5 KNEE STRENGTHENING EXERCISES TO REDUCE INJURY
Author: Dr. John S. Rusin, PT, DPT, CSCS
AMERICA: HOME OF THE HURT
In an American society where severe, debilitating injuries have become an accepted price of being fit and athletic, we, as an industry, must learn to evolve our thinking and practices to address this injury epidemic before it puts us in the ground! There not only needs to be a shift in our views on injury and injury prevention, but a change in the action we take towards righting this sinking ship we call our orthopedic health.
Over the past three decades, the only serious rival to the notorious increases of lower back pain and symptomology has been the drastic spikes in the rates of knee injuries. Stating the statistics, like this is 1994 all over again, doesn't show the functional picture. A number cannot explain why with the absolute abundance of research on a myriad of topics all relating to traumatic knee injuries and preventative methods, active individuals far and wide are dropping like flies across the world, and this country more specifically. There has to be more to this dysfunctional story.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE WAY WE TRAIN
Since the dawn of the lifting man, programming has been largely focused on isolating and inauthentic movement patterns. As with anything else, we do what we know, and when all the research and expertise available at that time were based on idealistic human biomechanics, our true functionality was forgotten. It is no news that once an ideation creeps into our fitness industry, it may never be fully forgotten.
Advancements in the prehabilitation and rehabilitation of knee injuries have been few and far between in the last 10 years. This is disappointing, because it seems like the mission of numerous university faculty members throughout the country have made it their focus to eradicate female non-contact ACL injuries. Using the most advanced motion capture technologies and research methods known to man, the injury rates have not become significantly better. Our bodies are smarter and more adaptable than what can be currently measured. We must realize this fact and embrace it, instead of turning function into an academic debate.
BE THE CHANGE
Give yourself the ammunition to bulletproof your knees no matter what your training specialty or sport focus. Combining a few fundamental movements such as the hip hinge and lunge pattern with a new school flare on execution, these exercises will allow you to rise above the masses, protecting yourself in the process.
#1 - REVERSE LUNGE
Not only is the reverse lunge an effective movement to build strong quads, it also utilizes the role of the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes) as dynamic stabilizers. Relearning how to dynamically stabilize your hips while the knee moves through a range can drastically reduce unwanted torsional forces at the knees. Utilizing a slight hip hinge (torso facing slightly towards the ground) can also reduce shear forces at the knees bilaterally. Stay smooth and own your position throughout the movement!
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