Help with knees, unflexible and pronating in!

[5150HKD]

Well where do I start I have always had bad knees in a sense. They always want to pronate in when doing squats and horsestances. So this is putting alot of pressure on them. My knees have always been like this, for example it is very uncomfortable for me to sit cross legged. When I do my knees point up and won't lay flat on the ground. I am getting frustrated cause it is not getting better. Plus tonight one of the black belts told my knees pronating in during horsestance will ruin them. Whickh I totally agree with. So this is my plan right now to do every day.
1. 5 minutes basic lower body stretches (groin stretch, hamstring, toe touching, knee to chest)
2. 5 minutes sitting cross legged
3. 5 minutes sitting with legs spread againast a wall
4. 5 minutes sitting cross legged

What do you guys think? Anyone else have this problem? Any advice on my plan or a diffrent stretching routine?

I would really appreciate any tips or advive
Thank You

 

[Lisa]

Have you been to a doctor to find out why they do this? That would be my first step. Next I would get the advice of a good physiotherapist before trying any exercises to self correct the problem. Since this has always been the case with your knees, self correction without knowing the root cause of the problem may end up causing you more problems in the long run.

Educate yourself about the problem first. Get the help of someone qualified to give you proper guidance and support to correct the problem.

 

[TigerWoman]

I agree with Lisa. A physical therapist can set you up with exercises to help you with your problem. It may be congenital, inherited and/or you may help your knees by strengthening the ligaments, muscles that are around them.

I have different problems with my knees and a physical therapist (after seeing a orthopedist) showed me a VM muscle exercise that was very beneficial beside other exercises using weights. Don't try anything yourself as you know already it is a serious problem--go see a doc. TW

 

[rutherford]

I think that by just stretching without any range of motion excercises, resistence excercise, or warmup you're running the risk of serious damage.

 

[shesulsa]

Walk - don't run - to your nearest physical therapist. Don't lift, jump, squat ... nothing until you get to see one. This could be a congenital problem with a short muscle, ligament or two.

But you really need to see a PT.

 

[5150HKD]

Ok, this is not as severe as it my have sounded. Don't get the wrong idea i am not walking around with knees that are caving in or anything like that. I have been to a doctor and I am fine. My instructor just says it is unflexibility. The main thing I am worried about is Horsestances. Everything else is fine (running, working out). When I do horse stance we do legs about half way wider than shoulder width apart. I just always let my knees go in JUST a little. They need to point out so the weight is not over my knees. Which I can do but I have to have my legs a little closer together. Also this feels weaker than when my knees are in a little. So I am just wondering about some good strtches or ways to stretch or even if there is a certain time of day to stretch that is best.
Once again this is not nearly as severe as it may have sounded. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

I have a buddy who is a PT, and a kenpo instructor. When he visits other schools with his wife, the other black belts constantly seek to correct her gawd-awful knees in a horse. After close inspection, there is a genetic variance there that isn't a huge problem, but it is there. She simply CAN'T turn her knees out. By the time they are turned out enough to bring her knee-toe relationship into sync, her thighs are spread so far apart it looks like she's trying to let a dwarf on a bicycle drive under her legs. She's just built differently. No amount of stretching will change that.

There is also a police officer at MSU with a similar thing; he won't initally look like the anatomical/biomechanical relationships of his stance are on, but it's just how he's built; his stances are solid.

Train for an ideal, but be willing to save your body unecessary wear and tear by allowing for the possibility that you may be built differently in the knees than most. Forcing yourself to fit in the square shaped hole ify you're a round peg can be bad for your body. For example, what of you have ligamentous laxity? (loose joints, for the cliff notes). All that stretching will worsen your long-term mileage for knees. Not saying you DO, as I haven't had a chance to examine you, but that's the sort of individual differences that you should take into account while training.

Maybe you just ain't built that way, and everyone -- including yourself -- needs to cut you some slack.

Regards,

Dave

 

[5150HKD]

Kembudo-Kai Kempoka Thank you very much. What you said made alot of sense. I mean I can get my knees out on horse stance but I have to have my legs about shoulder width apart. It just feels slightly uncomfortable to me other wise. I was also wondering if I am damaging my knees will I know it? I mean will they hurt? Or will it be something I won't see coming? I have been doing horse stance for years and I have never had knee pain or anything like that.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

tai chi has been shown to help with a lot of knee and lower back problems.

also, anything at all in the water: swimming, walking chest-deep, aqua robics, water polo, they even have aqua tai chi. it builds the muscles in the knees with zero impact so they get stronger without stressing the bits that are weak now.