Stop immediately or can you continue??
In many (contact) sports you run the risk of a knee injury. But what do you do if your knees already hurt? Can you just keep doing everything? And should you stop as soon as you feel any pain? Health Net asked physiotherapist Mark Chen.
1. Can you exercise with knee complaints?
“In an ideal situation, you should not have knee complaints during sports. A knee that moves well and is strong should not cause pain during movement. I am talking about a healthy knee, where all structures are intact. If you experience pain during exercise, there is often a lack of mobility, strength or coordination, so if you have complaints it is always wise to find out which of these factors is causing your knee to be overloaded.
However, this does not mean that you should stop exercising immediately if you feel a pain in one of your knees. It is then best to consider whether the pain is acceptable or not. Pains that disappear after warming up or walking in, for example, are often no problem.
If you have pain that persists, gets worse, or prevents you from doing your movement properly, it’s not a good idea to continue. There are also certain signs that may indicate damage to the knee. Do you regularly lose control of your knee? Or is the knee sometimes locked? Then have the knee checked: maybe there is more to it.”
2. Do you have to stop certain (sports) activities as soon as you feel your knee?
“The more explosive movements you have to perform, the greater the impact on your knee joint. This is an important rule of thumb if you’re considering stopping while exercising. Sprinting, stopping, turning, turning and mainly jumping, along with contact moments, provide the greatest mechanical stress and the highest risk of.
When you are exercising and you have knee pain, feel insecure or experience pain during normal movements such as walking and jogging, you should take extra care or stop with those taxing, faster movements. You run an extra risk that way.”
3. Why is the knee so prone to injury?
“A properly functioning knee depends on several factors. Naturally, strength, stability and good mobility of the knee itself are important. What many people do not know, however, is that the ankle and hip can have a huge influence on how the knee is controlled.
For example, with a weak ankle – where the arch of the foot collapses under load – the knee often follows by ‘falling in’. This can then cause a lot of pulling forces on the ligaments and ligaments. The same goes for the hip. The hip muscles and their tension determine the pulling force and thus the preferred direction of the thigh. When muscle force in the hip is unevenly distributed, it can have a big effect on how the knee moves.”
4. Which sports and activities are very taxing on the knee?
“Contact sports, especially ball sports, are known as stressful sports for the knee. In basketball and football, the knee is quite challenged: running, jumping, turning, contact moments, etc. This is often also at high speed and for a longer period of time.
Sports that put the knee under exceptionally high pressure for a short period of time can also pose a risk. Think of powerlifting, Crossfit and certain forms of dance, such as breakdancing.
Last, but certainly not least: Running can also be quite taxing on the knee. The following applies to all these sports: good technique can make a big difference!”
5. And what can you do to strengthen your knee?
“There are a lot of exercises to strengthen the knee. The best-known exercises for this are the squat and the lunge. With this you put the entire leg to work in the way you often use it. Think of getting up from a chair or climbing stairs.
Good mastery of the squat and lunge will give you a foundation on which to build. For example, the next step could be a one-legged squat and a jump lunge.
The beauty of these exercises is that they also directly work the ankles and hips. Of course, your performance has to be perfect for that. Before you start an exercise schedule, always have an expert look at your performance of the exercises.”
Mark Chen is a physiotherapist and NASM trained personal trainer. Since August 2014 he has been working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Dry needling and medical taping are an important part of his vision and training predominates.
