Squats & The Exploding Knee

[bblazer]

I think my age is catching up to me.

For the past few weeks, when I do squats with anything > 235 it feels like my left kneecap is going to bust through the skin and hit some poor SOB on the other side of the room. The pain will last about 30 min after my last set.

Interestingly, I don't have that pain when I do leg press, and it is not as great if I work on a Smith Machine (although still very much there).

Is this just one of the fun things about being old? Is there a variance in form I can use to help alleviate the pain? Would a brace help? Also, I have never taken a joint grinder like Winstrol.

Thanks!

B-

 

[jdynasty]

do you warm up at all, like leg extensions or ride a bike before squating

 

[bblazer]

do you warm up at all, like leg extensions or ride a bike before squating

Yes.

B-

 

[b fold the truth]

How old is "old"?

I'm 30 (almost 31) and have fought through sickness over the past 2 years that isn't even worth mentioning. Spend months with no anti-inflammatory system so bad that my feet touching the bed sheets was horrible...

What kind of squats are you doing? Stance? Reps?

Tried wide stanced, box squats, in Chuck Taylors?

 

[bblazer]

I have done wide and box squats. Depending on the set the reps are never higher than 8.

B-

 

[conundrum]

First of all..stay far away from the leg extension machine. This thing is the worst thing for the knee joint. It puts way to much stress on the knee.

It sound like you have patella tendonitis. This is the tendon that runs over the patell (knee cap). You can feel it just below the knee cap. Best remedy is rest, ice, stretching and some cross-friction massage on the tendon itself and some Ibprofen to help with the inflammation and the pain.

Try icing it for 20min of every hour you can for at least 72 hours and stretch in between icing session. After that start applying heat or a heating pad for 15 minutes and stretching prior to workout, do this for 36 hours. Then warm up for 10-15 minutes on a stationary bike or tredmill. Stretch. Then do you warm up sets...stretch...do you workout...stretch...

When done with every workout, whether you did legs or not, ice your patella tendons and stretch. If you do not see any signs of improvement go get a knee evalution and suggest to get an MRI done on your knee or knees.

 

[coolcolj]

2 words - foam roll
and then ankle and hip mobility work


Made a huge difference for me! everyone sits down for long periods and get tight knotted muscles and fascia. Plus training over time creates scar tissue and adhesions that make it worse. You need to loosen em up so things work properly.
Usually its a tight and knotted glute medius that pulls on the IT band that makes the knee scream

but here are a few things for you to read!

http://laurensfitness.com/2008/03/06/fascia-part-1-an-important-piece-of-the-pain-puzzle/

foam rolling
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=475832
http://laurensfitness.com/2008/02/24/tennis-ball-part-1-a-tool-you-never-knew-you-had/

video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stEfs08PvIk
http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1303.cfm

see the last 2 pages of my training journal with posts and links to articles/videos for the details of my experience with foam rolling. I've tried many things, and this has fixed everything and then some!! No more knee pain from squatting, even narrow stance frontsquats, and landing from max effort running jumps over 35 inches. I'm older than most people here and I feel more like a teen again because of foam rolling, I can even dance pretty good again
It's basicly like a poor man's ART
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...sive-mofo-my-training-journal-274034-157.html

 

[conundrum]

2 words - foam roll
and then ankle and hip mobility work


Made a huge difference for me! everyone sits down for long periods and get tight knotted muscles and fascia. Plus training over time creates scar tissue and adhesions that make it worse. You need to loosen em up so things work properly.
Usually its a tight and knotted glute medius that pulls on the IT band that makes the knee scream

but here are a few things for you to read!

http://laurensfitness.com/2008/03/06/fascia-part-1-an-important-piece-of-the-pain-puzzle/

foam rolling
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=475832
http://laurensfitness.com/2008/02/24/tennis-ball-part-1-a-tool-you-never-knew-you-had/

video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stEfs08PvIk
http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1303.cfm

see the last 2 pages of my training journal with posts and links to articles/videos for the details of my experience with foam rolling. I've tried many things, and this has fixed everything and then some!! No more knee pain from squatting, even narrow stance frontsquats, and landing from max effort running jumps over 35 inches. I'm older than most people here and I feel more like a teen again because of foam rolling, I can even dance pretty good again
It's basicly like a poor man's ART
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...sive-mofo-my-training-journal-274034-157.html

I agree to the uses of the foam roller, but I do feel it should be combined with my suggestions above to get best possible results. In my humble opinion.

 

[coolcolj]

yeap, but I find stretching not that effective if the muscle is tight and knotted

so the order of approach for me is to

foam roll or deep tissue massage (like ART) --> mobility work --> stretch ---> exercises to fix any imbalances left that are causing issues

 

[coolcolj]

also, if he has a strained or torn meniscus then that changes eveyrthing

 

[conundrum]

also, if he has a strained or torn meniscus then that changes eveyrthing

I do concur...good stuff

 

[bblazer]

also, if he has a strained or torn meniscus then that changes eveyrthing

I liked everything that was said up until this point.

B-

 

[druncanwaria]

if it make u feel better im getting the same problem at 24

 

[conundrum]

I liked everything that was said up until this point.

B-

The meniscus is the cushioning or piece of thin cartilage in you knee...if its torn you will always have some kind of pain unless it surgically repaired or removed.

You can't strain a meniscus: its cartilage, not a muscle, ligament or tendon


does that clear things up for you?

 

[bblazer]

Yup

 

[coolcolj]

It will heal depending on what, wear and how, but it does take time
As long as it's not a massive tear and locks up your knee etc

plan to take 2 months off any lower body work, especially low depth stuff

there is a test you can do to find out on youtube, see if I can find it

 

[conundrum]

It will heal depending on what, wear and how, but it does take time
As long as it's not a massive tear and locks up your knee etc

plan to take 2 months off any lower body work, especially low depth stuff

there is a test you can do to find out on youtube, see if I can find it

One of the most basic tests for it is the duck walk..

 

[coolcolj]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IwBW-X4n1fU

if you have it, stop training lower body for a while, although RDL and SLDL should be ok, just don't bend the knee under load

and I suggest you start foam rolling and self massage etc with tennis balls etc
starting from the bottom of your feet and every muscle up from there