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Wednesday, April 19, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Luscutoff
Columnist
Knee pain
Tales of knee pain and
the reasons why someone
shouldn’t exercise, is a dia-
logue that happens among all
walks of people.
Knee injury and pain con-
stitutes a large proportion of
orthopedic conditions. In fact
the No. 3 orthopedic treat-
ment is for knee meniscus
pain. Knee pain is nagging,
uncomfortable, and disheart-
ening for those who can no
longer do the things they
enjoy. But the “can’t do”
attitude isn’t helping correct
your knee pain.
Sudden onset intense
knee pain can be attributed
to a specific movement,
fall, twist etc. This type of
pain needs to be taken very
cautiously. This is when rest
is prescribed because tissue
damage can occur; ignoring
the swelling and intense pain
will make things worse.
You will undoubtedly
know if they fall into these
circumstances.
The achy soreness that
comes about with increased
activity, or perhaps the pres-
sure and pinching feeling in
certain movements can all be
looked at as an opportunity
to tune the knees up, to avoid
further problems down the
road. Below are some exam-
ples and ways to remedy that
kind of knee pain:
Pain on the outside of the
knee, also known as runner’s
knee, is a condition often
of imbalanced quadriceps
muscles and a tight outer
structure called the IT band.
It is also common for this to
result from inadequate hip/
knee angles. All of these can
(and should) be corrected
with exercise.
Evaluate the tightness on
the outer edge of the thigh
by leaning from the side
into the wall without bend-
ing the back laterally. Does
the outer hip and side of the
thigh feel tight? Try stretch-
ing this. Next, squat down
and observe knee tracking
(the path the knees take).
Do they stay over the toes,
or come inside the big toe as
you squat in front of the mir-
ror? If they’re falling in, hip
exercises will help. A simple
exercise is a side-lying leg
lift done with a resistance
band placed around the knee.
Next is pain in front of the
knee, also known as jumper’s
knee. This typically mani-
fests itself in the front of the
knee, below the kneecap. It is
often found in athletes who
jump and land a lot, stressing
the patellar tendon. In many,
it is a form of improper knee
flexion or imbalanced thigh
to hip activation while squat-
ting. A simple test: Squat
down facing to the side of a
mirror. Are the knees being
pushed out in front of the
body beyond the toes? This
is a tell-tale sign. To work on
this, first learn how to squat
with the hips sitting back and
the weight balanced on the
feet. If you raise up on their
toes in a squat, ankle mobil-
ity will help your movement
improve. Also, work on tak-
ing the load away from the
front of the thigh by strength-
ening hamstrings and glutes.
A back-lying, knee-bent,
feet-on-the-floor hip exten-
sion is a great place to start.
And then there is gen-
eral joint pain and stiffness.
While many people elect to
forgo exercise due to arthri-
tis or joint inflammation, this
isn’t always the best option.
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/M-GUCCI
A lot of knee pain can be corrected with exercise.
Harvard Medical School
published a statement extol-
ling the virtues of exercis-
ing for easing arthritic pain.
This is because the synovial
fluid in the knee is stimulated
with an increase in activity.
This fluid reduces friction
between cartilage in the knee
joint. Another good reason to
stick with exercise is that a
healthy muscular system will
also promote a more stable
skeletal structure, particu-
larly at the joints.
A joint held in a tighter
position is going to have bet-
ter structural integrity, and
less painful shifting. Starting
with walking is a good idea,
but also use leg exercises
with proper form to build
up the surrounding muscles.
Sit-to-stand is a good begin-
ner exercise. Stand in front of
a chair, feet just wider than
the hips, slightly pointing the
toes out. With arms in front
of the body sit the butt back
toward the chair and begin to
bend the knee. Slowly lower
to a seated position then
press back up into a stand.
Wi t h a p r o a c t i v e
approach, managing knee
pain doesn’t have to mean
giving up activities or exer-
cise. With proper care, pain
can be reduced. Constraints
and challenges are a part of
life. It should be noted that
knee pain might improve,
but mitigation cannot not
assured. For more informa-
tion contact Andrew@sisters
athleticclub.com.
Advantage Dental
The mouth is the body’s gateway to health.
It plays a vital part in maintaining our body’s
overall health. A healthy mouth is a build-
ing block to a healthy life. If our mouths are
in pain we often choose to limit our intake to
softer foods and hide our smiles. This often
leads to dietary choices that are less than
ideal.
At Advantage Dental we are focused on provid-
ing quality dental care that helps to ensure your
mouth stays functioning at its best. Don’t wait until
you have a problem to see the dentist. Because a
healthy mouth is so important, Advantage will do
a screening exam at no cost. The costs do not start
until you and Advantage’s doctor determine and
decide something needs to be done to keep your
mouth healthy.
Come in today to schedule for an exam to dis-
cuss how we can keep you on track to maintain/
achieve your optimal health.
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