[pct-l] my knees hurt

[jjolson at uwyo.edu (Jeffrey J. Olson)]

I've posted this before.  One source of knee pain and swelling is tight
hamstrings and gluts.  It's not the only one of course, but after walking
day after day and no stretching, these muscles can tighten up to the point
where they literally aren't doing their job.  Another effect of tight hams
and glutes is often mistaken for plantar fascitis, foot pain.  The knees
hurt first, and then, so do the feet.

Apparently the knees try and take over the work of the hams and glutes, and
they aren't made to do it.  AFter awhile, the whole
musculature/ligament/tendon structure of the leg is warped by the tight
muscles in thigh and butt.

I went to a sports medicine doctor at the University of Washington and he
gave me two stretching exercises.

The first involves lying on the floor with butt up against a wall and legs
against the wall, straight up.  Feet should be parallel to the ceiling, not
pointing at it.  If your thighs are tight, you will not be able to put your
butt right up against the wall and keep your legs straight.  There will be
knee pain.  Back up from the wall til the knee pain recedes and just hold
the position for a couple minutes.  Do this five or six times a day for at
least a couple weeks, or until all pain is gone.

The second is a bit more complicated to describe.  Sit on the floor with
back straight.  Curl the right leg under the left so that the heel of the
right foot touches or is close to the left hip.  This leg should be flat on
the floor.  If your knee hurts, don't push, just put the right foot as close
to the left hip as possible.

Lift the left leg, knee pointing up, and put the foot flat down on the
outside of the right knee.  If you have tight buns/glutes, you will not be
able to do this.  Find a pillow or pile some books on the floor and sit on
it with back straight, hips parallel to the floor.  See if you can at least
put your left ankle against the outside of your right knee.  Keep your back
straight and both butt cheeks on the floor/pillow/books.  Hold this position
for a minute or two and then reverse the order and stretch the other glutes.
Do this five or six times a day for two weeks or until all pain is gone.

The doctor said that I should be healed in two weeks, and my knees were.  I
went back a year later with foot pain, and he asked if I had continued the
exercises once the knee pain went away.  I hadn't.  I did the exercises for
two more weeks, a year later, and the foot pain went away.  Readjusting the
musculature/ligaments/tendon structures takes some time...

Jeff Olson
Laramie...


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bud sears" <tentstake@lycos.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 11:08 AM
Subject: [pct-l] my knees hurt


hello everyone, i am off the trail after two months through oregon and
washington.  does anyone have advice for strengthening ligaments and muscles
around the knees?  stretches, exercises?  i am still a bit sore.

missing trail life,
tentstake
-- 
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