Introduction
If you are a runner, then it is almost a given that you have experienced knee pain at some point. You may or may not have tried icing your knee, taking time off, or foam rolling the muscles of the thigh. If all of these attempts have not been able to rid you of that nagging pain, please read on. The purpose of this article is to identify the most common cause of knee pain and to provide the reader with tools to address those issues, and prevent them from reoccurring.
Glute Medius Dysfunction
You may or may not know that there are actually three gluteal muscles; Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus. The muscle that has been found to be inactive in many runners with chronic knee and also back pain is glute medius. This muscle is extremely important in the gait cycle. It is a powerful external rotator of the thigh. This means that it is responsible for keeping the knee in line with the hip when running or walking. When this muscle is not firing correctly, the knee will tend to deviate inward. This will ultimately lead to uneven wear of the cartilage and menisci of the knee. This uneven wear will predispose that knee to early onset degeneration and a lifetime of chronic pain.
Most runners are familiar with the the IT Band and IT Band syndrome. The IT Band is actually an tendinous extension of the Tensor Fascia Lata (or TFL), which is a muscle located on the outer aspect of the hip. The TFL is a very weak external rotator of the thigh, and will attempt to compensate for a lack of activation in the gluteus medius. The tendency of many runners is to reach for a foam roller when they start feeling knee discomfort . While foam rolling the IT Band is effective in alleviating some of the tension that you may be feeling, it will not address the underlying cause of why it is there. The only way to truly relieve tension on the IT Band and the TFL, is to activate and strengthen the glute medius.
Why Is Glute Medius Dysfunction So Common?
Inactivity in all of the glute muscles is very common today because of the sedentary lifestyles that we lead. The majority of our days are spent sitting in the car on the way to and from work, sitting behind a computer screen at work, and sitting watching TV to unwind at the end of the day. When we are sitting, the glutes are not engaged. They are essentially “shut off”. It is necessary for these muscles to be in a relaxed state while in a seated posture, it would be very uncomfortable to sit on contracted glutes all day. The lack of activation in these muscles will sometimes lead to misalignments in the pelvic joints, making it difficult to reactivate them fully when you stand back up. The majority of the population does not notice this because the human body is marvelous at adapting (ie TFL attempting to compensate for gluteus medius). It is only the portion of the population who demand more of themselves (weightlifters, runners, and other athletes) who will notice the breakdown in normal body mechanics.
What Can You Do About It?
There are many different ways to address the inactivity of the glute medius. Purchasing a set of resistance bands is a must. Incorporating exercises such as the glute bridge and step outs into your workout or warm-up routine will help reestablish the mind muscle connection to the glutes and begin to strengthen them. Depending on the severity of your pain, you may need to take time off of running. You should continue to foam roll the IT band as well, as it is an effective rehabilitative technique. Ice is your friend when dealing with these types of injuries. Guidelines for ice are as follows; no direct contact with the skin, 10-15 minutes on and an equivalent amount of time with the ice off to allow the tissues to warm back up. If rehab alone does not remedy your symptoms and reduce your pain, this may be an indication that there is a misalignment of the pelvic bones which is not permitting the glute muscles to be fully activated. If this is the case, it is best to see a professional. To learn more about how to fix your knee pain, please contact me
Most runners are familiar with the the IT and IT Band syndrome. The IT band is actually an tendinous extension of the Tensor Fascia Lata (or TFL), which is a muscle located on the outer aspect of the hip. The TFL is a very weak external rotator of the thigh, and will attempt to compensate for a lack of activation in the gluteus medius. The most popular trend in the running community now is foam rolling. While foam rolling the IT Band is effective in alleviating some of the tension that you may be feeling, it will not address the underlying cause of why it is there. The only way to truly relieve tension on the IT Band and the TFL, is to engage the glute medius.
Why Is Glute Medius Dysfunction So Common?
Inactivity in all of the glute muscles is very common today because of the sedentary lifestyles that we lead. The majority of our days are spent sitting in the car on the way to and from work, sitting behind a computer screen at work, and sitting watching TV to unwind at the end of the day. When we are sitting, the glutes are not engaged. They are essentially “shut off”, because it would very uncomfortable to sit on contracted glutes all day. The lack of activation in these muscles will sometimes lead to misalignments in the pelvic joints, making it difficult to reactivate them fully when you stand back up. The majority of the population does not notice this because the human body is marvelous at adapting (ie TFL attempting to compensate for gluteus medius). It is only the portion of the population who demand more of themselves (weightlifters, runners, weekend warriors, etc) who will notice the breakdown in normal body mechanics.
What Can You Do About It?
There are many different ways to address the inactivity of the glute medius. Purchasing a set of resistance bands is a must. Incorporating exercises such as the glute bridge and step outs into your workout or warm-up routine is also necessary. Depending on the severity of your pain, you may need to take time off of running or whatever activity is causing your issues while you strengthen your glutes. You should continue to foam roll the IT band as well, as it is an effective rehabilitative technique. Ice is your friend when dealing with chronic inflammation. Guidelines for ice are as follows; no direct contact with the skin, 10-15 minutes on and an equivalent amount of time with the ice off to allow the tissues to warm back up. When using the ice in this manner, it will create an artificial pumping mechanism within the tissues (ice causes the vessels to shrink in diameter), that will push inflammation out at a faster rate than if you did not use this treatment modality. If rehab alone does not remedy your symptoms and reduce your pain, this may well be an indication that there is a misalignment of the pelvic bones which is not permitting the glute muscles to be fully activated. If this is the, case it is best to see a professional. To learn more about how to prevent knee pain, please contact me via the information provided below: