Good Stretches For Sore Knees

[caityrosey]

Hi all.

I need some good stretches for sore knees.
I was really feeling those suckers last night during my tango lesson...I stretch every time I dance or work out but I don't think I'm doing the right stretches.

[wyllo]

The key to keeping my knees happy is a good warm-up. If I try to do too much too quickly they get cranky.

[skwiggy]

My knee was bothering me quite a bit a few months back. I did the same thing--made sure it was good and warmed up before I danced, and that seemed to help a lot. I would sit in a chair and lift my foot until my leg was straight, then bring it back down to the floor and repeat. I would do like 30 of those before I tried to dance. It made all the difference in the world. Eventually it just stopped bothering me.

[mamboqueen]

you might need to build up the muscles around the knee rather than do stretches. Honestly, I do a lot of stretching, but heck if I can think of one that is really for the knee.

A few good ways to build up the muscles around the knees are leg lifts sitting on the floor and lifting the legs slowly (they dont' have to go high), and if you can stand to put a small weight on the leg, that helps. Also, if you have a volleyball-sized ball, put it between your knees and squeeze it, then let go, squeeze again, and so on. These are just two I got from physical therapy last year. I'm sure I have more written down.

[caityrosey]

I saw a physical therapist a year ago for runner's knee and they recommended some stretches to help... and they did...it all had to do with loosening up and balancing out the muscles on either side of the knee...
I ask now becuase those stretches aren't solving my current problem...the pain is similar, but is situated a little differently around the socket.

[alemana]

warming up a joint can def. help it feel less sore with exertion, but MQ is right that most knee pain is rehabbed by stregnthening the surrounding musculature.

[diputs]

Can you be more specific about which part of your knee is sore?

Is it the muscles around the knee? And which ones?

Is it the ligaments that attach near the knee?

Is it the joint itself?

[Rosa]

The key to keeping my knees happy is a good warm-up. If I try to do too much too quickly they get cranky.

Same here.

Rosa :)

[Ms_Sunlight]

Don't try and over-stretch when cold. I always find a nice gentle warm-up to get my blood flowing helps. Funny thing is, I get sore knees when I'm not dancing regularly.

I'm not an expert, obviously, but if you're having problems maybe you should see one -- perhaps speak to your dance instructor or a qualified trainer at the gym -- to see if there's something you're doing, either when dancing or in your everyday habits, to cause yourself problems.

[Swingolder]

I saw a physical therapist a year ago for runner's knee and they recommended some stretches to help... and they did...it all had to do with loosening up and balancing out the muscles on either side of the knee...
I ask now becuase those stretches aren't solving my current problem...the pain is similar, but is situated a little differently around the socket.

Well, there went my suggestions. I stretch before I run but have never had any problems when I dance.

[caityrosey]

Can you be more specific about which part of your knee is sore?

Is it the muscles around the knee? And which ones?

Is it the ligaments that attach near the knee?

Is it the joint itself?

I'm not exactly sure. The knee isn't J-tracking the way it did last time--it's more sore below the socket.

I did try warming it up a little more last night at practice using one of the warmup exercises someone else on this post mentionedand it did help some. Might take some time.

[Twilight_Elena]

The key to bad knees (which I suffered from for long but am doing much better now) is QUADS QUADS QUADS. If your quads are strong they'll get the weight of your body instead of your knees.

Twilight Elena

[caityrosey]

The key to bad knees (which I suffered from for long but am doing much better now) is QUADS QUADS QUADS. If your quads are strong they'll get the weight of your body instead of your knees.

Twilight Elena

Although, if you don't stretch then the strength won't help you :)

I'm assuming that the problem is similar to last time, just different muscles maybe. so different stretches could help.

[wyllo]

Although, if you don't stretch then the strength won't help you :)


Why not?

[caityrosey]

Why not?

Well maybe that's an exaggeration,

but when I have neglected to stretch out for running I can't run nearly as well as when I have...I'm all tight and have much less range of movement and less power, and even less stamina.
I guess I'm also going by what the PT told me-specifically last time, which was that I had plenty of strength, but too much tension.

[wyllo]

Ah, I see, thanks. :)

[alemana]

The key to bad knees (which I suffered from for long but am doing much better now) is QUADS QUADS QUADS. If your quads are strong they'll get the weight of your body instead of your knees.

Twilight Elena


that's really an oversimplification. patellofemoral pain syndrome, which affects many dancers and athletes, is very often caused and exacerbated by tight quads (moreso than weak ones) so the stregnth training many people perform to help their knee pain actually can make it worse. especially when unsupervised.

[alemana]

oops, i see caityrosey beat me to that same point.

[Twilight_Elena]

:???: Didn't mean to give harmful advice. Strengthening should anways be followed by stretching, it's the natural order. You tighten, you stretch. For more serious issues I say consult a specialist.

Twilight Elena

[diputs]

I'm not exactly sure. The knee isn't J-tracking the way it did last time--it's more sore below the socket.

Back front or side? Or all around?

I find it very interesting that people have offered a lot of opinions, yet we still have no idea the exact nature of the discomfort.

Without knowing more, I will offer this suggestion anyway. Usually an IT (Iliotibial) problem causes pain on the outside of the knee, but it can be related to many knee problems.

http://www.bodyinmotion.co.uk/figs/fig13.gif

I would investigate your IT Bands. Especially if it is a tracking issue. There is a very good chance that they are week and/or tight. I would start by using a foam roller to massage your IT bands. More than likely this will be extremely painful. Especially if you have never done this before. Similiar pain that you would experience going to a rolfer.

http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/assets/Exercisesheets/PDF/FoamRoller.pdf

Do the exercise labeled Iliotibial Tract.

You can do the exercise with a ball as well. Depending on the size and hardness of the ball, it will result in different levels of pain.

[diputs]

I saw a physical therapist a year ago for runner's knee and they recommended some stretches to help... and they did...it all had to do with loosening up and balancing out the muscles on either side of the knee...
I ask now becuase those stretches aren't solving my current problem...the pain is similar, but is situated a little differently around the socket.

You might be at the point where you either need more release in this area, see my other post. Or you may be at the point where you need to start strengthing the area.

A lot of people overdevelop their quads thinking that this is going to eliminate their knee problems. Unfortunately they neglect to develop the other muscles in the area. Exercises such as side leg lifts and hip rotation exercises with help strengthen your lateral knee movement. Once you have strengthened your lateral movement, you knee can sustain the effort needed to develop you quads.

[caityrosey]

:???: Didn't mean to give harmful advice. Strengthening should anways be followed by stretching, it's the natural order. You tighten, you stretch. For more serious issues I say consult a specialist.

Twilight Elena

Don't worry---they always say that it helps to strengthen the areas around a sore joint. I totally agree with that.

[Shooshoo]

I saw a physical therapist a year ago for runner's knee and they recommended some stretches to help... and they did...it all had to do with loosening up and balancing out the muscles on either side of the knee...
I ask now becuase those stretches aren't solving my current problem...the pain is similar, but is situated a little differently around the socket.

If the pain is around the socket, then it's stregthening all the muscles around that; quads, calf muscles.

Also if you jog, then the shoes are very important, it should have air or you should choose a different ground to jog on. Asphalt, wood is bad. Think grass is better. Of course this doesn't solve the problem of dancing on hard floors.

Aren't dancers supposed to get knee pain? Sometimes when I dance my instructor tells me that I bend my knees and that I should strech it more to look nicer. But, I think I do it involuntarily to protect my knees.

I used to play basketball and knee problems is one of the common problems. I have been quite lucky, never had problems, but I have strong quads and calves and also the muscles around my knees (don't know their name). Cycling is a good strengthening exercise.