctor
You can learn more on the website tonedx.com/free