Graeme Dods <
[email protected]> of
http://groups.google.com wrote:
>On Jan 3, 9:44 am, Steph Peters <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>> Having had a small and then a
>> major knee problem in 2006 and 2007 I had to more or less begin again to get
>> fit.
>
>My wife has a "wandering knee cap" too and really misses cycling
>(despite having corrective surgery which did next to nothing).
>Assuming it's the same condition, are the exercises you do helpful for
>cycling? The physio my wife had seemed great at first, but after
>spending loads of money it gradually became clear that recreational
>cycling "wasn't his thing" and he wasn't interested in anyone who
>wasn't a serious athlete.
The term 'wandering knee cap' is mine, not the physio's. My left kneecap
tends to move laterally out of alignment so that the bones in the knee grind
against each other when I bend it, and this then alters my gait so that the
other knee misaligns too.
First time I was diagnosed with a problem in the ligament on the inside of
the left knee, because it was painful when the (paid for) physio prodded it.
I now think that this was a symptom, not the cause. However the treatments
were massage of the ligament (painful and probably useless) and the alphabet
exercise, which strengthens the quads and therefore (temporarily) fixed the
knee.
Alphabet exercise
Sit on a chair with back straight, one foot on the floor, one leg straight
out in front so it is horizontal. Keeping the knee straight use the thing
muscles to move the leg so that it draws an upper case alphabet in the air.
Do this 5-10 times per day until you can do 4 alphabets in a session without
putting the foot down. Bloody hard work.
The second time I went NHS. Took quite a long time to get effective
treatment, given that I was at the point of hobbling up and down stairs only
with great difficulty and extreme pain. However the remedies have proved
successful. I have full movement back, and no pain when cycling or walking.
Apparently there is some crud in the kneecaps due to the previous grinding,
and my family history makes it inevitable I will get arthritis in old age,
so the advice is never to do anything with impact, so no running or jumping.
X rays provided the diagnosis of misaligned knee caps. First treatment was
orthotics in the shoes to rebalance the way I stand - built up part of the
orthotic on the inside of the foot, which apparently is typically female.
Then there were different exercises as I recovered.
Leg raises
Lie flat on floor or bed. Raise one straight leg by about 20cms, hold for 5
seconds.
Knee pushes
Lie flat on floor or bed. Push lower part of the knee into the surface
below, hold tensed for 5 seconds.
Start with 10 of each of these on each leg 10 times per day.
Spend 2 months working up to twice as many in each of the 10 times per day.
It's OK to hold for longer than 5 seconds and do less reps.
My advice: get an mp3 player with bluetooth headphones and some good stories
to listen to, because by the end of this lot I was spending over an hour per
day lying on my back. Got thighs of steel to show for it though.
Move on to double leg squats.
Get one of those large exercise balls and stand straight with the ball
between back and wall, with feet about 20 cm apart. Keeping knees in line
above the feet squat down so that the ball moves down the wall, then back up
again.
10 sets of 10 per day.
I found these very easy, so moved on after only a couple of weeks to single
leg squats.
Find a phone directory or similar size book to step on, or a step of that
kind of height. Stand straight on the book with feet very slightly apart,
hands on hips. While using hands to ensure that the hips do not move
sideways step forwards with one foot off the book onto the floor bending the
other leg at the knee in order to lower it, then back up on to the book.
10 sets of 10 per leg per day.
This is harder than it sounds - although it's a small step the whole weight
is on the leg which is bending. The good thing is it's intense so fast to
do. I keep a phone book at the bottom of the stairs and do a set every time
I go up or down, and also have one set up at work so I can do 2 sets while I
wait for the kettle to boil.
Hope this may be of some use.
--
Steph Peters
Chorlton Wanderers Cycling Group
Monthly slow and easy rides from South Manchester
http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/cycling/chwan.htm
