knee issues, knee sleeve in order?

[Jizzacked]

hey bros, an actual training question here...

when I was younger I had no issue squatting heavy, my knees were good to go.  I have recently attempted to get back into some squats, however as soon as I go over 225 I have tendon pain in my right knee... specifically right down the middle of the kneecap.  this has actually recently started to happen a bit on the leg press as well, and I am starting to get worried I might be on the verge of an injury if I don't do something about this.  as soon as I experience this pain I back off and cut things short, but I need something that is going to help me work around this issue.  I do light leg extensions to try to warm up the knees, and it seems to help somewhat, but as soon as the poundages increase, I feel like I am about hurt myself (tendon feels strained and almost feels like it burns).

I have been looking into knee sleeves a bit, and have heard pretty much all good things.  I just don't know what sort I should use as they come in many different styles.  I have read that the rehband brand ones are good shit, but any recommendations you guys might have would be appreciated.

[BiGHer]

Sounds like patella tendonitis to me bro.  A sleeve will help or a patella band (what basketball players use for "jumpers knee").  The pressure these items put on the patella will relieve some of the pain.  Also, hit the anti-inflammatories regularly too for a couple of weeks.  Aleve is the best. 

[Nails]

happens to me when i slack off on legs.... just push thru it, it will go away

[Jizzacked]

it's good to know others have dealt with the same issues here.  it's strange cause the pain is gone immediately after the stress of the weight is gone.. I have never had to take pain relievers because it doesn't really linger.  I have been tempted to just work through it, however I get a little worried with this approach when dealing with connective tissues.  for this sort of pain/strain would an open kneecap design or a full coverage sleeve be more appropriate?

[K-1]

I know the pain you are speaking of...knees feel kind of weak/loose..etc. I usually do the leg press heavy slow reps for a couple weeks to build them back up.....you should be ok to slap the extra caddies on then....look around.....then ass to grass....pause....let it marinate...then finish your set with no soreness.

[Nails]

i always warm up the knee joints first with some hack squats or leg press then go to the squat

[Jizzacked]

good suggestions all around, I appreciate the input bros.  for now I have just backed off and been doing the leg press exclusively and hope to take another stab on the squats in a week or two.

[MAXX]

I'd say go see a knee doctor. I don't believe in 'pushing through it'.

[Vince B]

If you get sharp pain when squatting that is a signal to stop. You have an injury.

I have found that leg extensions can stress the knee joint. So do Hack squats. Leg presses are better but the only machine that didn't hurt most knees was the Nautilus Duo Squat machine. That was designed by someone intelligent. We increased the height of the sled by 8 to 10 inches to take some of the pressure off the spine when going heavy.

The other thing you want to consider is how you got the injury. Activities such as jumping or running on hard surfaces can damage the knees. If you walk down hills or big steps, rocks, etc., you can get sore knees. Get shoes that have impact soles and also put a good support inside the shoes.

Try this. Do some squats on a Smith machine. One that is angled is best. Warm up with the bar and do full squats. Then add 10 pounds to each side. Do another 5 reps. Keep adding 10 pounds to each side and see how much you can do. You might be able to exceed 225 without any pain. Stop immediately there is any sharp pain. Hope this helps. If any kind of squats hurt then find a gym with a Duo Squat machine. Leg Presses might be better for you. Do the same protocol when you gradually increase the weight doing 5 reps.

[BB]

A good pair good pair of knee sleeves and provide a little bit of stabilization, but not on the order of say, a pair of knee wraps. Personally, I'd back off for a bit, just to let everything freshen up a bit, then try a pair of full knee sleeves like the Blue Rehbands, they are the gold standard in knee sleeves, they changed to a lighter design later, so search out the blue ones. The Powerlifting gym, Jackyls Gym was the source for the blue ones in the U.S. . Just google the Gym name.

Tommy Kono's Kono Knee Bands are an excellent second choice if you can't find the blue bands.

[Jizzacked]

I'll be giving the rehband sleeve a try, and just gradually work my way back into the higher poundages.  I wish I had access to all the equipment vince was talking about, but the gym I go to is more of a "hardcore" ie stripped down sort of place with mostly freeweights.  thanks again bros

[Hulkotron]

Have you considered upping the dosage?

In seriousness I would say a good long break is in order.  I had a partially torn hip extensor a couple years ago and couldn't squat or lunge or anything like that for over a month.  I was able to maintain most of my leg strength by just doing SLDLs, which didn't hurt at all for some reason, and a shitload of knee extensions.

[local hero]

where does this 'extensions damage your knees' shite come from

you get knee surgery and guess the exercise the physio will give u to strengthen............ leg extensions!!!


you should never work thru sharp pain in joints, its bad news..... back off try somthing different, ice it everynight to take away inflamation  ....


what id do is start your leg workouts with calves and hams then quads,,,, your knees will be loosened up, start your quad work with high rep, slow, squeezy  leg extensions,  leg press , then another type of machine squat ( v squat, horizontal hacks, front squat machine etc )



ive never seen a gym with one of those nautilus machines in my life!

[Dr Dutch]

I don't want to be seen on a machine looking like that......

[The Showstoppa]

Do you ice your knees on a regular basis?  If not, you should.

[Meso_z]

ahh I know how you feel man. Its a pain in the ass.

Use those bands, make sure they fit tight. They help ALOT.

Ive also notice that when i go light they hurt as fuck and when I go HEAVY they are ok (wearing the bands). Go figure

Also consider icing it and even skip couple leg sessions. (do calves, sldl, extensions, curls, abductors - avoid pressing movements).

All the above is broscience but they worked for me lol.

[JasonH]

I'm going through the same problems at the moment - my right knee is worse than my left but they both hurt - it even hurts to walk sometimes. I've only just started training legs after a lay-off of not training them and the brak didn't actually help - the pain hasn't gone away. I'm currently doing hams and calves before training quads and I'm doing light high-rep leg presses and hacks until I can lift heavier again. I'll see how this goes for about a month or so and if it's no better then it's off to the doctor.

[Super Natural]

I had a similar thing. it may be from having tight hip flexors & periformis muscle.This can pull your kneecap "off track" and create "petella femoral pain".

Give deep tissue work with an ice cup a go, hip and periformis stretching and IT band rolling on a foam roller - very painful but effective.

P.S. "working" through pain & mask it with Anti inflammitories = recipe for disaster IMO.

[kevcat]

yeah man dont work through it.I ignored knee pain for ages but eventually after finishing my final set of squats i couldnt bend my knee till a day later without pain.Im currently gettin physio and trying different things but the last thing you should do is ignore the pain by continuing squatting.Wait till you get rid of it completely or youll regret it

[Coach is Back!]

1. Vince B. Just offered the WORST advice imaginable when it comes to knee rehab.....good God, hacks? Are you serious? Holy shit.

2. See an ortho.

3. Never and I mean NEVER rehab a joint on a machine. Its not the 70's or 80's we don't rehab knees, hips, shoulders or anything on a "machine" the last thing you want to do is isolate a joint.

Basil, pick up a book, research for Gods sake learn something.....fuck!

[Nails]

he never said he injured his knee, all he said was he feels some sort of discomfert from squatting, that happens to joints when they are not stretched or used often, I ripped my ACL in highschool needed surgery from the MRI test, i refused surgery due to it being my Senior year and played on it with a brace, 12 years later i was squatting 500lb for 2 reps, but that just me, im just the kind of dude that works around it

[Coach is Back!]

I understand that, but sometimes knee discomfort could be something hidden so to be on the safe side see an ortho. Could be tendonitis could be something else, could be nothing. If it is tendonitis and it gets worse it will cause the outside part of the "quad" to not fire which in turn causes more problems. As far as the ACL, my guess is that of course it was painful while you were playing because of the lateral movements, but as you got older, stopped playing, you really had no reason for anything laterally. 12 years later you can do a 500lb squat becuase you are in a saggital plain....ACL supports lateral stability which is usually why most athletes who take lateral hits, change of direction, plant foot with lateral rotation often suffer ACL tears, especially in women.

[Coach is Back!]

Just to add, a blow to the front or rear of the knee could also cause ACL injuries as well.

[Nails]

I understand that, but sometimes knee discomfort could be something hidden so to be on the safe side see an ortho. Could be tendonitis could be something else, could be nothing. If it is tendonitis and it gets worse it will cause the outside part of the "quad" to not fire which in turn causes more problems. As far as the ACL, my guess is that of course it was painful while you were playing because of the lateral movements, but as you got older, stopped playing, you really had no reason for anything laterally. 12 years later you can do a 500lb squat becuase you are in a saggital plain....ACL supports lateral stability which is usually why most athletes who take lateral hits, change of direction, plant foot with lateral rotation often suffer ACL tears, especially in women.

some truth to that, i have no problem with lifting weights with my legs, however, i almost never play basketball with my friends, due to the pivot and lateral movements and side to side hard stopping, i can feel the weak knee joints 

[_bruce_]

If they knee pain persists - better be safe and go to a doc specializing in this certain craft.
I've had pain in my left knee since i was 14 and it has gotten less as I age - back squats practically eliminated it. Front squats make it flare up though.
Make sure your back is healthy - another source of endless pain that can be felt in different places including the knee.