stretching knees

[Nick B]

well, i seem to have always been very unflexible (can't sit indian style, my arms dont straighten even close to all the way (i had xrays done and its not a bone problem), and i can't sit in a kneeling position (my butt is like, 3-4 inches above my feet at my absolute max, and this comes with a rather intense pain in the tendon or whatever that connect my knee to my shin).

also when i try and sit in indian style, as a stretch, i feel the pain on the outside of my knees, and the outside of my hips (like my hip joint). while i know i was never able to sit indian style (i specifically remember being in 1st grade and being very uncomfortable trying to sit indian style, and i never understood how everyone else could do it so easily haha), i used to have decently flexible knees. for example, i could do the stretch where you sit on your knees and lay back all the way until your neck/shoulders are touching the ground.

i think my knee flexibility got bad when i got osgood schlaters or whatever the hell its called, which i had really bad when i was younger because of tricking (like to the point that walking was hell haha). i also still have the huge bumps at the top of my shins.

so, i was wondering if it was safe to stretch my knees (both the outer side, aswell as the front) or if i'm pretty much stuck with inflexible knees. also, is it safe to stretch by sitting indian style if it causes pain in the outer side of my hip joint. also, when i sit in indian style for long periods of time, i can get my legs to go down almost to normal (if i'm leaning my back against a wall, i can't bring my hips forward and keep my weight above me) but when coming back out, its incredibly painful in my knees and hips.

the strange thing is that i know it should be fine because i can almost touch my quads to the ground when doing butterfly stretches (if i push down, also, i dont feel any stretch when doing this, even when it seems like my legs have reached their max ROM), but the indian style really screws with me haha.

[Sk8nFlip]

Damn i got the same problem but i dont think as bad... I think i jus need to stretch a lot more..but if anybody knos anything i would like to hear.

[ninjitsian]

You're inflexibility is probably due to the muscles that SURROUND The knee. Your quads, hamstrings, shins, calves, and hips play a major roll in knee comfortability. All around, jjust stretch everything very slowly. If your knees hurt, its probably because your surrounding muscles are so tight. As far as stretching the knee, consult a doctor, cause I heard from some its bad and from others its okay. Maybe papa laz knows more :)

[Ashtar]

Are you talking about sitting in lotus? When I try that it always hurts my knee too, each. You are, after all, applying a lateral force below the knee (on the outside) which works across it to externally rotate at the hips. It's similar to the lateral force below the knee (on the inside) experienced in the splits, except that's with a straight knee.

I wonder if applying the reverse (stress on inside when bent, stress on outside when straight) would help to balance it out? Probably good biomechanical exercises like squats would help to build knee stability in any case.

[Nick B]

Are you talking about sitting in lotus? When I try that it always hurts my knee too, each. You are, after all, applying a lateral force below the knee (on the outside) which works across it to externally rotate at the hips. It's similar to the lateral force below the knee (on the inside) experienced in the splits, except that's with a straight knee.

I wonder if applying the reverse (stress on inside when bent, stress on outside when straight) would help to balance it out? Probably good biomechanical exercises like squats would help to build knee stability in any case.

no, not lotus, just regular criss cross hahah.

thanks for the replies.

[Sushi.]

How often do you stretch?
if you stretch at all

[Nick B]

How often do you stretch?
if you stretch at all

3-4 times a week, for about half an hour (just stretching hips knees, and surrounding muscles). i've noticed improvement, but my joints seem really unstable haha. like my knees pop alot more, and i hurt my hip doing an invert raiz, which i could do fine before without hurting my hips at all (i think it was like my newly accessed range of motion didn't have the strength of my previous range of motion, and therefore let my leg go back too far or something. of course, i don't even know if that's possible, but that's all i can think of haha).

[-Envy-]

I've always heard that it's bad to stretch the outside or inside of the knees because it could cause instability in the joint and increase the risk of injury to them. I think your best bet would be to stretch your hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, quads, and adductors. It sounds like your hips are not flexible enough, and that causes pulling on the outside of your knees.

[Sushi.]

if you want certain answers go to a doctor.

[Nick B]

I've always heard that it's bad to stretch the outside or inside of the knees because it could cause instability in the joint and increase the risk of injury to them. I think your best bet would be to stretch your hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, quads, and adductors. It sounds like your hips are not flexible enough, and that causes pulling on the outside of your knees.

ah, thanks for the info, that sounds good haha.

if you want certain answers go to a doctor.

i did. all she said is that we're all born different and sent me on my way hahah.

[Sushi.]

i hate doctors sometimes

[Counterfeit Soda]

If your knee was meant to have a large range of motion it would be a shoulder.

[makiako]

i did. all she said is that we're all born different and sent me on my way hahah.

what a sad thing he said :eh:

bah.

[Nick B]

If your knee was meant to have a large range of motion it would be a shoulder.

except i'm not talking about a large range of motion? hahah.

[Jon P]

i think it was like my newly accessed range of motion didn't have the strength of my previous range of motion, and therefore let my leg go back too far or something. of course, i don't even know if that's possible, but that's all i can think of haha).

That used to happen to me back in the day.
It sucks haha.
It went away with time [I was tricking and stretching a lot at the time, so I probably just built up the strength to support the muscle].

You could try doing more isometric stretching to help build some strength in the stretches. Or slow motion kicking would do the job.
:tongue:

[Counterfeit Soda]

except i'm not talking about a large range of motion? hahah.

Doesn't change my point. Can you pull your leg back until your calves touch your hamstrings? Can you extend your lower leg until your leg is straight? If so, your knees are fine. Stretch your muscles, not the joint.

[Ashtar]

Expecting everyone to do lotus might be lofty, but I think any healthy person should be able to sit cross-legged without pain. Being able to turn out at the hip without tension is a big thing that prevents the stress occuring at the knee, and this flexibility is an asset to kicking and side splits since you need to turn out to get the femur past the pelvis.

I'm sick of turn-out though, because there's so much focus on that, and never on turn-in. I never see any stretches for that, yet in anime you always see girls sitting with their knees together and feet splayed out to the sides all cute! That's wicked 90 degree turnout, how to get it?

[Hez]

Expecting everyone to do lotus might be lofty, but I think any healthy person should be able to sit cross-legged without pain. Being able to turn out at the hip without tension is a big thing that prevents the stress occuring at the knee, and this flexibility is an asset to kicking and side splits since you need to turn out to get the femur past the pelvis.

I'm sick of turn-out though, because there's so much focus on that, and never on turn-in. I never see any stretches for that, yet in anime you always see girls sitting with their knees together and feet splayed out to the sides all cute! That's wicked 90 degree turnout, how to get it?

I can't sit cross legged without pain.

Did you play football (english style) or anything similar when you were younger Nick? My family has always had hereditary flexibility problems and that combined with 8 years of playing footie without stretching has left me in a pretty bad state. I don't know about strengthening knees, but I've been stretching my hips like a madman (well alongside quads, hams, adductors etc) for a couple of months now, and I'm just starting to do some hip flexor exercises as well.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2fRWUNpAQ
this video was helpful, as was
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yfOHYpcoBHc

I've only been "working out" my hip flexors for a couple of weeks but it's definitely helping already =D. Finally managed to straddle to handstand and now I can do it it's ridiculously easy - about a month ago I could because my hips couldn't rotate from the 'bent over' position to legs on same plane as body position. My popping hip has also got a lot smoother - it's still popping but the tendon feels like it's getting stuck less, and it comes free more easily afterwards >_>

If my regime continues to yield such great improvements I'm planning to write a "Flexibility for the hopelessly inflexible!" guide in a few weeks, covering mainly hamstrings and hips as I've had the greatest trouble with them.

Tbh I doubt I'll cover much new ground, the main purpose of it would be to provide encouragement for all the people stretching and not seeing any results. I have stretched on and off for about a year and seen fuck all change, but I started doing it a bit more regularly recently and suddenly the gains are coming. It's hella inspiring, and I think I probably would've verged on giving up if I hadn't seen any improvement by this point.

[Nick B]

Doesn't change my point. Can you pull your leg back until your calves touch your hamstrings? Can you extend your lower leg until your leg is straight? If so, your knees are fine. Stretch your muscles, not the joint.

that's my point. i can't do either of those haha. my legs are always slightly bent (my arms dont get remotely close to straight), and i can not pull my leg back till my calve hits my hamstring.

[Aiden Bloodaxe]

Foam roll your IT band & Glutes & stretch your glutes too, see how that goes. Should help.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050415/1545_f1.jpg

[NinjaCOB]

I first knew a knee could be stretched when I read Eddie Bravo's Mastering the Rubber Guard.

I can now do the lotus.
Check out that book if you're ever in a book store, the stretching part is in the begining.

[NinjaCOB]

I killed the thread eh?
Damn I must be a boring person ahha.
That happens a lot. I post check replies.. nothing.

I'm sorry guys gimme a chance!!!

[-Envy-]

It's your moustache. It creates an air of expertise and knowledge about you that causes others to instantly believe everything you say. After this, there is no need for anyone else to respond.