Knee Pain

Hi, I used to have some pain in my right knee and now it came back after one of my judo sessions. I just mastered SLS/SE1, but I don't want to put my knee under bigger load for a while (maybe two months or more). However, I feel no pain while doing hill sprints and jumping rope.

Do you think, that hill sprints and rope jumping (and cycling) would be acceptable substitutes for leg development?

My week would look like this:

Mon/Thu: F7 - everything except SLS (so basically F6) + rope jumping

Tue/Fri: H1 + hill sprints

Wed: Rest

I will also do some light knee rehab and mobility.

 where do you get your knee pain? 

I used to have a case of knee pain and I was prescribed Hamstring exercises, but i wouldn't do that unless otherwise recommended by one of the moderators. 

If you have an injury that prevents you from doing the SLS exercises, you should ask your physician what exercises are appropriate. 

Last time I was told to do something light on joints - swimming, cycling and then I could add my hill sprints (it doesn't hurt... probably because of the incline). There is one more doctor, who specialize in sport injuries (mostly hockey players), so maybe I'll go ask him... but I am not sure, if he will be able to make some diagnostic without drilling a hole in my knee.

KeilaniG: I am really not sure where. I don't know the knee good enough to locate the pain.

MMarty said:

Last time I was told to do something light on joints - swimming, cycling and then I could add my hill sprints (it doesn't hurt... probably because of the incline). There is one more doctor, who specialize in sport injuries (mostly hockey players), so maybe I'll go ask him... but I am not sure, if he will be able to make some diagnostic without drilling a hole in my knee.

KeilaniG: I am really not sure where. I don't know the knee good enough to locate the pain.

in front of the knee at the quad? in front of the knee on the shin? behind the knee in the middle? on the outside of the knee? inside of knee? does it radiate throughout the inside of the knee? in my case of knee pain, i used to feel it riiiiiight under my kneecap and just above my shin bone. this is what i meant

If the only things that hurt are more quad intensive, or involve knee extension from a more flexed (bent leg) positon, then you probably A) have patellar tracking issues and/or B) have quads that are just way too tight.

Bilateral Thomas test (just means do one leg, and then the other, and compare), which can be done at home, followed by supime hamstring test (just like Thomas test, but with a straight leg being raised towards the chest, as this tests hamstrings... note the angle at which your passive leg starts to move upwards on each side. This needs to be 90-110 degrees at the hip). Use google to learn Thomas test. All you need is your kitchen table (or a table at the local park) and a partner.

The other thing you'll want to do is to have a friend check the size of your VMO. Google "where is my VMO" to learn where it is.

Once you find it, show your friend so they know what to look at. Lock your knee to flex the quads, have them feel the VMO to get an idea of how well developed it is (firmness as well as size) and then compare with the other leg. Note whether there is a difference, and whether or not the symptomatic right leg is smaller or otherwise less developed.

If VMO is small/weak/soft, compared to left leg, you need to work on it. If you are right handed, this is likely the case, because you are probably right foot dominant. This means that your left leg is what you use for support when you kick, and even when you jump or slow down, moreso than the right, and this leads to uneven development.

The same thing can happen any time there is unequal work being done. The weight room is the best place to even out the development, by using a machine or other isolation exercise to work the specific muscles that are out of proportion. I hate machines for most training purposes, but this is actually what they are DESIGNED for, from an athletic perspective. It's not possible to have people practice skills equally on both sides, takes too much time and effort to be practical.

Well, it is mostly the same like your pain. Somewhere below the kneecap and above the shin bone.

Thanks, I'll take a look at that test.