Possible Causes Of Knee Valgus
In this section, well look at the possible causes of Knee Valgus.
The causes of knee valgus are plentiful. Some of the cases of knee valgus are caused by bone deformities and complications such as Osteoarthritis, Rickets and Scurvy.
Genetics has also been known to play a part with some people developing it early and some people developing it later in life.
Knee valgus is common in young children, with more than 20 per cent of kids under the age of 3 having a gap of at least 0.4 inches between their ankles.
In most cases, however, the condition corrects itself as the body matures. Studies show that by the age of 7, only 1 per cent of children have a gap.
In some cases, knee valgus may continue into adolescence or develop in adulthood.
These cases are rare and usually the result of an underlying illness or condition, such as Blounts disease.
One other common cause of knee valgus is poor posture. This is what well explore in more detail in the next section.
What Are The Types Of Arthritis Of The Knee
There are around 100 types of arthritis. The most common types that might affect your knees include:
- Osteoarthritis is the most common of the types on this list. Osteoarthritis wears away your cartilage the cushioning between the three bones of your knee joint. Without that protection, your bones rub against each other. This can cause pain, stiffness and limited movement. It can also lead to the development of bone spurs. Osteoarthritis gets worse as time passes.
- Post-traumatic arthritis is a type of osteoarthritis. The cartilage starts thinning after trauma to your knee . Your bones rub together, and that causes the same symptoms as osteoarthritis: pain, stiffness and limited movement. Your knee arthritis symptoms might not start until years after the trauma.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. A healthy immune system causes inflammation when it’s trying to protect you from an infection, injury, toxin or another foreign invader. The inflammatory response is one way your body protects itself. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you have an unhealthy immune system that triggers inflammation in your joints even though theres no foreign invader. The inflammation causes pain, stiffness and swelling of the synovial membrane, which can also wear away your cartilage.
Can Knock Knees Be Corrected In Adults By Exercise
Whether or not exercises and stretching can help treat knock knees in adults depends on the cause.
Knock knees are a normal part of the growing up process for some kids.
In fact, a lot of toddlers have knock knees when theyre first born and as they get older the deformity corrects itself without interference.
However, if a child hasnt grown out of their knock knees phase by the time they reach the age of 8 or 10 it may be time to see a doctor and get a diagnosis.
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Best And Worst Leg Exercises For Bad Knees
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Folks with bad knees cant just do any leg exercise.
Doing the wrong leg exercises will put extra strain on the knees and increase knee pain.A Complete List Of Bodyweight Leg Exercises , FocusFitness
The exercises Im about to share with you arent for treating knee pain theyre low-impact exercises which wont make your knee problem worse. That said, these exercises are known to strengthen the knees and even reduce pain.
Note that all knee problems are not the same some are more severe than others. So listen to your body and stick to exercises youre comfortable with. The worst thing you can do is to train through pain. Stop whenever you feel unusual sharp pain.
In this article, I will share exercises that can strengthen your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes and calf muscles.
What Should You Do When Your Knee Hurts
There are a lot of different things you can do to help your knee when it hurts. It all depends on if the pain is acute or chronic , but for the sake of this article well cover what to do with acute knee pain, especially after deadlifting.
The first thing to do is to see if:
Youre having any loss of sensation in your knee or leg
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Notice a markedly large decrease in your knee strength
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Notice that your pain doesnt follow the rule of twos
The Rule of Two: For the rule of twos you first rate your pain on a scale from zero to ten . You then note if the pain level in your knee increases by two levels for more than two hours. If the pain increases by two levels for more than two hours, youre doing too much and need to back down or be evaluated in person.
If youre noticing any of those things then you should be seen by a medical provider as soon as possible.
Now that we know youre not in need of immediate medical attention, lets focus on the things we can do to when your knee hurts.
I have a few overarching principles that I like to follow in the treatment of acute joint injuries which include:
Follow PRICE
Most of you are familiar with RICE which stands for rest, ice, compress, and elevate. PRICE just adds protection to the start of the acronym. Protection can be a knee compression wrap or brace to add some support and control swelling as well.
Over time, increasing range of motion and strength back to baseline and beyond
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Causes Of Knee Pain And How To Fix Them
Sports doctor Jordan Metzl explains the most common knee injuries and how to manage them.
So you’ve got knee pain from running. Whether you’re a complete beginner, or you’re two weeks into your latest cycle, knee pain is frustrating. We spoke to sports doctor Jordan Metzl, who explains four of the most common causes of knee pain from running, and what you can do about them:
How The Knee Functions During The Deadlift
So how does the knee functions during a deadlift?
For the sake of this article, well focus on the conventional deadlift and not the sumo style deadlift. With the conventional style, there is a narrow stance with the barbell held with the hands positioned outside of the knees.
Conventional deadlifting stance
Basic Deadlifting Technique
The general technique of a deadlift starts when the bar is pulled, with straight arms, off the floor and up the legs until the knees, hips, and shoulders are locked out. With a secure grip, the knees are bent forward with the shins just barely touching the bar.
Conventional deadlift start position
The knees are then moved out of the way slightly while keeping some contact with the shins as you begin the pull.
Keep bar over midline of foot and maintain the barbell on your shins
The bar is pulled vertically with the force of the bar being focused on the mid-foot and ending at the top at arms length with the chest up, hips and knee straightened , the spine in a normal position, and feet flat on the ground.
Move the knees out of the way as you drive the barbell off the floor
The knee is then locked at the top to secure the weight. The locking of the knee occurs with activation of the quadriceps which causes extension and medial rotation of the knee.
Initiate the lockout by flexing the quads and straightening the knees
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What Is Arthritis Of The Knee
Arthritis is a disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints. It can affect the largest and strongest joints in your body. Its common in knees. Arthritis of the knee can be a serious, debilitating disease.
Although there is no cure for knee arthritis, there are steps you can take that might ease your symptoms and potentially slow the progression of your disease.
Train The Fundamental Movement Patterns
You also need to devote time to training the fundamental movement patterns i.e., the squat, hip hinge, lunge and hip lift.
These moves are at the heart of most movements we perform with our lower body. If your form is off on any of these key moves, its kind of a no-brainer that youve got knee pain.
Devote time to training these moves until your form is spotless. And in the meantime, youll be building strength and working on your range of control.
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Making Knees New Again
How are your knees? If youre like many people age 50 and older, theyve been aching. If youre 65 or older, you may have some degree of osteoarthritis, in which the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the joints begins to degenerate or wear away.
Symptoms can range from stiffness to severe pain and limited mobility. So its probably not surprising that surgeons perform more than 700,000 knee-replacement surgeries in the United States each year.
Total knee replacement is very effective, but implants dont last forever. Although they can last 20 years, one study found that about 14.9 percent of men and 17.4 percent of women who receive a total knee replacement will need another. The earlier you get your implant, the more likely youll be back in surgery at some point.
Thats why knee replacement should only be considered after youve tried everything else, says Harpal S. Khanuja, M.D., chief of hip and knee replacement surgery with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins. That includes following your doctors recommendations for losing weight, physical therapy, pain management, and modifying your activities.
I tell people its time for a replacement when they cant live the life they want to live it is not a good solution for an occasional pain, Khanuja says.
To keep knee replacement as a last resort, keep your knees healthy with these smart steps.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Arthritis Of The Knee
There are many signs and symptoms of arthritis of the knee:
- Creaking, clicking, grinding or snapping noises .
- Difficulty walking.
- Joint pain that changes depending on the weather.
- Joint stiffness.
- Knee joint pain that progresses slowly or pain that happens suddenly.
- Skin redness.
- Your knee locks or sticks when its trying to move.
- Warm skin.
Pain and swelling are the most common symptoms of arthritis of the knee. Some treatments might reduce the severity of your symptoms or even stall the progression. See your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of knee arthritis.
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What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider About Arthritis Of The Knee
It might be helpful to arrive at your healthcare providers office with a list of questions you want or need to be answered. Consider:
- Do I have arthritis in one knee or both?
- What type of arthritis do I have?
- Whats a possible cause of my arthritis?
- What treatments do you recommend?
- What medications should I take?
- Do I need physical therapy?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Knee arthritis can affect people of all ages. Its painful, impairs movement and causes swelling of the joint. Some people are so disabled by it that they cant work anymore. Others can only work after surgery. Meanwhile, for others, the pain isnt necessarily as bad, but it still prevents them from regular activities like cleaning, gardening and running after their kids.
Arthritis of the knee can decrease your quality of life. The good news is that treatments can lessen the severity of your symptoms. The pain and swelling might not be as bad. See your healthcare provider for evaluation and treatment if you have symptoms.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 10/18/2021.
References
Sprains Strains And Injuries
Sprains and strains happen when tissues in the knee become stretched by unusual or increased activity, or an awkward twist or trip.
PRICE, described above, should lead to a reduction in pain and improved movement within days, and a gradual improvement over the weeks to follow.
A sprain often resolves itself, but some problems can require more treatment. For example, an injury to the pad of tissue in the knee joint known as the meniscus may require surgery.
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How To Check For Knee Pain From Inward Sway And Rotation
Straight legs. Stand with your legs straight and look at your bare legs in a mirror. See if your knees angle greatly or your kneecaps tilt or turn inward instead of facing the same direction as your feet. Notice if it is from letting your body weight sag inward or rotate inward at the knee and/or flattening the arch of that foot. Check both legs. Some people slouch on one side and not as much as the other.
Notice if you hold kneecaps straight ahead when standing still, but sag the moment you put them under load of your body weight. Check standing on both feet and check again when standing on one foot. Check if the knee of that leg starts to rotate inward to face the other leg more. See if you flatten the arch of that foot.
Bent knees. Look in a mirror and do a small crouch, called a partial or half squat. See if both knees are right above your feet not inward of the feet. In the photo below, one knee is sagging inward of the foot.
In the photo example above, one of my students demonstrates letting one knee sway inward of the foot and lower leg, and keeping one knee in better position above the foot.
How To Fix Sway and Rotation
When bending, look down as you bend both knees and see if your knees are above your feet, shown in the first photo below. Use this same check and correction when bending both knees for squatting and crouching, and when bending one knee in front, for lunging. Use the next photo set for reference:
First Aid For Knee Injuries In The First 48 To 72 Hours
- Stop your activity immediately. Dont work through the pain.
- Rest the joint at first.
- Reduce pain, swelling and internal bleeding with icepacks, applied for 15 minutes every couple of hours.
- Bandage the knee firmly and extend the wrapping down the lower leg.
- Elevate the injured leg.
- Dont apply heat to the joint.
- Avoid alcohol, as this encourages bleeding and swelling.
- Dont massage the joint, as this encourages bleeding and swelling.
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How Do You Repair Damaged Knee Cartilage
Most knee cartilage replacement surgeries are called OATs surgerieseither osteochondral autograft transplantation or osteochondral allograft transplantation surgeries. A third option is called autologous chondrocyte implantation. Osteochondral autograft transplantation uses cartilage from the patient.
Take It To The Next Level
If completing the standard hip hinge is easy for you , try doing it on one leg.
The last few degrees needed for full leg extension come from a muscle in the quads called the vastus medialis. This exercise will help strengthen your quads.
Equipment needed: 1- to 3-pound ankle weight
Muscles worked: quadriceps
To ensure that you have the right form and are using the correct muscles for this exercise, youll need to start by facing an open wall or door.
Equipment needed: standard table chair
Muscles worked: all the muscles in the lower body
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Why Is My Knee Not Healing
If you notice your knee injury isnt healing, it could be because you misjudged the severity or you simply didnt give it enough time and rest. Moderate soft-tissue injuries generally need a minimum of two weeks to heal, and returning too soon from a knee injury can actually cause more pain and tissue damage.
Medial Or Lateral Knee Pain:
Medial or lateral knee pain is pain on the inside or outside of the knee
This is when asked to point to where your knee hurts when deadlifting, and you point to the inside part of my knee or outer part of my knee. This can be caused by:
Acute Medial Meniscus Tear: When someone develops an acute tear of the meniscus it can be extremely painful and cause a sudden increase of pain . These injuries are usually caused by sudden movements when the knee is under a lot of force. Deadlifting can produce a lot of forces through the knee, however, there should not be any sudden movements at the level of the knee joint itself during a conventional deadlift.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome: This is usually a cause of outside knee pain where the IT band attaches to the shin bone .
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