Prevention is Key

The best advice we can give athletes who are starting to feel their knees twinge, become uncomfortable to run on or are experiencing nagging pain after training, is to ensure their recovery and strength training is optimal. Often athletes will reach the midway point of the season and start feeling some sort of niggle from their hips down. It is extremely important that athletes look after themselves and find that 30 minutes per day to keep their body healthy. In terms of preventative knee injuries, managing running load, consistent stretching/triggering or massage, cold water exposure and light aerobic exercise are all big factors to keeping your knees healthy. Even looking at total Alcohol consumption and general food intake can all play a part in inflammatory responses which can aid the efficiency of Recovery. 

Knee Rehab

In terms of Knee Rehab, whilst every injury is different we can provide a general rule of thumb for athletes suffering from knee pain or a light strain. Firstly, consult a physician to gauge how serious the injury is. From there, maintaining load through your muscles is very important. We highly encourage working through pain-free ranges which allow for controlled muscle contraction. Keeping your Calves, Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads, Adductors and Abdominal muscle groups firing is important to maintain muscular balance and decrease the risk of further injuries later in Rehab. When specifically talking about Knee Rehab your Quad to Hamstring strength ratio is of our highest priority. Athletes with weak Quads compared to their hamstrings will usually struggle with high load and intensity efforts. Your Quads absorb and produce large amounts of force through acceleration, deceleration, change of direction, sprinting and jumping. If they are not strong enough to partake in these activities, the strain is taken by an athlete's knees, causing potentially long-term injuries. 

Athletes suffering from chronic injuries or acute minor injuries such as Patella Tendinopathy, Chondromalacia and ligamentous tears may benefit from Isometrics. In Knee Rehab, this can look like bent knee leg press holds, squat holds, assisted lunge holds or if an athlete is weak through extension, this may look like leg extension hold variations starting from very basic wall Isometrics to heavy leg extension movements. We suggest you consult a physician before participating in any of these Knee Rehab exercises.