As I sit and drink my coffee…
As the people shuffle by, each with their own pattern, gait, and intent I’m drawn to reflecting on a recent conversation with an athlete. It was about knees. Her lament was that she had weak knees. Further, it seemed to a be a bit of a family curse as everyone seemed to have knee issues of one sort or another. My reflection was not about her version of things but whether she might follow some of the advice shared. I’d call it 50:50. Not completely in the camp of total rejection of hopeful change, it was obvious that follow-up was required and that simply wasn’t going to happen.
The notion that a person has weak knees (low back, ankles, and feet are also common complaints) that are a family pattern is a bit of misinformation that gets around. While there are doubtless some familial patterns related to joint angles etc, it is worth looking at other factors that can be altered. The knee joint only has one dedicated muscle with virtually all the muscular support coming from muscle-tendon units that run past the joint from either the thigh or shin. There are also ligaments that provide stability and a range of motion scaffolding to keep the area from being sloppy.
The tough thing here, really two tough things, is resistance to change from either beliefs or knowledge. Believing that a familial pattern is your fate, that somehow, we have a gene for weak knees is one aspect. We are quite plastic in our abilities to modify tissues and chemistries – our current state of being is not our destiny. What may not be understood is that with one dedicated muscle, the knee joint is strengthened and stabilised from above and below. It may have to acquire a strength level beyond the target tasks for create a buffer for inconsistent landings or when there is joint laxity.
Take a look at this exercise – a
Hip Bridge that is adapted for polymetric tensions and MedBall quality assurance. It is from the
Poly2 Plyo programme
Hip To Knees 2. It is usually seen as a hip exercise with some quad and ham involvement. I look at it as much more than that. With respect to the knees the lateral-medial stirrups of the thighs, and the gastroc from the lower leg need to be included. The free leg figures work ankle stability on the ball, which influences knee stability. And the list goes on. The ‘trick’ of course is that regular work needs to be applied to initiate change. Fortunately, there is lots of variety to explore and great results to be had. And a great suggestion for coaches and trainers who encounter the ‘weak knees’ gloom, is to exploit the variety to keep the athlete or client moving around for as long as possible…
