I need your help guys - Health Related

[JaoSming]

In case you don't know I am 6'7" ~215-220 lbs and I try and play ball everyday. But I am very injury prone.....

I've never even twisted my ankle but it seems I can't play anymore without a lot of knee pain. They hurt so bad right now I have trouble getting out of my car, standing up out of a chair without using my upperbody, or going up stairs.

Athletics-wise I can still dunk and run and juke, jump ect ect, but only after I've warmed up, and loosened up. in the gym I can not do lunges or squats without a lot of issues.

Ive been to physical therapy a couple times and its been decided that my knee caps in both knees dont track properly, they move in ways they shouldnt. They said I needed to build up my VMO muscle, which doesnt seem to help at all. They gave me some really expensive braces that didnt do shit cause they would continuely fall off during basketball when I played in college. Right now I use a knee strap under each knee which helps a bit, but I would like to play without any knee braces at all....again.

Basically all Im saying is my knees are really fucked up and I need help. Im planning on playing in 3 summer men's leagues and Intermural basketball @ UMass next year. So any exercises you know of that could help me would be really appreciated. BTW....I'm only 19 years old...

[Jing]

hm. i had the same problems as you.. but had em like 4 years ago when i was in high school... they gave me the same shit as you, but i never touched em and played through the pain.. might not be such a good idea, but it worked out for me.. after like a couple month it was nothin..

btw you coming to umass? for the fall?

[Ruff Ryder]

Where's DWeaver when you actually need him.

Anyway, I don't know what you could do to fix it, do you have like a proper diagnosis other than your knee caps don't track properly? I don't know if stretching helps you alot or anything. How long have you had the problem? Maybe you should just do the ol' fashioned remedy and take time off and rest them.

[JaoSming]

Yah i've been accepted to UMass for the Fall semester, I was actually just shooting around down there yesterday near southwest

I've taken this week off, and it just gets worse. I don't stretch....that could help, but when i do and dont play after i usually get pain.


Timeline of knee issues
10th grade, little discomfort
11th grade, got better
12th grade, torn MCL in right knee
last year, just basic pain, learned to play through it
this year, knee caps move more, cause a lot of pain, but no major injuries

Im going to start stretching in the morning to wake up then do easy wall sits and half lunges till my condition improves. When I get outta work Ill try and get back on my bike and see if that will help too.



but feel free for other suggestions

[Sac-1]

I'm having the same problem right now. After I get excercise or after a game of basketball I can barley walk, it's been going on for me for about 5 or 6 months.

[Ty-Land]

Try getting a good quality patella stabilising brace. For example:

- OAPL Trutrak
- New Horizon Patstab
- Rehband Genu Lux

These 3 are good quality supports that should keep your patella in place and help keep them track properly. Plus I would recommend stretching before hand and icing afterwords if they swell at all. I've had new problems for years, just general soreness and there's not much you can do then grin and bear it. But these braces plus some stretching should help or at least prevent further injury. Maybe just take a year off, that's what I did and it helped my knees heaps.

Also consider taking some glucosamine tablets, they help cartledge rebuild and keep jins strong and limit inflamation. Hope that helps.

[Nick]

I sometimes get the same sort of problem, but i don't really know how to fix it. Are your knee caps really knobly like mine?

[JaoSming]

Starting this week I'm going to start stretching in the morning before work, then do knee exercises in my downtime at work. Im also taking bromine which is what my basketball coach recommended.


Ill post my exercises and junk once I figure out what I wanna do,

[Axel]

If your knee caps "dont track properly", stretching doesn't sound like it would help much at all. It sounds like a problem which would probably require some sort of corrective surgery to re-align the knee caps.

That's just my first reaction... I'm not a doctor or anything though.

[Laxation]

Lie on your back and lift your legs up (keep them straight)
Just do this alot (1-200 times each leg/day)

It may not help completely, but it strenghtens your hammies so that it takes alot of the pressure off the knee joints

If you can get to a weight room to strenghten your hamstrings/thighs that would work too... this one is just convenient

As for stretching... HOW THE FUCK do you stretch kneecaps

[Gedas]

Well, I'm actually not sure what to do here. I sometimes have pains in my knees when I, for exsample, have 3 games in 5 days, and have to travel by bus from game to game. Then my feet really hurt. Well, actually my whole body hurts then, but especially knees. In those kind of days I make sure to cool my feet after games/practices. Just in some kind of bucked/smth. like that, with cold whater and ice. That helps me a lot. But, as I see, your problem's different. You should probably just try to strenghten your leg muscles, to relief the pressure of the knees. Anyways, I'm not an expert.

[JaoSming]

By stretching i meant like stretching the muscles in your legs to take tension off your knees. As for straight knee raises I usually try and do 20 with 15 pound weights ( i started with lower weights and worked my way up) around my ankles....but i still have issues



thanks for a the advise Gedas

[Laxation]

If the leg raises dont work... go to a physio and listen to them tell you to take a few weeks/months off because thats what I think you will need to do

[JaoSming]

1 word you guys


Bromelain
(BTW this is over the counter, you can get it at your local drug store i guess)

Some kind of Pineapple enzyme and in the 2 days I've taken it, and with some weighted leg raises, I had no knee pain today.....this is a first in years.


Just to test myself I did some cold jumps grabbing a rim and I didnt get hurt/feel any pain.......



Im in awe for sure....

[KIG1]

Its the first days and you cant really tell if it will work for you for a long period of time. Give it some time because the knee pain could come right back to you.

[Nick]

JaoSming actually works for Bromelain. This thread is a set up.

[JaoSming]

JaoSming actually works for Bromelain. This thread is a set up.

Now on a serious note....I did get pain again today, o well....Ima stick with this stuff, there is something else my coach and doctor both recommended but i forgot what it was.


BTW is this useful for anyone? cause if not mods can throw this in the trash like JJ's ranking in the draft

[Nick]

Haha, nice pic :lol: Touche