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Re: [at-l] Knee pain/brace ??
> On recent trips to the Grayson Highlands and Joyce Kilmer I have had
> some knee troubles. After downhilling for a while the outside of my
> knee starts to hurt quite a bit. I was wondering if anyone knows of
> anything I could do to help this. Are there any knee braces that
> help either in prevention or recovery? Does anyone know of any
> exercises that I can do to help strengthen or stretch the outside of
> my knee.
Pain on the outside of the knee might be attributed to a condition
called ITBS, or Illiotibial Band Syndrome. This is a condition seen
frequently in people who engage in repetitive activities such as long
distance hiking, running and biking. I have been dealing with this
condition for quite a few years now (from running, my hikes haven't been
long enough to cause too many problems)
Without getting too much in depth, ITBS is caused by the friction of the
illiotibial band (a band that runs from your hip to your ankle) across
the knee. Each time the knee is flexed, the band rubs across the knee
and after a while becomes inflamed. The best way to deal with this is
to take Ibuprofen for an anti-inflammatory and to ice the area. I also
have a list of several common stretches that stretch the IT-Band. Along
with trying the stretches, I would definitely recommend a visit to a
sports-medecine type doctor if the pain persists or gets worse.
Mike, I will send you (offline) the common stretches for you to try. If
anyone else is interested in the stretches, you can email me offline at
"dss@nh.ultranet.com" and I'll send them along.
Hope this helps,
Daren
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dss@nh.ultranet.com
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