Knee Wraps

[Cobalt]

The link I put is to some knee sleeves. My main question is what do you do for your warm-up and if you also do regular MFR?

I'm not good with abbreviations, what is MFR?

Warm up is usually started by stretching out the hamstrings, followed by hip adductors then quads. Ten minutes on a treadmill, slight incline at just below a jogging pace. That is followed by using a leg extension machine with low weight (~80 lbs) at 3 sets by 20 reps. I'll then do some plain squats (no weight, just the movement), somewhere around 50 squats, followed by 50 more with the bar (45 lbs).
If I get through that with no knee pain, the rest of the workout is fantastic. Sometimes, the pain will show up and then go away during the warm up, in which case the workout is usually fine. If the pain is there once I'm done with the last set of squats, I'm screwed.

Good info on ROM pain, Cobalt. So now can you be more specific on the location in the joint where the pain stems from? Front of patella? To either side of it? Deeper in the joint? Sharp pain? Dull pain? Or does it go from dull to sharp with the increased ROM?

I can't recreate the pain right now (go figure, I'm not doing legs today either), but best I can describe it is under the patella, and the patella ligament itself.
The pain isn't sharp, it's more of a dull pain, but very sudden and powerful. Imaging doing a squat, and some prick comes along and kicks you right under the knee cap.

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Perhaps just retaining heat at the joint with a little compression is what you need. I would try something like these. The matching head band is a sweet addition.

Attachment 449

Take pics and post your results.

Seriously though, I had to switch to lifting with insulated pants because my garage is cold and my legs were cramping at higher reps. Warming up with jumping rope and jumping between sets helped as well.

Only if I can get the pants in blue, I don't do pink.

I don't think it is a temperature issue, it'll happen if it's 20 degrees out in winter, or 100 degrees in the summer.

[Rodja]

I'm not good with abbreviations, what is MFR?

Warm up is usually started by stretching out the hamstrings, followed by hip adductors then quads. Ten minutes on a treadmill, slight incline at just below a jogging pace. That is followed by using a leg extension machine with low weight (~80 lbs) at 3 sets by 20 reps. I'll then do some plain squats (no weight, just the movement), somewhere around 50 squats, followed by 50 more with the bar (45 lbs).
If I get through that with no knee pain, the rest of the workout is fantastic. Sometimes, the pain will show up and then go away during the warm up, in which case the workout is usually fine. If the pain is there once I'm done with the last set of squats, I'm screwed.



I can't recreate the pain right now (go figure, I'm not doing legs today either), but best I can describe it is under the patella, and the patella ligament itself.
The pain isn't sharp, it's more of a dull pain, but very sudden and powerful. Imaging doing a squat, and some prick comes along and kicks you right under the knee cap.

Myofascial release aka foam rolling and it sounds more like you have issues with the patella (the patella doesn't have a ligament, BTW) tracking, which could be a myriad of issue from a tight IT band to hamstrings. Leg extensions are one of the worst things you can do if you're having knee issues, so steer clear of those.

This is partially why I don't haphazardly recommend gear to people without having background knowledge.

[Cobalt]

Myofascial release aka foam rolling and it sounds more like you have issues with the patella (the patella doesn't have a ligament, BTW) tracking, which could be a myriad of issue from a tight IT band to hamstrings. Leg extensions are one of the worst things you can do if you're having knee issues, so steer clear of those.

This is partially why I don't haphazardly recommend gear to people without having background knowledge.

*Patellar Tendon, I didn't mean ligament.
I'll avoid leg extensions for a while then, see how that goes.
Is stretching still an ok thing, or should I back off on that too?

Also, I have to throw this out there.
I played baseball for a few years, and I was the catcher. Was playing one day, squatting down behind the batter and the pitcher threw a wild pitch. The ball plowed into the side of my kneecap, instantly causing my leg to go numb.
The pain started a year or two after that, but I've had an MRI done on the knee and the doctor said it looked ok.

I also don't do myofascial release, although I hear so much about it I guess I need to look into it.

It's funny you mention the IT band. I bowl a lot for fun, and my left IT band can get irritated, so I do stretch them out a bit.

[Rodja]

*Patellar Tendon, I didn't mean ligament.
I'll avoid leg extensions for a while then, see how that goes.
Is stretching still an ok thing, or should I back off on that too?

Also, I have to throw this out there.
I played baseball for a few years, and I was the catcher. Was playing one day, squatting down behind the batter and the pitcher threw a wild pitch. The ball plowed into the side of my kneecap, instantly causing my leg to go numb.
The pain started a year or two after that, but I've had an MRI done on the knee and the doctor said it looked ok.

I also don't do myofascial release, although I hear so much about it I guess I need to look into it.

It's funny you mention the IT band. I bowl a lot for fun, and my left IT band can get irritated, so I do stretch them out a bit.

Stretching is fine, but will have limited effectiveness unless you have postural imbalances (e.g. pec minor stretch). MFR is going to be the best place to start not only the IT band, but also the sartorius and glutes.

[Cobalt]

Stretching is fine, but will have limited effectiveness unless you have postural imbalances (e.g. pec minor stretch). MFR is going to be the best place to start not only the IT band, but also the sartorius and glutes.

Good stuff, I thank you for the help and advice.

Someone rep this man for me, I can't right now.

[burlyman30]

Someone rep this man for me, I can't right now.

Got it covered.