Why Does My Knee Hurt?
Why does your knee hurt?
The knee is one of the most heavily used and stressed joints in the body. Whenever we stand, walk, squat, jump, run, sit, or stand up we are utilizing the knee joint, the ligaments and the surrounding muscles. The stress placed on the knees when we are walking is roughly 1 and half times our body weight, and that stress increases to 4 or 5 times our body weight when we bend down to pick something up off the floor. A healthy knee is designed to withstand this pressure, however if we tweak it, load it improperly, or it is just not as strong as it once was, we often end up with knee pain due to the continued stress we place on it.
What is Involved with Knee Pain?
The knee is also one of the most complex joints in the body. It encompasses 4 bones, the patella (kneecap), femur (thigh bone), tibia (shin bone), and fibula (smaller bone that runs parallel with the tibia), as well as 6 major ligaments. Because the knee is so complex, if one aspect of the knee is not functioning optimally it can lead to feelings of weakness and/or pain.
What can you do about knee pain.
There are many effective exercises, stretches, and treatments that can be used to maintain, or improve your knee health. The knee joint relies on more than 10 different muscles to help support and maintain good knee function. By targeting these muscles above and below the knee with specific strengthening exercises and treatments, your knee joint can feel more stable. When the surrounding supporting muscles are strong, there is less pressure on the knee, allowing it to move better and experience less pain. With stronger supporting muscles and more confidence in your knee you can continue or return to activities that include walking, running, sitting, standing, jumping or squatting with more confidence and less pain.
Get a Full assessment of your Knee by a Professional
A Certified Athletic Therapist can not only assess your knee pain they can also stretch and mobilize your affected joints. They will give you a progression of exercises that will benefit the condition your knee is and not exacerbate (make it worse) the problem. Book in with Samantha VanGiesen Certified Athletic Therapist and competitive athlete that understands knee pain.
By Samantha VanGiesen, Certified Athletic Therapist & Kinesiologist at Vivi Therapy.
