Tuesday, September 9, 2008

FYI

Any runner, or active person for that matter, can develop patellofemoral stress syndrome (kneecap pain). Women, however, are especially vulnerable.

Why women?

They often have a wider "Q angle" between hip and kneecap than men. Their kneecaps move at an angle instead of up and down as the knee bends.

Average Q Angle

greater than 17 degrees in females
greater than 14 degrees in males

= larger angle increases risk of injury

Self Test
1. Sit on floor with legs extended and locate your kneecaps
2. Tighten quads of each leg
3. If kneecap rotates outward, you are more at risk for this type of injury

Treat

STRETCH and STRENGTHEN*

*strengthen this area by working on the inner thigh and quadriceps muscles

2 comments:

Abby said...

very interesting!
hey I've got a question for ya. How often should you lift weights with upper/lower body? How many days should you allow for your body and muscles to recover? Is it bad to lift too much- does it set you back at all?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for mentioning this...I have frequent kneecap pain and have been wondering why. Any thoughts on strengthening exercises to treat this...will squats hit my inner thighs if weighted?