I think I've said this in person, but I really like the website and I think it's a great resource. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

I am interested in starting to work out my legs in this offseason, something that I haven't really done since taking weights one summer in high school. I'm getting tips/advice from a few friends that lift a lot, and I was looking for some medical/PT-related advice too. I partially tore my lateral meniscus at Beware-o in December of 2006. I took a few months off and was able to play later that college season. Wore a knee brace for club 2007, and then in April 2008, while simply bending over to pick up a disc and then pivot to throw it to someone behind me, I felt a small twinge in the same knee. Not as bad as the first time, but I did take it easy for a month or so and have been wearing a brace while playing since. (I went to the doctor shortly after that and she said that I didn't tear it again) So far this offseason, I've jogged a couple of times without it, but for playing, I haven't been without it.

I would like to get to the point where I don't need it, and I think that will require me to run and lift on it without the brace. Can you recommend any exercises or lifts that would specifically help to strengthen the muscles around my knee? Or if you could point me to a couple of resources that would be great too. Perhaps more importantly, are there any lifts that I should avoid? Leg extensions or leg curls? One-legged squats?

Thanks so much in advance for your time!

Hi,
I'm happy to take a look at your knee next time I see you at league. I'll send you a link to some general knee strengthening exercises. Anything where you bend your knee past 90 degrees puts a lot of strain on the joint so I would avoid bending past that point on leg press and squats. Leg extensions are commonly discouraged by sports med doctors because they often lead to more injuries than they help.

In addition to strength training flexibility and balance training are really important. Hamstrings and IT bands are often really tight and cause knee problems. There's a good stretching regimen on the website under "stretching". Balance can be improved by strengthening core muscles (back, abs, butt). This can be accomplished many ways. My favorite are medicine ball and physioball workouts.

Plyometrics can be very helpful too, but I would avoid exercises that cause knee pain until you improve your strength and flexibility.

Best,
Jamie Nuwer MD

Hi,
I agree with Jamie 100%. She gave you some great pointers.

Also, if you haven't been to see a therapist in a while, I'd recommend it. Or if you find some exercises you'd like to work on and need help getting started. Your best bet would be a physical therapist with an interest and/or expertise in sports medicine. If you don't know of anyone, you can use the APTA website "Find a PT" feature.

Cheers,
June

Thank you for the quick reply with all of the info! I checked out the link to the exercises and also the stretching section on the website. I thought I had heard that leg extensions weren't good for knees, and I'll make sure to not go past 90 degrees on the leg press, squats, etc.

Thanks also for the offer to look at my knee, but I don't think it's really necessary. As I mentioned, it's been a while since the initial injury and even the subsequent one. I think I really should have been doing some of those exercises during this past club season, but for whatever reason I'm just getting around to it now.

One more quick question . . . would you recommend I jog and do these exercises without the brace? Or would it be better to start with it on and then eventually remove it? Or should I do it without just as long as there's no pain?

Good question. Whether or not you use the brace depends on your injury. For example if you have a small meniscus tear or patellofemoral syndrome I'd recommend a knee brace. Braces don't protect you from reinjury, but they reduce swelling and improve proprioception. A brace tricks the brain into paying more attention to a joint. This helps with proprioception & balance. I recommend cheap simple knee sleeves.

Jamie

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