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