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Knee Issues
Do your knees hurt when you run?
Do you have a ‘trick’ knee?
Are your knees are sore when you climb stairs or do squats?
Can you hike up the mountain... but have to be carried down, because of the knee pain?
Golfers are very susceptible to knee pain and other symptoms, due to the extreme stress and twisting motion to the hip, thigh, leg and feet, during the "big" swing.
The knee is a complex piece of machinery. And like most complex things, vulnerable to problems.
The most common issues seem to be ligament related. At least that’s what is commonly thought.
Yes, ligaments do give us grief and as anyone who has suffered with torn ligaments will tell you; they can take a long while to heal! But even if it truly is a ligament issue, you may shorten your recovery time by incorporating Trigger Point bodywork into your ‘repair’ protocol. When a ligament is damaged, it often means that an event has taken place to facilitate injury or stress to other tissue... such as muscle. So check for trigger points (TrPs) in the appropriate muscles and if found, remove them and recovery will happen much sooner.
But there's more!
Quadriceps Femoris: A great number of knee pain issues are really caused by TrPs in the quadriceps femoris. We’ve treated hundreds of knees that were thought to be ligament problems; however, by deactivating the TrPs in the rectus femoris or vastus lateralis, the pain soon disappears. The vastus’ medialis and intermedius also would be perused for trigger points. The quadriceps (femoris) TrPs are often responsible for anterior, medial and lateral knee pain. Pain at the back of the knee could be from TrPs in the hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus).
Almost all knee problems have a myofascial component that is playing a role in the knee problem. Remember, remove the active trigger points, and the pain will likely be greatly reduced or disappear completely.
What about issues with the I.T. Tract (iliotibial tract) - also known as I.T. Band?
We always assess the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) and the gluteus maximus. The TFL joins with the gluteus maximus and forms the iliotibial tract. So if either of these muscles is compromised by trigger points, it will very likely influence the ITT. Remove the TrPs and the pain usually goes too. Keep in mind that much of the time, pain alongside the ITT (ITB) is actually originating from trigger points in the vastus lateralis and therefore, not a true iliotibial problem.
It’s not difficult for someone knowledgeable* in Trigger Point therapy, to check for the underlying source of knee pain.
If you have knee pain it’s not getting better - get those quadriceps checked for trigger points!
We offer 1-day and 5-day Trigger Point C.E. workshops that address Knee issues.
Check our Workshop dates/locations
* someone who employs Trigger Point therapy (as their primary treatment protocol) on a daily basis, and has extensively studied the Travell & Simons manuals.
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