Knees Up Mother Brown

Fortunately, I have never had a meniscus tear or anything resembling one. If I did, I would immediately seek medical attention with no messing about. I know too many people who have really struggled with knee problems – and the long, slow recovery that follows a medical procedure.

I also know a lot of people who have completed one or more marathons and then had debilitating hip, joint or foot issues in their 50s. Most introductory weight lifting books will start with a retelling of the story of the original marathon, highlighting that the guy dropped dead at the end of the run. That is not the whole story, but it gets the point across; very long distance running – not healthy.

I have done a few half marathons and lost toe nails each time, but these days I prefer cross-country mud runs with obstacles. Not so much mechanical running, more general toughness, strength and functional mobility.

Periodically however, I get some tweak in my knee. Usually on the inside of the right knee. I might feel it after lifting, or on a run the day after “leg day”, but nothing very consistent. If it happens while running, I prefer to keep going, but pay attention to keeping a short stride, slow down if needed. If I got a sudden, sharp pain in my knee I would for sure stop!

I have struggled to pinpoint the root cause and, for a while, wondered if it was related to driving – my left leg relaxes against the foot rest, while my right does all the work. I have adjusted my car seat to ensure the right leg is not in rotation, but that never seemed to have an affect one way or the other.

Most recently, I realized that when stepping out of heavy back squats, I always lead with the left foot. Weightlifting shoes maintain a super grip on the ground, so that first left step forward is putting the right knee into rotation, while under load. I suspect this is the real culprit and I have started to consciously alternate which foot I lead out with.

I will continue to monitor. It is always interesting when a problem happens repeatedly on one side – indicating either an underlying weakness (previous injury), or an unbalanced movement pattern. Working out what is going on, why, and how to address it, is part of the fun of training; and a key to life-long training.

One useful observation that I have made with these minor knee problems, is that performing Dumbbell Split Squats seems to help recovery. I don’t go super heavy – a pair of 20KG (45lb) dumbbells, both feet on the ground, not Bulgarian Split Squats. I have found on multiple occasions now that adding split squats to my program for 2-3 weeks clears up any niggles in my knees. I don’t know why but it works for me.