Do You Know What Your Knees Need?
Do you know what your knees need today?
I’m so excited to share today’s wisdom and workout with you… lessons I learned the hard way.
I was about 16 years old when my knee issues began. We were in rehearsal for a big upcoming performance at the Lilac Festival…a performance I was GIDDY with excitement about.
One day towards the end of a rehearsal, I landed a tour jeté jump and something didn’t feel right. But I’m a dancer, so you just walk it off, right? WRONG. Within a few days, I couldn’t put weight on that leg at all without excruciating pain.
As is common for dancers, I was given the well-intentioned medical advice to rest and ice it. But those two things only address the immediate symptom, not the root of where the pain is coming from to begin with. So, I faithfully iced, and elevated, and rested…I even wrapped it and got a neoprene brace.
And every time I thought it was better, and danced on it again, the pain only got worse…until I ended up having to sit out the performance altogether. I watched my friends perform the roles I had practiced so hard for, while I applauded from the sidelines.
And that was only the beginning of my journey with injury and knee pain. By the time I was in my early 20’s, I had been diagnosed with a myriad of conditions ranging from various injuries to premature arthritis in my knees. Every doctor I saw had a different theory, but the prognosis was the same. “Rachel, your knees are so damaged, you’ll probably be in pain for the rest of your life.”
And at that point in my life, that did seem likely. No longer dancing professionally, even regular life was painful. During the worse flare-ups, I had to have friends drive me around because the pain was too intense to drive myself. Not exactly the life I anticipated, or wanted.
Though I was told there was not much hope, there was one kind voice that rose above the noise. That voice was my very first chiropractor, Dr. Chip Travis, for whom I am forever grateful!
He was the only one to explain to me WHY nothing I had been doing for almost a decade had helped.
And that the answer wasn’t rest and ice, wrapping, or bracing…but helping the body rebuild itself. He showed me a simple series of exercises to gently strengthen the muscles, ligaments, and tendons surrounding the knee joint. “I can’t promise these will fix your knees, Rachel, but I can promise that if you do them faithfully, they will help.”
In this issue of Mobility & Musings, I’m sharing those exact exercises - that first started me on the path to healing my knees over twenty years ago: (Click on the photo below to open the full video)
Gentle Knee Strengthening & Stabilizing Exercises:
1. Seated Knee Extensions
Sit up tall with one leg pulled into your chest and the other extended, with your extended foot against the wall - or if possible, against a foam roller, yoga block, or pillow. Sit close enough that your extended leg has a slight bend in the knee. Engage your quads as you press the back of your extended knee down into the floor, and push your foot hard into the wall/support for resistance. Hold for a few counts, then relax. Repeat.
2. Seated Elevated Leg Lifts
Begin in a seated position with one knee tucked into your chest and the other leg fully extended (ideally with over a foam roller, yoga block, or any slightly elevated surface such as a pillow or book under your calf). Sit up tall and engage your quads to slowly lift and lower your leg, keeping your leg hovering above the object. The goal is not to let your leg rest on the support when you lower, but to challenge you to keep the quad engaged and the leg slightly lifted the whole time. Progress by adding a resistance band and/or weight.
3. Seated Elevated Adductor Lifts
Begin in a seated position with one knee tucked into your chest and the other leg fully extended over a foam roller, yoga block, or any slightly elevated surface such as a pillow or book. Rotate your leg from your hip socket with your heel leading up and your inner thigh facing the ceiling. Sit up tall and engage your inside thigh to slowly lift and lower your leg, keeping your leg hovering above the object. The goal is not to let your leg rest on the support when you lower, but to challenge you to keep the inner thigh engaged and the leg slightly lifted the whole time. Progress by adding a resistance band and/or weight.
To make sure I followed through, I set an alarm on my phone for 9pm, and when I was hanging out with friends and it went off, they’d remind me… “Time for your knee exercises, Rachel!” We still get a good chuckle out of that memory today.
And here I am at 43, hiking mountains, pain-free!
So whether you set an alarm on your phone, enlist the help of friends, or simply take a moment to sit down on the floor and do these exercises in between Zoom meetings…I guarantee your knees will thank you.
If you’d like help figuring out what YOUR body needs to move at its best, pain-free, click the button below to get started.
No matter what you’ve been told…there’s still hope for your knees. And I’d be honored to help you step into it.
