Knee pain…never a good thing. Photo: Shutterstock/DTKUTOO
Editor’s Note: This guide was created in collaboration with the Surf Strength Training Program, a mobile app and online program designed to improve your surfing through fitness, nutrition, movement, and recovery methods. Enter code THEINERTIA to save $30 for a limited time.
If your Knee Hurts, Your Surfing Hurts
What this article will not be is an anatomy lesson. What it will be is a list of a few simple things for you to start doing if you’ve got some knee funk because knee funk eventually turns into surf funk.
Myofascial Leg Work: Get Rid Of Knee Funk
You can read below for a bit more info on the knee, and how the ankle, hip and the surrounding tissue can affect the joint. What you need to take away is that the quality of your tissue surrounding the knee joint can massively impact the way your knee moves and the manner in which your knee moves or doesn’t move can cause pain. So, if there are ongoing pains, and an MRI has ruled out specific acute trauma, a good place to start looking is the muscle and tissue above and below the joint. So get ready to get into some good old myofascial release work.
Most people don’t stretch properly or don’t correctly isolate the intended muscle groups. This video will walk you through the good stuff for hip stretches. You gotta loosen up your hips, man!
Once you’ve been going through that tissue work pretty religiously for a few weeks, check out the video below about Hip Strengthening work.
The knee will basically do what the ankle and hip tell it to do. What that means is that the knee is somewhat of a “dumb” joint. If the ankle isn’t moving properly or has a dysfunction, the knee can become aggravated. If the hip isn’t moving properly or presents abnormal tensions and immobility, the knee can become cranky. The knee is a relatively stable joint (or it should be, anyways). It’s a hinge joint that moves primarily in the sagittal plane–straight forwards or backwards. Yeah, there are some rotational aspects of the knee joint, but it’s basically a hinge joint. So when these exceptionally mobile joints above and below (ankle and hip) aren’t moving the way they should be (they should be highly mobile), the body will place forces through the knee joint, which will piss it off! You need to make sure you’ve got adequate hip mobility, ankle mobility, and a strong core. If those things are in order, your knee should likely behave. Not always, but very likely.
There’s plenty of stuff for you to work on. Get your knees healthy.
-Cris
