Almost everyone has had knee pain at some point. Whether you fell down, got injured in a car crash or hurt it in sports, it doesn’t matter. The pain is there, and it’s annoying to no end!
So what now? What do you do when you have this pain but it won’t go away?
AND, is it causing other things to start hurting?
- Do you feel tight in your hamstrings, hips, glutes, quads?
- Have limited flexibility?
- Have difficulty in the gym? Can’t do leg or back exercises like you could before.
- Poor walking mechanics?
- Starting to get low back pain?
The First Step to Pain Free
All of these things could possibly be linked back to ONE THING. An immobile patella.
For those of you who don’t know what a patella is, it’s your kneecap. That coin sized bone that sits on the top of your knee. Go ahead, reach down and touch it.
That little bone does a whole lot for your lower body. It’s attached to one of the largest major muscles in the body, the Quads (it is actually imbedded in that tendon). It connects your upper leg to your lower leg. It also serves as the contact point over the far end of the femur (The large bone in your thighs). It allows the muscle to stretch and not break when you bend your knee.
A few big jobs for such a little thing.
Why Is It Happening?
Think about what you do when you get hurt. You guard, you limp, you stay still. Basically, you try your best to keep that area from being painful. That’s the natural reaction we all have.
But what does that lead to?
It leads to the Other Golden Rule: If you don’t use it, you lose it.
Think about almost any movie you’ve ever seen, where some guy walks into a building and throws a switch to turn on an old machine. That thing creaks and groans and rust starts to fall from the belt and there may even be some loud bang. It sounds like that machine is in pain.
That right there is what is happening to our bodies when we don’t move.
Even if you aren’t injured, there are times you’ve felt this. On long car trips, planes rides, sleeping in the wrong position, etc..
Get it Moving Again
So how to you get that kneecap moving again? Well, you have to use your hands and move it around. Up, down, left and right. You don’t need to move it in circles, the 4 directions are all you’ll need to do.
Before you begin
Prop your leg up. Put your foot on a stool or stretch it out on the bed or couch.
You need to get your leg as straight as you can get it. If it hurts to get it completely straight, place a pillow or rolled up towel under the back of your knee. This should relieve some discomfort.
Up/Down
Make a C shaped cuff with your palm and place it under your knee.
Take the other hand and make the same shape placing it over the knee joint. Make sure the inside of the C shapes are facing each other. You don’t want them too close together. It may press the knee cap down, causing it to hurt and grind against the femur.
From this position you can gently move the kneecap upward and downward.
Left/Right
Place your hands on either side of your knee. You want to position the base of your fingers (right above your knuckles) along the sides of your kneecap.
Now you can gently move the patella side-to-side.
You may find you are tighter going in, toward the middle than out. If you do, focus a little more time on pushing toward your midline than to the outer side.
Is It Painful?
You want to patella to move smoothly along its natural groove (on the bottom end of the femur). You shouldn’t feel pain during this movement, but you should feel a little pulling on the tissues around it, which may be a little uncomfortable.
Keep in mind, uncomfortable and painful are two very different things. Mild discomfort with this movement is OK and to be expected, but pain is a sign that you need to readjust your hands or you may be pushing or pulling at a bad angle. Just keep at it until you find the way that works for you best.
Give it a shot
Honestly, you don’t have anything to lose, except for a few minutes of your time and possibly your knee pain.
Do this technique a few times a week to maintain the movement you’ve gained.
Let me know below in the comments if it worked for you or contact me through email by clicking on the Contact Us form below.
North Carolina, USA