Knee pain
is a very common discomfort experienced by many people, regardless of active or
inactive people. I myself am also one of such victim (although I have my ways
of managing it, which some of it I am sharing here). Today’s blog article, I will
mention some points regarding knee pain and ways of managing and preventing it.
However, most importantly you should consult a professional medical specialist
if you are already experiencing knee pain. All these info written here is only
provided for basic reference, and may not apply to every individual.
One of the
most common cause of knee pain is due to the surrounding muscles being overly
tight, and tight quadriceps is one of the common cause. The quadriceps are a group of four muscles
located at the front of the thigh that works to bring the hip forward and
extends the knee. They can get overly stressed and tight from sports activities
like jumping, squatting/lunging, running. Even sitting and standing can also
produce tightness when the knees are hyper-extended. Tight quadriceps will
cause misalignment of the knee cap, and this causes pain in activities that
utilize the knee extensor.
Therefore,
it is important to relieve tight quadriceps muscles. Stretching and massage
will help to relieve the tightness. See below for stretching quadriceps, DIY foam
rolling of the quadriceps, Deep massage application for tight quadriceps:
Stretches
1 - Standing
Quadriceps stretch (take note knee cap points ‘vertically’ to floor; you can
also put the other hand on a wall/door/any stable objects, if you have
difficulty balancing on one leg:
2 – Kneeling
Quadriceps Stretch (this is the one that I do religiously every day; do make
yourself comfortable by placing a thick cushion/pillow under your knee)
DIY Massage
1 – Self massage
(though I wonder where to get that equipment)
2 – Foam rolling
(be careful of back alignment; also not suitable for de-conditioned people,
especially if you have shoulder and back issues)
Massage therapy for Quads
·
This
vid is more for massage therapist reference; note that there is additional
showing of massaging the IT band
***
Important: If you are already suffering from bad knee pain, please seek
professional medical attention… The mentioned stretches and relief techniques,
though are good injury prevention tips, but may not provide a guarantee of cure
if you are seriously injured, and might even complicate the injury for some
cases.
Stay tune
here as I will blog more on other ‘culprits’ contributing to knee pain!
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