physical rehab

[Pranaman]

Any suggestions for making my right knee stronger? it easily pops when I crouch down or stretch my hamstring. I feel minor pain in the inner outside(right) part of it. I still occassionally feel a left over sensitivity and vulnerability to cramping from an old sciatica injury. This is on the same leg and could contribute to the knee problem. Thank you for any help.

[joeblast]

an appropriate blend of standing, shallow squats, bicycling...and dare I say, maybe even some shaking would help

[zanshin]

If you tend to toe out a little, which is likely from sciatica, this will strain your knee just like you are experiencing. Watch your alignment with squats, tai chi, whatever sports you're into. try to stay away from deep squats and crouching. Continue to stretch hip external rotators esp. piriformis and hip abductors, bring your leg in a little to focus on lateral hamstrings when you stretch that part, all over strengthening include hip adductors- anything as far as strengthening should be good as long as you watch your hip and foot alignment and don't bend knee very deep.

[mYTHmAKER]

Any suggestions for making my right knee stronger? it easily pops when I crouch down or stretch my hamstring. I feel minor pain in the inner outside(right) part of it. I still occassionally feel a left over sensitivity and vulnerability to cramping from an old sciatica injury. This is on the same leg and could contribute to the knee problem. Thank you for any help.

 

 

Yes the most important is proper knee alignment.

I would also get a physical therapist - this can be covered by insurance if you get a prescription from a doctor.

He / she will show you how to strengthen supporting muscles around your knees

[Desert Eagle]

this

has helped me a lot, it's the only pilates exercise I do and I found it more focused on the knees.

http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/ss/...LegStretc_2.htm

fqmcZMuJivk

 

also occasionally going backwards while walking and climbing stairs helped my knees a lot.

 

this site has a section about physical rehabilitation:

http://www.nismat.org/traintip

 

this DVD has limbering/warm up exercises and an intuitive shaking exercise.

[zanshin]

Good idea to make sure you work hamstring too (like backward stair climbing), posterior muscles may be a little weak with sciatica, so maybe imbalance there too. Also if you see a therapist or even a good athletic shoe shop, they can analyze your feet, if you overpronate or supinate this can effect your whole leg and body.

[Ryan T.]

Any suggestions for making my right knee stronger? it easily pops when I crouch down or stretch my hamstring. I feel minor pain in the inner outside(right) part of it. I still occassionally feel a left over sensitivity and vulnerability to cramping from an old sciatica injury. This is on the same leg and could contribute to the knee problem. Thank you for any help.

 

Ask you teacher! For the most part the exercises you are doing are ones that he has practiced for years. Explain your issues and I am sure he will be able to give advice or alter your practices to help alleviate this pain. There is plenty of advice you can get from the forum but he should be the first person you ask!

[rain]

Any suggestions for making my right knee stronger? it easily pops when I crouch down or stretch my hamstring. I feel minor pain in the inner outside(right) part of it. I still occassionally feel a left over sensitivity and vulnerability to cramping from an old sciatica injury. This is on the same leg and could contribute to the knee problem. Thank you for any help.

 

good exercise program given, in addition check if you are flatfoot, or if leg lenght differs

if so find ways to support/build up.

[Pranaman]

my shortage of funds has inhibited me from seeing my sifu.

 

I will try incorporating the given techniques into my routine as well as trigger point therapy.

[Mal]

my shortage of funds has inhibited me from seeing my sifu.

 

Just out of interest are you heavy? At my weight (110kg) my Sifu does not recommend that I hold static stances for long periods of time, or even short periods! (but we are training different systems so YMMV)

[Pranaman]

Just out of interest are you heavy? At my weight (110kg) my Sifu does not recommend that I hold static stances for long periods of time, or even short periods! (but we are training different systems so YMMV)

 

nah i weigh in at about 73 or so kilos(160lbs)

 

Everyday I start with the thomaz kurz warmup(started doing kurz for whole-body flexibility in hope for rehabilitation and.....whole body flexibility)

 

then, pushup variations.

While standing as if bending at the waist to touch the floor, legs extended, I put my palms on a towel and slide across the floor till my whole body is parallel with the floor, arms extended, abs contracted. then slide back.

Then I stick a pole in the corner of the room, and climb down and up it while my feet stay stationary on the ground about a body and half length aways from the corner, legs completely extended, back straight.

 

forearm and finger work.

 

zhan zhuang in horse riding, then dragon.

Kurz's stretching scientifically routine.

 

then I rest.

 

stretches and pushups and dragon stance sporadically throughout the rest of the day.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Pranaman

[Ryan T.]

zhan zhuang in horse riding, then dragon.

 

How deep is your horse stance?

[Pranaman]

How deep is your horse stance?

 

my knees stay behind my toes, which are angled outward. my waist is at least 8-10 inches above my knees.

[Spectrum]

good work pranaman. your doing the firedrills cleaning and building your body and channels. Keep going! when you return to class sifu won't be dissapointed he'll be able to tell you been working.

[rookie]

Luckily the knee is a simple joint so relatively easy to stabilize compared to other joints of the body.

I am speaking from experience here. I had acl reconstruction about 5 years ago and rotator cuff repair 2.5 years ago and rehab for the knee is so simple compared to the shoulder. The knee basically moves one way, as a single degree of freedom hinge joint. Strong ligaments and muscles around your knee will keep it healthy. The one best exercise and the place to start is sitting leg extensions, but never use much if any weight. Squeeze it when fully extended and do a bunch of reps, like 3X20 every day. Bicycle riding or stationary bike is really good to loosen and strengthen your knee. Once you have the basis you can progress to body weight squats, lunges, and then balancing exercises, and then some jumping but make sure your landings are sound and stable. Other than that, stop doing whatever you are doing that is causing pain. Pay attention to what you are doing. Pain or swelling of any kind is a warning sign that you should stop or change that activity.

 

Martial arts are very easy to do in a way that will kill your knees. If you are not looking in a mirror or looking down, just pay attention to the feeling in your knee a few hours to a day after some activity. Really pay attention to what your body is telling you.

 

I am assuming you are not having arthritus pain which can happen to young people too.

 

Good luck.

[rookie]

Pranaman,

you mentioned some streching/flexibility exercises that I am not familiar with.

Watch what you are doing there and don't over do it. These can also put "bad" forces on your joint.

You did not mention if you have any overuse problems, like running a lot, or an imbalance in your body, like one leg much longer than another.

[Pranaman]

good work pranaman. your doing the firedrills cleaning and building your body and channels. Keep going! when you return to class sifu won't be dissapointed he'll be able to tell you been working.

 

thanks man. I love the drills, and there's always room to push yourself more within them.

 

Pranaman,

you mentioned some streching/flexibility exercises that I am not familiar with.

Watch what you are doing there and don't over do it. These can also put "bad" forces on your joint.

You did not mention if you have any overuse problems, like running a lot, or an imbalance in your body, like one leg much longer than another.

 

no imbalances or overuse problems. Just simply trying cultivate the discipline to push myself infinitely.

[Mal]

Cool, remember there is no rush, you want to be doing this for the rest of your life

 

my shortage of funds has inhibited me from seeing my sifu.

Keep going! when you return to class sifu won't be dissapointed he'll be able to tell you been working.

 

Yes and this is unusual. Most students dont even bother to practice between classes! The ones that do are rare and it is noticed.

 

I'd try to save up just to get to 1 class so that Sifu knows you haven't lost interest. Apologize for not being able to attend due to finances. But don't complain about it further. (Again also rare people love to go on and on with excuses, just say how it is)

 

If you did that once or twice for a few months with your good practice habits you will probably keep up with many of your classmates. And you might be surprised, apart from needing to pay for hall rental and expenses, most Sifu's don't really care about money.

[Pranaman]

Cool, remember there is no rush, you want to be doing this for the rest of your life

Yes and this is unusual. Most students dont even bother to practice between classes! The ones that do are rare and it is noticed.

 

I'd try to save up just to get to 1 class so that Sifu knows you haven't lost interest. Apologize for not being able to attend due to finances. But don't complain about it further. (Again also rare people love to go on and on with excuses, just say how it is)

 

If you did that once or twice for a few months with your good practice habits you will probably keep up with many of your classmates. And you might be surprised, apart from needing to pay for hall rental and expenses, most Sifu's don't really care about money.

 

thanks mal.

 

that is actually what i'm doing right now, i'm saving up inorder to pay for a month of class and going asap. I'll take your advice and say how it is.

[~jK~]

I am assuming you are not having arthritus pain which can happen to young people too.

Good luck.

 

Dietary Causes of types of Arthritus

 

An interesting find when I went searching for what a Purine was and did in our body - it points to a diet with MSG in it as the source of Arthritus.

 

Foods that contain purines

 

Because uric acid is formed from the breakdown of purines, low-purine diets are often used to help treat conditions like gout in which excessive uric acid is deposited in the tissues of the body. The average daily diet for an adult in the U.S. contains approximately 600-1,000 milligrams of purines.

 

Uric acid levels in the blood and other parts of the body can become too high, however, under a variety of circumstances. Since our kidneys are responsible for helping keep blood levels of uric acid balanced, kidney problems can lead to excessive accumulation of uric acid in various parts of the body. Excessive breakdown of cells can also cause uric acid build-up. When uric acid accumulates, uric acid crystals (called monosodium urate crystals) can become deposited in our tendons, joints, kidneys, and other organs. This accumulation of uric acid crystals is called gouty arthritis, or simply "gout."

 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=51