The knee pain is, specifically, to do with my left knee. My right knee has been without any problems.
First, a little background. I have sustained a hairline fracture in my right ankle, lateral malleolus; had experienced sprains and torn ligaments, and all had successful medical intervention. The fracture resulted being in a cast for 8 weeks, and the ligaments didn’t require any surgery but received ultrasound- or something along those lines- and massage. All healed perfectly.
My left leg, however, wasn’t as fortunate. Shortly after my ankle had come out of the cast, I received a heavy blow to the medial side of my left knee when a tackle went wrong during a game of rugby league. The impact hit so hard I was sent flying into the air. This injury didn’t receive any medical intervention- not even ice. My left calf muscles were injured also during the impact, but I can’t specify exactly what the injury was. The Vastus Medialis muscle also visibly atrophied over the long term. Range of motion was affected and my knee remained bruised and swollen for a couple of weeks. The injury didn’t fully abate until maybe 3 or so months afterwards.
Main sports I played were rugby league, cricket and lots of BMX. The injury occurred when I was 14 or 15. It hasn’t been the same since.
I had worked a menial job in a warehouse and done a lot delivery driving since. My left knee was constantly aching by my early twenties, without adequate explanation or treatment from several physios.
Since then, I tried powerlifting in my mid-twenties, and achieved only average numbers- slightly more than bodyweight squat is average. Those were what I call Half-Assed Squats- above parallel depth (height?). When I was squatting or deadlifting my left knee would ache, but I kept going. Eventually it no longer hurt on deadlifts, but squats did. I found the most beneficial lift during this time was Suitcase Deadlifts. I still do them with a heavy kettlebell from time to time. I also prescribe this lift to clients if I suspect a weak Vastus Medialis. Things looked promising, but I gave it up when I injured a muscle in my left hips during a wide-stance good morning- possibly one of the smaller muscles under the gluteus maximus. That one received no medical intervention either and took a couple of months for the pain to go away but has nagged at me until recently.
Of note, kettlebell swings and ballistics aren’t as strong on my left side as they are with my right side. When doing it right-handed, my right hips feel firm and don’t tire, my technique is solid and effortless. My left-side is weird- when I do the movements with my left-hand, my left hips feel not so solid and I have to struggle and be conscious of what I’m doing with it during lifting. The right-side I don’t have to think about it, I just do.
Running has been an issue also. Whilst in school I showed promise in middle-distance running, but after the injury to my knee, I couldn’t run, so I gave it up. I don’t run much anymore either. I can, but it’s not necessary. I experience a deep, aching pain in my lower leg, ankle and shins, even with just a couple of minutes of running, so I had to make the decision to abort running. It is for this reason I prefer walking. I can maintain a brisk walk which is just slower than most people jog. It’s amusing when a jogger barely overtakes me, and 5 minutes later I am still close behind them. Anyways, I’m gonna mix up walking with some special adjustments to push cardio fitness beyond “just” running- more on that later in the year.
Now, several years ago I decided to fix my knee. I started doing Goblet Squats, One-leg Deadlifts, Farmer’s Walks, and constantly stretching my calves and hamstrings. Knee pain is now non-existent. My leg strength is down but since strength is a hard won struggle for me, slow and steady increases is best, and it will eventually come, so it’s all good. The greatest benefit came when I decided to perfect my squat. I have long legs, especially femurs, compared to my torso, so I understood it was important enough that it took me several years to perfect my squat technique, to the point where I can drop into an ATG squat and stand up. I also used to experience a lot of crepitate(?) in my left knee and still do- only time I don’t is when I perform Goblet squats and Front squats correctly. I do this by consciously maintaining tension on the descent, increasing tension around my knee, visualizing spreading the floor with my feet, and generally keeping my knee tracking my feet at all times. I have also started stretching and massaging my quads religiously every week. I also go barefoot as often as possible, especially during strength sessions and basically whenever I pick up a kettlebell.
Recently, I had fractured the left big toe. Stung like hell for a week, but I have noticed muscles in my left foot working differently than in my right. I believe this has been affecting my gait and also my lifting. The muscles in my left foot tend to be tighter and ache sooner than my right. It’s another thing to keep in mind as I’m lifting.
I know it’s a bit of a read, but the take home point from all this is that injuries sustained years ago can have lasting effects. To my mind, it’s obvious my glute injury resulted from issues arising from previous injuries to my left knee, not to mention poor form during squats. Perhaps searching into your unique history can reveal present day issues or limitations you may be having. It’s definitely worth a thought.
Let me know if you’ve had a similar experience or breakthrough. Maybe someone else is going through the same and can learn a thing or two.
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