Knee Pain - Part 3

In the past two installments of this series, we've taken a look at how the knee ideally works and touched on possible contributing factors to knee pain. So, now, let's take a quick look at a couple of exercises in progression that might buy you some serious relief for your aching knees. Everything that I'm covering in this article is integrated into my Tai Cheng® program, so if you want to see these exercises demonstrated in more depth, please take the time to do Tai Cheng. If your doctor can't figure out what's wrong with you and your movement patterns are what's contributing to your pain, it might be the simplest, most useful fix you've ever come across!

Start with mobility. Mobility can be defined as the ability to freely move through a range of motion actively (you moving yourself) or passively (someone else moving you while you're completely relaxed). Often, if the point where you make contact with a surface is rigid, then the rest of the kinetic chain above that point gets shut down.

For example, take a look at your feet. When the small bones of the feet are "stuck" together as they are for most hours of the day in a semi-rigid shoe, the soft tissue connecting the small bones of the feet becomes tight, making the foot rigid as well. When the foot becomes rigid, the connective tissue that runs from the toes up through the ankles and into the lower leg becomes trapped. And when those lines of connective tissue have undue tension on them, the knee is a prime location for that strain to manifest.

The solution? The foot and ankle rolls from the very first Neural Reboot in Tai Cheng. These simple and easy-to-do exercises can help you retrain—and ultimately regain—the kind of range of motion that you need in the bones of your feet and ankles. They're so low-profile that you can do quite a lot of them randomly throughout the day without requiring lots of space of having to get sweaty. The only tough part might be taking your shoes off to get the most out of the exercise.

Once you've reestablished your ranges of motion within your feet and ankles, you need to look at the knee's northern neighbor: the quads. The quadriceps muscles are named for the four bands on the front of the thigh that straighten the leg. Its relation to the knee is that the kneecap (also known as the patella) is held in the tendinous tissue that connects the lower leg to the quads. Yup, that's right. I said LOWER leg to the quads. So when any of the four quadriceps muscles become too tight from disuse, misuse, or overuse, they can pull the kneecap out of an ideal position and seriously affect how the knee joint bends. This, in turn, places stress on all the other structures in the knee, from the menisci to the ligaments. Those structures lack direct blood flow, which is why they take so long to heal after being damaged, and often require surgical intervention if the damage is serious enough.

If you've been to your doctor and there are no meniscal or serious ligamentous injuries, the next major mobility-based culprit in knee pain is the quadriceps. This is a perfect time to look at Tai Cheng's Neural Reboot #2, where we introduce rolling the quads. If those muscles are tight, the thigh usually won't feel pain. What you'll feel is most likely lower back stiffness or knee pain. Once you take the time to work on the foam-rolling progressions and massaged out the painful "trigger points" from those massive muscles, the difference in your ease of movement should be noticeable.

While it's probably not going to be easy to lie down on the floor and spend a few minutes with your foam roller while you're in the office, sneaking off somewhere that you can do so uninterrupted might make the difference in how your knees perform for you during the day. If you're using a workout program other than Tai Cheng, take the time to learn the quad-rolling progressions. Do them before your workout to allow your quads to get stronger and to allow the knee joint to more easily achieve safer movement patterns. Better form lowers your injury risk and increases the benefits you get from your workout!

Remember, no workout or exercise video is a substitute for a qualified medical professional's care. If your knee pain is serious enough to inhibit how you move, get it checked out by a licensed medical professional in your area. Once you've been cleared of any structural problems, give these exercises a try!

About the author: Dr. Mark Cheng holds a Ph.D. in Chinese medicine and acupuncture and is a California-licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.). He blends ancient medical knowledge with modern sports rehabilitation science in his private practice. With an extensive background in martial arts, Dr. Cheng is also a Senior RKC kettlebell instructor, a faculty member for Functional Movement Systems, and a TRX Suspension Training Sports Medicine certified instructor. He has taught, lectured, and demonstrated around the world to fitness professionals, physicians, professional fighters, and military personnel. No other Beachbody^® instructor has ever brought the depth of credentials to the table like Dr. Cheng does.

Knee Pain - Part 1

Knee Pain - Part 2