TRAINING WITH A BAD KNEE

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DAVE CHENEY4 View Drop Down

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Topic: TRAINING WITH A BAD KNEE
Posted: 9/13/04 at 7:17am

Back ground:

A couple of years ago I literally snapped my knee in half, full dislocation. After surgery and alot of physical therapy I have full motion and Most of the strength back in my leg. after doing HG this year I can see the knee getting stronger almost back to full strength.

Now I want to start training in the gym to get ready for next year and what I find is that I have trouble with things like squats and other deep dipping type leg lifts. Is there anyone out there that has dealt with this kind of problem and what did you do to start heavy training? I just dont want to do the wrong things and do more damage. Thanks for the help

-Dave

Edited by DAVE CHENEY4

When the world is crumbling down on top of you, when all is lost, and the end is near stand straight, stand strong, and yell to the gods "Is that all you got!!!"

Wayne Hill View Drop Down

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Posted: 9/13/04 at 7:43am

All right, wise guy. Since you don't trust my advice, I'll put it out here for everyone to comment on:

- Since your knee stability isn't bad at this point (I'll bet there was a time you thought you'd never hear that!), you can skip the classic rehab steps of quad sets and limited ROM knee extensions.

- First step: step-ups, initially with no added weight, gradually increasing step height to a knee-high step and then gradually adding weight. For low heights in particular, concentrate on lifting with the leg on the step, rather than getting a big step off the "floor" foot.

- Second step: back squats with gradually increasing range of motion until you're squatting deeply (well below parallel). Stay with a light weight (say 135 lbs for you) until you're at full depth. Once you're there, gradually add weight until you set a world record.

In both cases, use comfort as your guide for increasing depth and weight, and make sure your back is always flat/arched in squatting.

For the record, I've seen Dave do both front and back squats, and believe he's better off with back squats for a while (until his flexibility improves). He was essentially unable to front squat with his heels down, but had no similar problem with back squats.

-Wayne

"We may be small, but we're slow." - MIT Rugby

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Posted: 9/13/04 at 8:58am

Dave,

Ive got experience with this sort of thing having completely dislocated my knee and torn my ACL 5 years ago.

For you:
No Pain, No Problem
If you are having pain, I bet its from some torn cartiledge and you should get on a steady diet of glucosimine with condroitin. Trust me, good stuff for knees.

Before Lifting:
Stationary Bike (15-20 minutes)
Loosen the knee up.

Lifting:
Wayne is right with the step ups. Helps improve range of motion and overall stbaility of the knee. Ya you feel like a girl doing them, but just grunt during reps and that should make it better.

Box Squats are the way to go also. I cycle my box squats with heavy squats every other week.

Just get in and get to work. If the pain is a problem, then lighten up the load and start taking the Gluco. with Condr. and it whould feel better.

Good luck Dave.

Tony

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
DAVE CHENEY4 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 8/29/04 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 359	Post Options Post Reply Quote DAVE CHENEY4 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: TRAINING WITH A BAD KNEE Posted: 9/13/04 at 7:17am
	Back ground: A couple of years ago I literally snapped my knee in half, full dislocation. After surgery and alot of physical therapy I have full motion and Most of the strength back in my leg. after doing HG this year I can see the knee getting stronger almost back to full strength. Now I want to start training in the gym to get ready for next year and what I find is that I have trouble with things like squats and other deep dipping type leg lifts. Is there anyone out there that has dealt with this kind of problem and what did you do to start heavy training? I just dont want to do the wrong things and do more damage. Thanks for the help -Dave Edited by DAVE CHENEY4
	When the world is crumbling down on top of you, when all is lost, and the end is near stand straight, stand strong, and yell to the gods "Is that all you got!!!"

Wayne Hill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Postaholic Joined: 8/29/04 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2935	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wayne Hill Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 9/13/04 at 7:43am
	All right, wise guy. Since you don't trust my advice, I'll put it out here for everyone to comment on: - Since your knee stability isn't bad at this point (I'll bet there was a time you thought you'd never hear that!), you can skip the classic rehab steps of quad sets and limited ROM knee extensions. - First step: step-ups, initially with no added weight, gradually increasing step height to a knee-high step and then gradually adding weight. For low heights in particular, concentrate on lifting with the leg on the step, rather than getting a big step off the "floor" foot. - Second step: back squats with gradually increasing range of motion until you're squatting deeply (well below parallel). Stay with a light weight (say 135 lbs for you) until you're at full depth. Once you're there, gradually add weight until you set a world record. In both cases, use comfort as your guide for increasing depth and weight, and make sure your back is always flat/arched in squatting. For the record, I've seen Dave do both front and back squats, and believe he's better off with back squats for a while (until his flexibility improves). He was essentially unable to front squat with his heels down, but had no similar problem with back squats. -Wayne
	"We may be small, but we're slow." - MIT Rugby

grasshopper Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Postaholic Joined: 8/29/04 Location: Berwick, Maine Status: Offline Points: 3348	Post Options Post Reply Quote grasshopper Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 9/13/04 at 8:58am
	Dave, Ive got experience with this sort of thing having completely dislocated my knee and torn my ACL 5 years ago. For you: No Pain, No Problem If you are having pain, I bet its from some torn cartiledge and you should get on a steady diet of glucosimine with condroitin. Trust me, good stuff for knees. Before Lifting: Stationary Bike (15-20 minutes) Loosen the knee up. Lifting: Wayne is right with the step ups. Helps improve range of motion and overall stbaility of the knee. Ya you feel like a girl doing them, but just grunt during reps and that should make it better. Box Squats are the way to go also. I cycle my box squats with heavy squats every other week. Just get in and get to work. If the pain is a problem, then lighten up the load and start taking the Gluco. with Condr. and it whould feel better. Good luck Dave. Tony