Knee Pain Archives - Rita Chorba, PT

20Jun 2021 by ritapt

Can you rebuild knee cartilage?

Can you rebuild knee cartilage? I worked with a Marine coming off a long deployment with poor gym access. An avid lifter with all things barbell, he mentioned that he had started to develop dull, achy pain behind both kneecaps upon return to regular gym workouts. He also reported that his knee joints felt “swollen” the day after a heavy lifting session. “I had X-rays, and they said I had some arthritis, that my knees had lost some cartilage. Can we do anything about that? I miss lifting like I used to,” he said. What does cartilage do? Knee cartilage is a network of tightly packed cells and water molecules that form a thick, dense cushion over the ends of bones. Strong cartilage is firm, smooth, and slick, like the…

09Jun 2020 by ritapt

How to choose a strap or sleeve for runner’s knee

Lower Body, Running

How to choose a strap or sleeve for runner’s knee If you have runner’s knee and think a brace might help, which one should you choose? Runner’s knee typically refers to irritation on the underside of the kneecap (patella bone). It sometimes includes other painful areas located on the front side of the knee. The patella “floats” within a bundle of muscles and tendons, and is at the mercy of their actions. Mile after mile, small imbalances in strength, flexibility, or coordination can create micro-injuries to the patella, and it’s surrounding structures. Many runners find tendon straps or knee sleeves helpful to reduce the pain of runner’s knee until they can eliminate the underlying imbalance. Both types of compression devices can work, but which one should you try first? In…

04Feb 2020 by ritapt No Comments

A fix for stiff ankles – your knees will thank you!

Ankle-Foot, Lower Body, Tactical

A fix for stiff ankles - your knees will thank you! Originally published in: The Raider Patch: Magazine of the U.S. Marine Raider Association Do you wear boots for work? Have you been a member of the military? Have you rolled or sprained an ankle in the past? Have you rolled one ankle more than once, or rolled both ankles? Can you stand on each leg for 10 seconds with eyes closed and without falling over? If you answered Yes to even one of these questions, Congratulations! You're likely the winner of some knee pain, compliments of stiff ankles. Everyday activities such as squatting, going up or downstairs, and running require full motion at the ankle to avoid compensation by other joints in the body. When the ankle doesn't move…

21May 2019 by ritapt

Selection Injuries: The Good, Bad, and Ugly – Part 2 (Hip & Knee)

Lower Body, Tactical

Selection Injuries: The Good, Bad, and Ugly - Part 2 (Hip & Knee) Originally published by SOFLETE. You can read the article on their website here. I was screening a group of candidates after several weeks of running-intensive training. One candidate, a highly proficient collegiate runner who would routinely finish runs well ahead of his peers, mentioned a worsening ache in his right thigh and knee. For a skilled runner who knows what muscle soreness feels like, it struck me as unusual that he would volunteer a seemingly insignificant complaint to me in this public setting. After further interview and orthopedic testing, it was clear that this was not a muscle or a knee problem. The candidate had developed a femoral neck stress fracture, a high-risk hip injury that took…