.

Okay…many of you have left comments regarding knee issues. I think most of us have experienced challenges with our knees at one time or another in our lives…yes? My friend POD reminded me a few days back that she also faces the consistent knee hurdles during exercise. I embarked on a bit of research and Q&A from individuals that have experienced knee issues or are involved on the rehabilitation end.

Some findings…..

What are some causes? According to the Sports Injury Clinic, “Knee pain can be related to overuse where small stresses are repeated a large number of times without allowing adequate recovery, for example running too much too soon, or excessive jumping. Or injuries can be acute where the injury is caused by an impact or twisting such as an anterior cruciate ligament injury. An overuse injury can also be considered to be acute if it is painful or inflamed. ”

So what do we do? Walk About Magazine states, “We have to keep the foot and hip in line with the knee. This means wearing shoes with good support and properly strengthening our hip, gluteal, abdominal, and back muscles (commonly referred to as the “core”). It also means walking with good posture and using caution when walking on surfaces that ask the knee to work at an angle. ”

What are some good knee strengthening exercises? Buzzle.com offers a few helpful knee exercises:

Quadriceps strengthening contractions

* sit on a chair and extend legs
* heels must touch floor and knees must be straight
* tighten the thigh muscles and retain the state for a count of 10
* loosen the thigh muscles and retain the state for a count of 3
* perform 10 repetitions to complete 1 set
* perform 2 or 3 sets, many times in a day

Hamstrings strengthening contractions

* sit on a chair with heels on floor
* without moving heels pull back on them – tension will be felt in the hamstrings
* retain the state for a count of 10
* loosen the tension for a count of 3
* perform 10 repetitions

The exercise is called Glutes strengthening backward leg swing.

* grip the back of a chair for support
* straighten any one leg and swing it backwards till the buttocks tighten
* tense the muscles to a maximum and swing leg further by about two inches
* return leg to floor and perform 10 repetitions
* repeat same procedure with other leg

My personal experience suggests that I stay away from high impact or pounding exercises while the knee is in recovery. I will  stick with low impact exercises such as a bike or elliptical machine. For those that have Arthritis, or a permanent knee issue… a change to an elliptical and or bike exercise might make sense.

.

USEFUL SITES:

How to Manage Knee Pain with Exercise

Knee Rehabilitation Exercises

Stretches for the knee

.

*Remember to seek out advice from a medical professional

Sources: Sports Injury Clinic ; Walk About Magazine;Buzzle.com

Yes, I made the decision that there is no reason to feel guilty about getting a massage. Does it seem too self-indulgent? Actually, massage has many important health benefits.

Massage can help you maintain physical, mental and emotional well being, especially when it is part of your wellness routine.

*The Health Benefits of Massage:

- Massage calms the nervous system and promotes a sense of relaxation and well being.

- Massage reduces tension and anxiety.

- Massage improves blood circulation, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

- Massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which carries away the body’s waste products.

- Massage prevents and relieve muscles cramps and spasms.

- Massage therapy can also help with pain management in conditions such as arthritis, sciatica, muscle spasms.

There are many different types of massage. See 10 Most Popular Types Of Massage Therapy, my preferred type of massage is the Deep Tissue Massage or Sports Massage.

How are you feeling today? Maybe a massage is in your plans?

Stay Healthy and NEVER, NEVER give up on your journey!

*Source About.com

Researchers Robert Herbert, Ph.D., and Marcos de Noronha, Ph.D. of the University of Sydney conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 previously published studies of stretching. In addition to improving range of motion, stretching is extremely relaxing and most athletes use stretching exercises to maintain a balance in body mechanics. But one of the biggest benefits of stretching may be something the research can’t quantify: it just feels good.

My warm up is usually a 3-5 minute walk, slow run or maybe some jumping jacks. If I am working on a specific muscle group with more than usual intensity I might add some stretches that target that specific area.

A standard stretch routine that I like to follow is:

Standing Quadriceps stretch While standing, use the wall to assist in balance.Bend your knee back by grasping your ankle with one hand. Assist in bending your knee back as far as possible. Maintain position for 30 seconds. Return to standing position.

..Inner Thigh Stretch .Stand up tall, feet slightly wider than hip width apart. Turn your right toe out slightly to the side and bend your right leg slightly, keep your left leg straight. Press your hips gently out towards your right leg and feel a mild stretch in the inner thigh/groin area. Make sure that you keep the knee of your bent leg, behind your toe! Hold this stretch, do not bounce, repeat to the other side. …………………………………………………..

.Calf Stretch Stand facing the wall about 3 feet away.Take 1 step forward with your left foot.Place your hands on the wall in front of you. Elbows slightly bent, shoulders, hips and feet are pointed directly towards the wall. Bend your left knee slowly using the movement to control the amount of stretch you feel in your right calf muscle (gastroc). Both heels stay on the ground.Keep your right knee (back leg) straight and hold still for 15 seconds. To stretch the other calf muscle (soleus) in the same leg, slowly bend your right knee, making sure to keep your right heel on the ground. Hold 15 seconds.Slowly push yourself back to starting position. Switch legs and repeat both the straight knee and bent knee stretches on the other leg to completely stretch your calf.

.Lower Back Stretch.Begin in a standing position and exhale as you sweep the arms up and overhead. Exhale and engage the abs as you tip from the hips and lower into a Forward Bend, with hands on the floor or feet–bend the knees if you need to. Inhale and come up until the back is flat and exhale into forward bend. Hang relaxed and hold stretch for 20-30 secs.

Chest/ Arm stretch Extend one arm and bend at the elbow, so that your arm forms a right angle (upper arm is parallel to the ground, and upper arm is sticking straight up). Place your forearm against the wall or frame. Now, twist away from the wall with a special emphasis on pushing your chest through the turn, so that you feel the stretch in your chest...

I prefer to stand during my stretch to improve my balance, but you can have a very effective stretch while seated as well. Again, these are just some basic stretches that I do daily, there are many additional stretches that you may prefer.

-Some helpful links for stretching:

MayoClinic.com

Kidshealth.org

3 basic stretching tips that I follow:

Do warm-up the body before performing any of these exercises.
DON’T bounce during the stretch
DO rest 20 seconds after each stretch
DON’T stretch to the point of intense pain! Take care that you do not pull (or tear) your muscles.

Stay Healthy!

I would describe it as a “long, round, foam thing.”

I use the foam roller for loosening up my leg muscles and hip flexors. But most often it has been my only source of relief in the hard to “relieve” places.

Have a look at some of the foam roller exercises that I perform daily:

One-Legged Hip Extension on Roller*
With the roller under the hips and chin resting on forearms, bend one leg until the shin is perpendicular to the floor. Keep the abs in and squeeze the glutes to lift the bent leg straight up, sole of the foot towards the ceiling. Try not to arch the back.

Bent-Leg Hip Extension on Roller

In the same position as the previous exercise, bend both legs, squeeze the feet together and lift the feet up towards the ceiling, using only the glutes and not the back.

Side Leg Lift on Roller
Lie on your side with the roller under the hip. Rest on your forearm and take the top arm in front of you, hand on floor for support. Life the top leg up, foot flexed, squeezing the outer thigh. For a challenge, keep that leg up and try to lift the bottom leg up to meet it (this is tough!). Lower and repeat before switching sides.

I perform these exercises for approximately 2-3 minutes each. Go at your own pace…maybe add a little more pressure as you get comfortable.

Without a doubt these exercises have been a HUGE relief for me in my recovery!

I would like highly recommend that any person involved in fitness, keep a foam roller around for both preventative and healing purposes. For me very therapeutic!

Foam roller links:

“Rolling Away That Running Pain”

Fitter First

“Foam Rollers for Fitness”

Happy Rolling!

As always I want to remind you that these are my experiences and I always suggest you consult with your Medical Professional.

*provided by About.com