Keep Knee Tendonitis Away with these Two Tips

Many people in our population suffer from knee tendon pain.

Pain in the knee tendons is most often known as PFPS or patellar-femoral pain syndrome. It used to be referred to as tendonitis, but tendons don’t actually have an inflammation response, so it’s actually that the area around the tendon gets inflamed and impinges on the tendon, causing pain.

PFPS is an injury to the tendon connecting the kneecap to the shinbone, and is felt right below the knee cap, or along the lower edge of it. The patella tendon helps the knee bend, jump, run, and stand. So PFPS not only causes pain, but can restrict movement and healthy range of motion, thus causing pain in the knees and potentially injury as your body tries to compensate by using other joints or muscles more than it should.

PFPS is caused by a variety of issues including:

• overuse


• tight muscles


• and weak muscles

One common outcome of the three root causes above is postural alignment issues, which can then lead to PFPS as your body isn’t moving the way it should. A root cause of tight or weak muscles (in the hip and glutes)?

Sitting - we are a sedentary society, so PFPS is one of the costs of sitting all day at work. Throughout this article I am going to touch on a few of the common reasons that cause this pain in knee tendons.

Poor postural alignment plays a major role for people suffering from knee tendon pain. The knees are meant to face straight ahead similar to a car driving straight down the freeway. When changes occur it causes irritation, inflammation and discomfort throughout the knees. Improving one’s postural alignment can greatly reduce someone from suffering from knee tendonitis.

Overuse plays a major role in PFPS sufferers.

Here's a few tips to help prevent Patellar-Femoral Pain Syndrome(aka Jumper's Knee) from happening to you

When the knees are out of alignment for an extended period whether it’s standing, walking or running improperly the muscles, tendons, and bones surrounding the knees become overused. Overuse with poor alignment creates havoc in the body creating muscle imbalances, movement compensations and injuries. The best to way to prevent these overuse issues is by allowing for rest, recovery, and being on a structured exercise program that includes a healthy mixture of knee stretches and knee strengthening exercises.

Outlined below are two exercises that one can do to improve one’s postural alignment, leg strength, and lower leg flexibility.

The first exercise is a hip strengthening exercise. The hips drive the direction of where the knees are facing and keeping these muscles strong will improve one’s posture and prevent someone from suffering from knee tendonitis.

Learn How to Keep the Hips Strong with this Glute Strengthening exercise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2v56TbT9Cc

I recommend performing 1-2 sets for 10-15 reps in a controlled tempo. Always aim to stand up straight, keep your hips and feet facing forward and to avoid arching your back.

The second exercise is a calf stretch. When the calf muscles are flexible it greatly improves one’s ability to keep up optimal postural alignment. This is a fabulous exercise that improves the flexibility and range of motion in the knees, which will ultimately prevent overuse injuries.

Amazing Calf-stretch to Relieve Tight Calf Muscles (instructional video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQeLWPhfRh4

I recommend performing 1-2 sets for 20-30 seconds on each leg. Always aim to stand up straight, keep the heel down on the Bosu ball and to hold onto a sturdy object to help support your balance.

Say bye-bye to tendonitis ( aka 'jumper's knee' )

In summary, by properly performing both exercises outlined above and allowing for at least one day per week for rest and recovery one’s chances of experiencing knee tendonitis are greatly reduced. I am confident that both exercises will keep the knees strong, flexible, in proper alignment and help prevent overuse injuries.

I hope you found this post informative and educational.

Happy Training!

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Author Bio:

Ryan Krane is a fitness entrepreneur specializing in corrective exercise. He is the creator of The Krane Training Method™ and the founder of the Get My Body Better online series. His exercise programs help people eliminate their pain through exercise and build a rock solid foundation inside their bodies so they won't crack and can continue living their live to the fullest. His passion in life is to help chronic pain sufferers address and eliminate recurring body aches through expert-designed flexibility, posture, and strength training. The Krane Training Method™, through years of experience to enable individuals to successfully Move Better, Feel Better, and Live Better. The Krane Training Method™ is custom tailored to fit clients' needs and lifestyles, making it to one of the most accommodating corrective exercise programs available to relieve pain and improve quality of life!

Ryan has his Master's Degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Rehabilitation Sciences and has been featured on ABC, NBC News Radio, Prevention and Women’s Health and the homepage of Yahoo.

Now you can follow Ryan on Facebook , Twitter , Linkedin, YouTube , and Instagram.