Returning from knee pain. Need your thoughts/experience.

[EHAX]

Aight, so, I did actually use the search button but the previous cases(that i found before i tired of reading) were about pain that occured when the legs were under pressure, like when they were squatting or standing with weights or similar. And didn't touch the subject of returning from the pain like i would want to do.(I am also sorry if I've missed some obvious thread, just tell me and ill remove the post and refer to that thread)

My pain(a small amount but distressing non the less) was prominent when resting, especially when trying to sleep/waking up or sitting still for a long time like classes.

Now the pain has all but subsided(since a week back) and all i feel is a slight stiffness(probably from not doing any leg movements).
What I was wondering though is how easy I should get back into it.

My current thoughts are to stick with 30% of my former working weight(after a longer than before warm-up) for a month atleast and then do 40%-50% untill i reach my former working weight on the different leg moves.

Does this sound utterly stupid or like a solid plan?
This would also give me time to perfect any imperfections(in particularly my squat which was the reason for the pain(in big part)).

[KBKB]

What were the initial causes of your knee pain?

[EHAX]

I believe it was my overzealous want to perfect my squat, combined with to much and heavy other leg movements and a lack of warming up/stretching.

[KBKB]

I believe it was my overzealous want to perfect my squat, combined with to much and heavy other leg movements and a lack of warming up/stretching.

How do your knees feel now when you do twenty (or so) bodyweight squats?

[EHAX]

They feel fine during and after the movement, I tried some easier excersizes like these today(including 20kg deadlifts, 20kg legpress) during my workout today, and they also felt ok(just some leg-stiffness) and still do.

[KBKB]

They feel fine during and after the movement, I tried some easier excersizes like these today(including 20kg deadlifts, 20kg legpress) during my workout today, and they also felt ok(just some leg-stiffness) and still do.

The plan mentioned in your initial post sounds reasonable with the proviso that you listen to your body. I.e. don't stick to that plan rigidly if you start feeling pain again. You may need to abandon or revise the plan as you go.

I've been using trigger point therapy to help fix knee pain that I've experienced in the past year or so. Trigger points in portions of the quadriceps muscles can refer pain to the knee. For me, massaging the rectus femoris and the vastus medialis provide the most help. I will sometimes work on these areas before and even during a workout if I begin to feel pain. Often times, the pain will go away immediately after performing the massage. I have a massage tool that I like to use, but, sitting on a bench or chair, you can use your own elbow to work into the rectus femoris. You can use your thumbs to work into the vastus medialis. You can also use a foam roller to try to work into these areas. The foam roller is especially effective at locating areas that you may need to target with more precise tools. (The spots that are painful are the ones you should work on.)

[EHAX]

Cheers! very informative and helpfull!
I will definatly listen to my body and i will add some massaging as well.

Thank you!

[gary9191]

I dont know how much help my advice will be but, with my knee pain I was told that knee pain can be caused if one of your leg muscles is much stronger than another, for example your quad is stronger than you hamstring, It can cause knee pain,( iwas told my calfs were mighty, but my quad/hams were lagging abit) also, there is a specific level I think it is about 20%,(if i remember right, in the leg, I was told you can get away with having your quad up to 20% stronger or vice versa but anything above that may cause discomfort and increase chance of injury)
Basically, you want muscular Balance, and when lifting weight etc, its very important to have a stretching programme aswell as a lifting one. I was told that I also had some muscles that were very tight, and not at all flexible, so I started streching every day and It really does make a difference.
I never knew there were so many stretches either, there are loads of parts to stretch in the legs. You an even stretch something called the IT Band which runs through the knee ( i had no idea there were such things) but they can become tight through overuse and I believe they can actually pull your kneecap off to one side if its too tight.
and I agree with KBKB that if you feel fine with what you've been doing since your recovery, then by all means continue, but be careful with your legs now that you know you've had problems in the past, you can learn from that, and exercise sensibly and listen to your body.
I'm always very careful with my legs and back, because I'm always thinking of the future and want them to work when Im old. I think I could handle a sore elbow or something when Im an old man, but to have bad legs and not being able to get about is a scary thought.

By the way, all this stuff was what I was told by my physiotherapist, and the guys at the hospital, who took my x-rays etc. (my knees were pretty effing sore, partly due to accident at work/crap working conditions+footwear/overuse/fatigue etc etc)
I hope this has helped you
all the best, and good luck