help for tendonitis please?

Space Mountain

Hi there,

For about a year i've been suffering from tendonitis in my knees which has really hampered my workouts (squats, leg presses, lunges etc are IMPOSSIBLE!) and football playing (weekly five-a-side game sees me competing on strolling to ambling speed settings).

it's gotten to the stage now where EVERYTHING i do in life hurts from using the stairs to picking up my shoes to jogging across the road to beat the lights and i really HAVE to get this problem sorted soon as I can't take this 24/7 pain anymore. i'm ok with calf raises and cross-trainer cardio sessions but as soon as i bend my knee doing leg exercises or cyling or use a treadmill both my knees begin to kill me.

i did a few physio sessions a year ago when the problem first started but couldn't afford to continue paying for them especially since i wasn't convinced they were doing anything to cure the problem. now the pain is worse than it's ever been i really want to get it fixed once and for all but am not sure which route to go down.

just wondering if there's anyone on here that suffers or has suffered from knee tendonitis and can recommend any treatments???

johnny_adidas

I had it last year after a long/successful season. I had a lot of physio at the time just to recover between matches but i was told throughout that the only thing that would sort it was rest. It was so bad for the final 2 games of the year that i was in pain walking after the games and was considering pain injections just to get me through the matches. Luckily i didnt bother with these.
So over the winter i didnt do any running or leg exercises for about 4-6weeks. had 2 or 3 physio sessions over that time. went back to full training and weights after that time and havent had any problems since, touch wood.
I believe it was excessive running/pounding my legs as a whole took on the treadmill which caused the problem and now i leave any major sessions to the field or use the cross trainer/bike more in the gym.

matrixroyal

some things that helped me :

- get your legs really strong ( quads and hamstrings ) and they will take pressure off your joints
- use ice when you need it for relief, get into cold water ( pool or sea ) when you can
- investigate getting some insoles / orthotics to correct any potential imbalances, could be from a good shop or custom made
- stay on the grass / sand and reduce the road hard surface running

duffman08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9aJtO0VCqw&feature=related

Have a look at this video, and consider buying yourself a foam roller.
I have got some great relief from it, stretchin My IT Band.
i also use it on my quads, hams and calf muscles.
Straight leg raises, stretching & strenghtening your Qauds and Hamstrings.

What kinda work was the physio doing on your tendons, did they look at what was causing it?
Prevention is better than a cure. tight upper leg muscles can cause patellar tendonitis.
Releasing them should give you relief!

Space Mountain

duffman08 wrote: »

What kinda work was the physio doing on your tendons, did they look at what was causing it?
Prevention is better than a cure. tight upper leg muscles can cause patellar tendonitis.
Releasing them should give you relief!

physio massaged my knees/thighs and gave me exercises to do to strengthen muscles around my kneecap. i'd like to go back again and get a few sessions but just wanted to see what other options were available for me before beginning handing over chunks of money each week!

they have a couple of those foam rollers at my gym but up until now i had no idea what they were as i'd never seen anyone using them before until i saw that video! will give it a try this weekend cheers.

matrixroyal wrote: »

some things that helped me :

- get your legs really strong ( quads and hamstrings ) and they will take pressure off your joints

- use ice when you need it for relief, get into cold water ( pool or sea ) when you can

- investigate getting some insoles / orthotics to correct any potential imbalances, could be from a good shop or custom made

- stay on the grass / sand and reduce the road hard surface running

was checking out vhi.ie and they recommended regular icepack treatments and new insoles too so am definitely going to buy both this weekend thanks.

regarding building up my quads and hamstrings i find that in the gym i'm only able to do calf raises at about 75% my max potential and single hamstring curls at about 50% my max potential otherwise my tendons start killing me. leg presses, lunges, deadlifts and leg extensions are far too painful for me to attempt anymore. so any advice on how to continue strengthening these leg muscles bearing in mind my lack of leg mobility?!

johnny_adidas wrote: »

I had it last year after a long/successful season. I had a lot of physio at the time just to recover between matches but i was told throughout that the only thing that would sort it was rest. It was so bad for the final 2 games of the year that i was in pain walking after the games and was considering pain injections just to get me through the matches. Luckily i didnt bother with these.

So over the winter i didnt do any running or leg exercises for about 4-6weeks. had 2 or 3 physio sessions over that time. went back to full training and weights after that time and havent had any problems since, touch wood.

I believe it was excessive running/pounding my legs as a whole took on the treadmill which caused the problem and now i leave any major sessions to the field or use the cross trainer/bike more in the gym.

i only play one hour of football a week and do three to four 20 minute cardio sessions in the gym each week (on the bike or cross trainer) but you're probably right that complete rest is the best option right now and i should just stick to swimming and upper body/ab work in the gym. where did you get your physio done do you mind me asking???

Larianne

I'm currently getting treated for this and the physio said it can take a while to correct itself.

I'm doing stretches for my quads to help loosen out the muscles which should help put less strain on the tendons around the knee. I find it really hard to do lunges also. The Physio is using friction on my tendon around the knee (which can be quite sore) and is using ultrasound on it. It's only been a few weeks and although the pain is still there, it doesn't last as long. I've been told to take it easy and not to run for a while. Stick to the bike. I used the cross trainer yesterday but I don't think that was a good idea. I'm thinking of swimming now instead for my cardio.

I don't think it's gonna get better over night. If you weren't happy with your physio maybe try another one? Insoles and a good pair of trainers with shocks will help.

johnny_adidas

Space Mountain wrote: »

where did you get your physio done do you mind me asking???

luckily my club in tipperary pays for all the physio for me, well worth the 40 membership fee!!

Larianne, with regard to the bike, i was told not to do this either as it tightens up the quads further. That said i would've been using it to do interval training but i guess light cycling wouldnt do much harm.