Overview
Knee pain is a common complaint we hear all the time in the Gym, and we hear it from all ages.
There are different causes for it, whether it is an old injury or inflammation, or even a series of condition
Knee Structure
Causes
1. Old injury
2. Bursitis (common in bodybuilding)
3. Wrong exercise position
4. Hip, foot, or ankle problems
5. Iliotibial band syndrome
6. Infection
7. Arthritis
8. Tendonitis
1. Old Injury
Many of us are living with old injuries and we forgot about it and think it is healed but there is no such rule.
Many times such injuries come back with nasty pain anytime.
When a certain weight with a certain angle hit a fragment or a piece of bone which has been dislocated can be blamed for such injury, a common injury is called kneecap or patella can cause the same symptoms
Remedies
Old Injuries can vary greatly so you have to check with your doctor how severe the condition is, it can be very mild and up to an immediate surgery so check that out and make an MRI make sure what is causing the pain from the old injury
The most common injury and is an inflammation caused by repeated squats, leg presses, and all kinds of quads workout.
It can also happen from repeated going up on stairs and it happens in all kinds of sports from tennis to athletics and it is not dangerous
2. Bursitis (common in bodybuilding)
there is a small fluid-filled sac in the knees to prevent friction between bones and ligaments, these sacs get irritated and inflamed when there is so much repeated load that happens
Remedies
A. Reduce load on the knees (if you squat every week, reduce to every 10 days, etc..)
B. Apply Ice daily on your knees
C. Use anti-inflammation cream 2 to 3 times per day or use Deep freeze patches overnight for three days in a row
D. taking Volutareen and Tri-B injection shots once a week
3. Wrong exercise position
There are a few mistakes that people do in the leg workout that can lead to pain
1. The first thing is they do not do a proper warmup
2. Knee cross the toe in a free squat
3. Knee open up wider or narrower than toes
Read all about leg workouts HERE
4. Hip, foot, or ankle problems
Hip, foot, or ankle injuries can cause an imbalance workout or even on daily activities which can cause problems on one side of the knee due to instability and excessive load on one side
Remedies:
First find the root cause of the Hip, Foot, and ankle problem with your doctor and try to stabilize motion and distribute the load on both legs
5. Iliotibial band syndrome
As you see in the photo below the Iliotibial band is extended from the hip up to the knee from the side, when it gets irritated due to inflammation it keeps rubbing the outer edge of your thigh bone can cause knee pain
Remedies
A. Reduce load on the knees (if you squat every week, reduce to every 10 days, etc..)
B. Apply Ice daily on your knees
C. Use anti-inflammation cream 2 to 3 times per day or use Deep freeze patches overnight for three days in a row
D. taking Volutareen and Tri-B injection shots once a week
6. Infection
Infection can cause tenderness in the knee and pain
Remedies
Seek immediate help from your doctor as Infection is a serious issue and can lead to the worst consequences
7. Arthritis
That is a common injury too, Knee Arthritis is the wear of the knee cartilage (Knee Cartilidge provides a thick layer of protection to allow the bone to move smoothly).
So when the cartilage wears out it causes stiffness and inflammation which leads to knee pain, osteoarthritis is more common and it is the same problem caused by aging.
It can also be caused by Gout as uric acid build-up, Rheumatoid
Remedies
1. Anti-inflammatory drugs like repair gel and deep freeze
2. Physical Therapy
3. Excercise (Check with your doctor)
4. Injections of hyaluronic acid or corticosteroids into the knee
5. Surgery in severe cases
8. Tendonitis
Knee tendonitis is another kind of inflammation.
Tendonitis occurs when a tendon becomes irritated as we have read in Bursitis the same occurs with repetitive load or stress can cause those tendons to inflame.
Sometimes lots of hiking bending or lifting can cause Tendonitis
Remedies
1. Anti-inflammatory drugs like repair gel and deep freeze
2. Physical Therapy
3. Excercise (Check with your doctor)
4. Injections of hyaluronic acid or corticosteroids into the knee
5. Surgery in severe cases
Prevention
Prevention is always better than cure, in order to minimize the risk of knee injury and pain you can do the following
1. Warm-up before a Leg workout.
Warming up is essential to prevent excessive load which can lead to injury or inflammation in the future.
Make sure to jump on the treadmill, spin, or elliptical before going to the core exercise
2. Workout positions. Make sure that positions are correct knee does not cross toe knees are in line with feet when squatting or leg press if you feel abnormal pain stop immediately
3. Cardio. Cardio can do magic to inflammations, the constant blood flow can reduce inflammation
4. Use Anti-inflammatory supplements. Daily anti-inflammatory supplements like Glucosamine are mandatory for bodybuilders, football players, basketball players, handball players, wrestlers, hikers, and athletics athletes to reduce the risk of inflammation in joints.
Adding omega 3 to your diet is a powerful anti-inflammation supplement
5. Massage and cupping. Deep tissue massage and cupping is very good way to reduce inflammation
6. Cryotherapy and ice bath. The newest technique Cryotherapy works wonder to fight inflammation and help reduce muscle soreness which boosts recovery.
Ice bath has been used for a long time especially in Scandanavia and Russia and it is one of the best techniques to reduce joint inflammations
7. Gym shoes. Wear the right gym shoes read the full article HERE
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/knee-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20350849
https://www.vanthielmd.com/common-causes-of-knee-pain-without-injury/
