| Pain in your knee? | | | | about orthotics, we need to check out |
| Sometimes when you have knee pain and | | | | the hips and pelvis. |
| you've been to see specialists and | | | | The first thing to do is to manage the |
| nothing seems to be the answer, you do | | | | cause. In other words we need to |
| wonder whether you'll end up needing | | | | re-orientate the pelvis to reduce the |
| divine intervention. With biomechanics | | | | leg length discrepancy. To do this we |
| becoming more widely understood, we now | | | | have to reduce the muscle spasm in the |
| know that by sorting out your | | | | outside of the hip (in a muscle called |
| biomechanics, we can often reduce the | | | | piriformis) to allow the joint to |
| need to get down on your knees and pray. | | | | re-orientate itself. The best way to do |
| The affects our biomechanics have on our | | | | this is by performing 'anti-spasm' |
| body and the vicious circle of injury | | | | exercises for the muscle. Stretching or |
| and pain it can cause is one of the main | | | | flexibility work just won't cut it. You |
| reasons knee pain can be recurrent. | | | | need to return the muscle to normal |
| A rotated pelvis for example can go | | | | function, not just stretch it. Once the |
| unnoticed for many years until the | | | | spasm is eradicated as much as possible, |
| compensations start to cause problems. | | | | then the leg length typically returns to |
| This abnormal pelvic position often | | | | normal length. Now you have a level |
| causes one leg to appear longer or | | | | playing field. If the symptoms have not |
| shorter and the body must compensate for | | | | subsided and if you still over pronate, |
| this. Typically one way it compensates | | | | now you can safely have orthotics |
| is to overly flatten (pronate) the foot | | | | prescribed, as any remaining foot |
| of the longer leg to shorten it, another | | | | biomechanical problem will be inherent |
| way is to bend the knee more. | | | | to the foot. Rehab on your knee will |
| Unfortunately both of these options will | | | | now have a better chance of working for |
| increase the load on the knee. If the | | | | you, if it's still necessary. |
| foot over pronates, it will cause the | | | | To fully complete your rehab talk to |
| leg to internally rotate excessively. | | | | your local physio about exercises to |
| This rotation force will often be | | | | stabilise your knee and pelvis. In |
| absorbed at the knee, which can result | | | | other words exercises that allow your |
| in pain. If the knee bends too much | | | | muscles to control your pelvis and knee |
| during mid-stance phase, this will | | | | without them needing to go into spasm. |
| de-stabilise the knee and it will | | | | Part of this process is achieved by |
| naturally want to rotate inwards. If | | | | so-called 'core stability exercises', |
| this is combined with an already over | | | | but also you need to speak to your |
| pronating foot, the problem is | | | | physio about plyometric exercises for |
| exaggerated. Both of these situations | | | | pelvic and knee muscles that you can do |
| are likely to cause knee pain. | | | | in the gym. |
| Certainly if knee pain already exists | | | | As a result of one of the largest |
| this type of load will prevent it from | | | | studies in biomechanics by Galileo |
| settling down, even if it isn't the main | | | | Active we can all benefit from assessing |
| cause of the problem. | | | | our biomechanics, in the comfort of our |
| Managing these biomechanical issues is | | | | home. They have developed a CD ROM |
| critical if your knee pain is to be | | | | software program that helps you asses |
| managed and allow you to return to long | | | | your biomechanics with the software |
| term running. Bearing in mind that 60% | | | | prescribing the exercises needed to |
| of the biomechanical problems with your | | | | remove these biomechanical problems and |
| feet are due to compensations for faulty | | | | in turn help manage and prevent the |
| hip or pelvic biomechanics, it is | | | | types of knee injuries we're talking |
| important that before we start thinking | | | | about in this article. |