KNEE INJURY (prevent therapy bills, prevent the injury)

LADIES LISTEN UP!

I read an article all about the knee and I found it interesting enough to share. It stated that female athletes have 5 to 10 times more ACL injuries than male athletes have according to a study appearing in the The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. The study also shows that women are twice as likely to experience patellofemeral pain syndrome (runner's knee) which causes pain and inflammation around the knee cap and in the front of the knee.  The reasons for the different rates of injury in men and women were - differences in anatomy, knee alignment, ligament laxity, muscle strength, and conditioning. The injuries generally occur without contact from another person and most often occur while the athlete is participating in basketball, gymnastics, or soccer.

Contrary to what you would believe, the problem doesn't lie in the knee but in the hip.  In general, women have a wider hip and therefore; a wider Q angle.  And the wider the Q angle, the more the quads tug at the knee cap. This can potentially pull the knee out of its groove causing patellofemoral pain syndrome and increase stress along your ACL.  This also means your more likely to be doing certain exercises with a knock-knee stance, which yanks on the knee joint.  SO KNEES OUT!

Don't stop doing exercises like box jumps, squats and the like for fear of injury.  Just be certain of your form. Make certain that your knee tracks over your ankle while performing these exercises. Best way to check your form is to stand in front of a mirror and do a one legged squat.  If your standing leg caves in that's bad news - your compromising its integrity with every rep.

Want another reality of being an active woman?  How about this.  Your menstrual cycle may play a role in your knee injury risk.  Reasearch is suggesting that higher estrogen levels  during ovulation may make your ligaments more flexible which may put extra stress on your joints.  What's more a 2012 study  found that a week before your period there is less activation in the vastus medialis oblique due to higher progesterone levels. This muscle controls the movement of your knee cap and  may be less capable of keeping the knee cap from sliding against the femur.  Ouch!

OK, the evidence is inconclusive and no there's no reason to panic.  But it is added incentive to pay attention to your form and strengthen those stabilizing muscles, allowing your knee to track properly in all forms of exercise.

Scott Martin MD associate director orthopedic sugery Harvard "Your knee can handle high impact sports like running - as long as you mix it up with some lower impact activities like cycling...But even 45 to 65 minutes of high-impact activity is too much stress on your knees, and eventually they will let you know."

Your body is remarkable but sometimes it just can't handle everything you throw at it without proper care. Give your joints some love.  Afterall your fitness hinges on them;)  Get it -hinge?