Exercises for knee injuries

[KingofKings696]

I had a meniscus tear about 3 weeks ago I am finally getting around well and with no pain. However when it comes to throwing I am finding I cant really get the strong push off I need for my FH. I got the injury trying to throw BH and needless to say when I planted my foot didnt rotate with my body. I decided to go back to FH exclusively atleast for a while to keep playing through the season with no more interruptions. My question is what exercises and drills can I do to get the strength in the knee where I can push off aggresively again and to get back to working toward my good form I had.

 

[ru4por]

As a nurse, I am going to suggest you consult the diagnosing physician, to refer you to a sports medicine provider or physical therapist. Though the body of this forum are indeed sage, I might think you better served to consult the medical realm.

 

[Mspot]

Leg extensions, curls, calf raises. strengthen the muscles around the joint. and definitely ice your knee if it is hurting or swelling up on you...

 

[KingofKings696]

I do understand your concern and advice ru4por but frankly I hate doctors and try to avoid at all costs only reason I seen doctor is my wife dragged me to him. I know seeing a doctor would be best bet probably but.... I was hoping I could get a few tips and exercises to see if it helps before I even consider seeing a doctor again.

 

[puck'n'disc5]

I tore my ACL about 10 years ago and it really was all about rebuilding muscles through intensive physical therapy. Needless to say, knee injuries are no fun and if they are not dealt with properly, they will only get worse. Seeing a doctor that specializes in knees and getting into a physical therapist would be ideal.

I'm not a huge fan of doctors myself. There are a ton of great exercises for strengthening muscles around the knees. I would highly suggest doing lunges. Start out by doing straight lunges, then move up to walking lunges. Holding 10-20 lb dumbells in each hand should also help. If done properly, you should feel the burn after each set. Lunges really help build muscle and they will also help with gaining better balance. And always ice afterwards!

When I was in physical therapy, I was hooked up to a muscle stimulator for the majority of my exercises. I was lucky enough to have insurance pay for a new muscle stimulator that I still use every now and then. If you have access to one of those, definitely use it.

I hope this helps, and good luck!:thmbup:

 

[Bunsel]

I am just 6 weeks removed from having surgery on my torn meniscus. The two exercises that were recommended for me are; sitting on the floor with the leg extended, forcing the toes back as far as possible, force the knee down to try to straighten the joint, and the old leg lift to strengthen the quads. I am still having troubles with getting my knee straight, especially without much pain, but have been playing for 4 weeks now. I'm 57 so I am also dealing with arthritis which adds to the discomfort. Played 6 really tough rounds this weekend, 2 at moraine state park, 1 at deer lakes state park, seth burton, orange crush, and dorseys knob, all with pretty good elevation changes and tough terrain, so needless to say, pretty sore today, with the 6 hours of drive to make it home.

Hang in there!

 

[hipster]

Physical therapy for rehabilitating knee injuries focus on building up your quad muscles to support the injured knee.

 

[ToddL]

1. Have insurance
2. Just go to the doctor. If there's actually something wrong with it, you'll only make it worse. Speaking of which, how do you know it's a meniscus tear if you haven't been to a doctor? Generally speaking, these things don't heal themselves. If you ripped it, it will only get worse as you age.

 

[Jabumbo]

Yeah, I ignored my knee injury for a while and thought 'taking it easy' would help it feel better. Now after the fact I wish I had just gone to the doctor right away to get things fixed. No amount of home therapy will help if there is a part out of place!

I hated not being able to play at all for ~6 months but now that I can things are so much better! And squats!

 

[garublador]

I see two options:

1. Take internet advice and hope you don't permanently injure yourself.

2. Go to a doctor and get better.

 

[DavidSauls]

Passing along the words of my orthopedic surgeon, after diagnosing my meniscus tear: (1) You're not going to make it worse by playing on it, (2) it's not going to get better without surgery, (3) sooner or later, you'll come to me to fix it.

 

[KingofKings696]

I did see a doctor once reluctantly due to wife forcing me. My doctor also told me if I still have pain or swelling I need to come back and he would send to me a specialist however I am not experiencing either of those just a lack of being able to really push through as I used to. I do really appreciate all the advice on exercises as well as those on seeing a doctor thank you all.

 

[JedV]

I see two options:

1. Take internet advice and hope you don't permanently injure yourself.

2. Go to a doctor and get better.

:thmbup:

 

[Jukeshoe]

As a nurse, I am going to suggest you consult the diagnosing physician, to refer you to a sports medicine provider or physical therapist. Though the body of this forum are indeed sage, I might think you better served to consult the medical realm.

^This, all damn day long.

Go see a doctor/PT specialist.

 

[Mulligan]

If you tore your meniscus, there could be floater pieces in your joint. I had this exact problem myself.
If so, playing could actually make it worse.
I'm back playing after nearly two years away due to three knee surgeries on my right knee and no way I'd be back playing that closely timed to a meniscus tear.
You need to see a surgeon and get it fixed properly.
Seems like a few months of putting practice might be in your future.

 

[DavidSauls]

The heck with that. I'm tired of being the guy in these forums, recanting the consequences of my avoiding doctors, my two lost years and never-recovered distance. I need someone else to testify when the next medical treatment thread pops up. So my advice is, Man up. Play through the pain. It will probably get better on its own. What do doctors know, anyway?

 

[ToddL]

https://www.uwhealth.org/files/uwhealth/docs/pdf/acl_rehab_protocol.pdf
Give that document a read. If you've already regained most of your mobility and flexibility, look at the exercises for Phases 3 & 4 on pages 23-30.

And, of course, I still recommend a doctor, but these are pretty good exercises to do no matter what.

 

[dukdukgolf]

not sure what you should be doing if you have an actual tear but ive had several doctors tell me stationary bike is great for knees. The idea is to strengthen the muscles around the knee and a bike is great for that. Id get clearance from a doctor that its ok though, if its hurt bad enough you could be in a situation where a doctor tells you to shut it down and rest. If its ok though,,,bike is great. I have a routine where i always bike 30+ minutes on a stationary bike the day before a disc golf tourney. My knees hold up better when i keep to it.