The Real Reason Your Knee Hurts and Who to See About It

Our bodies often send us pain signals that we just don’t understand.

Much like when we watch an episode of Lassie, all we really hear from an injured joint is barking.  “What’s that, knee joint?  My arch has fallen down a well and cant get out?  Ok, lets go to the old johnsons place and get a rope!”

When Lassie barks, people listen.

Wouldn’t it be great if were were able to sit down and have a nice cup of tea with the ankle, knee and hip and ask them what is really going on?  Who caused this and what other instigators are involved?  What would they tell us? What if we included some other major players into the conversation like the low back or the shoulders? Some might just show up and have nothing to say but be happy for the free tea… but some might tell us things we wouldn’t have known unless we asked…

If we are to listen, watch and learn, we might actually understand better what is happening.

Let me give you an example of one of my clients.  Her real name is Joan, but lets call her ‘Marion’ to preserve her identity 😉

Marion says ‘my knee hurts’. I resist all instincts to immediately take out any exercise that might affect Marions knee, but first ask a few questions.

Turns out Marion wore high heels all this week (fashion diva that she is). Her knees now hurt. That information is crucial to me if I understand two things:

THE ANKLE IS A SHOCK ABSORBER:

Shock absorbers make for a softer ride

By placing her foot in a high heel she reduced the range of movement of the ankle significantly (at the price of a nice looking calf of course a small price to pay for beauty – I mean, they hobble women in China to give them pretty folded over feet, right?).

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

The four trapped youngsters failed to realize the jumping at once would fail to launch them free of the von trapp bouncy castle.

Each time you step, your ankles, knees and hips act together to absorb shock. Take away your ankles ability to bend and absorb shock, you increase the load on the hips and knees (someones gotta take the load, right?).

HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE

If you happen to be wearing high heels, your heels are lifted, which means your hips will likely tilt forward to help your lower back to arch forward and your mid back to lean back to preserve your center of gravity.

If that didnt make sense, just know that wearing high heels will create a chain reaction that tilts your hips forward. If you have ever worn high heels then I dont need to tell you that you are putting more pressure on your low back.

PHYSICAL THERAPY FASHION WEEK

If you have experienced this phenomenon, but are not sure that your local physical therapist/doctor understands how the ankles can connect to the hips, then I suggest you take a pair of heels down to their office and have your doctor/therapist walk around in them for a while – of course, if it is a male doctor/therapist they might need a larger size heel (and get it in black so it looks more businesslike around the office).

I'm not sure which aspect of this picture makes me feel more uncomfortable. The awkward posture from high heels or the vinyl leather outfit. Either way, it's just plain wrong.

The theory of a strong connection between knee pain and heels is because wearing them can place a whole extra load on the kneecaps.

Sound ridiculous? Hopefully not after you have read this post.

If you have experienced pain then I would urge you to see help from a professional that understands how to read your ‘body language’.  Of my knowledge, the group that are best qualified to do that are the graduates of a special program – the GIFT program (put together by the GRAY institute, run by Gary Gray, a world renowned physical therapist and an amazing human being).

If you have ever been to see a physical therapist and found it a negative experience, I would beg of you to consider seeing a GIFT graduate.   Having completed the course, I can tell you the finest quality of therapist (and highest quality people) attend these courses and are fully committed to helping others but also taking the time to understand them.  In short, they “get it”.

What makes a GIFT graduate different than other professionals in the health professions?  They GET IT!

These people represent some of the sharpest and most progressive minds in the country – and can sometimes be hard to find if you dont know what or who you are looking for.  I am just lucky enough to know some of them.

These fine people are known as GIFT Graduates – they will likely also be qualified as “Functional Manual Release” Therapists (one of the certifications offered within the course).

These graduates will also have a secret handshake that they use to connect with other GIFT graduates.  Just kidding, they don’t (or do they?…..)

If you are a physical therapist looking for more information on the GIFT program and why it breeds the sharpest functionally aware physical therapists and personal trainers in this country, you can click here:

http://www.grayinstitute.com/about.aspx

To find a GIFT graduate in your area who can help you, use the email below:

info@grayinstitute.com

Best of health to you all,

Jamie Atlas

Running and Knee Pain Explained

If you have been running the beautiful paths that Denver CO has to offer and have been experiencing knee pain then you are in good company.  Let’s face it, every runner experiences some overuse or misalignment injury at sometime in their career.  We often misunderstand the symptom as the cause.  New science is showing us something different.

When you examine and understand the role of the knee in running, then you understand that when it hurts in the knee, the knee is actually one of the last places you should look to find the cause (rather than simply treat the symptom).

Run Lassie! Get help! And maybe get me asnack bar and a magazine - but not Cosmo, ok? I already read that one.

Here’s a great testimonial from one of my North Denver small group running conditioning classes:

As a runner who seemed to be injured a good majority of the time, I had come to accept that that would always be the case if I wanted to continue to run.

My mode of operation would be to run until the knees or the ITB flared up badly enough that I would have to get it treated by numerous practitioners who help with running injuries (acupuncturists, chiropractors, etc…). I joined a friend of mine for one of Jamie’s boot camps, immediately liked it and decided to stick with it. After a couple weeks of working with Jamie, I noticed I was feeling stronger and stronger on each run….and surprisingly, my chronic knee and ITB pain had disappeared.

I had read that strength training provides a huge benefit to counteract the imbalances in runners and therefore helps prevent injury, but I had never worked with someone who had such a good understanding of the body and its mechanics.

Jamie is extremely knowledgeable in which areas I need to target to build strength so the chronic pain goes away (and stays away). Strength training classes at most gyms were at best mediocre. They were repetitive and were not customized for my specific needs, therefore I was not seeing any results.

I am so thankful to have been able to benefit from Jamie’s expertise. Because of it, I am able to run more often and with more confidence than I have in many, many years!! Thanks Jamie!

Thanks Lauren for that nice post and thanks for trusting me with something as important as your running style.  It’s my pleasure to have been able to help you.

Want to know the principles I used to help repair Laurens Knee?

Click this link to understand how the knee really works

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/knee-pain-often-comes-from-foot-problems-an-explanation/

Now you understand the role of other parts of the body, take the time to think about which might be more misaligned or overwhelmed.

If the feet are flat, the shins are likely rotated internally which puts pressure on the knee.

If you have flat feet, you may have tight adductors.

If the foot has high arches then the shins are likely externally rotated which (suprise) puts pressure on the knee again.

If you have high arches, you may have tight glute muscles.

If your knee is stuck in the middle between the foot and the hip rotating against each other then the knee will send our pain signals.  If we address the knee without considering how the foot and hip are working then we are ignoring the major players.

For an accurate analysis you can see a physical therapist – I personally recommend graduates of the Gray Institute GIFT Program (of which I am a graduate!) for someone that will have true respect for the human body and its intrinsic complexity.

Red lights around your knees may be painful, but they are excellent for not getting hit by cars at night

Do you run in Denver and have knee pain?  I guarantee I can significantly reduce your knee pain within 4 weeks of treatment or your money back.   Email me at

Yours in health,

Jamie Atlas

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Work in an Office & have Back or Knee Pain? Here’s why

If You Work in an Office and have Back or Knee Pain, then this blog post contains my four most popular blog posts that provides solutions for how to survive.  This will help you understand and deal with back or knee related symptoms you may be experiencing.

If I may, I would like to say a big thank you to you readers first before jumping in:  a couple of days ago ago my blog site https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com hit the 85,000 hits mark.

Imagine that – 85,000 hits on a website that contains nothing but my own content?  People coming to my site with nowhere to turn but to read the twisted meanderings of my own mind?  Surely there is something in the Geneva convention humanitarian laws that stops me from making people suffer like this 🙂

So to try and make up for my lack of obnoxiousness, here are 4 of my favorite posts on my blog website for you to read, should you feel the urge/courage to see the written carnage these poor readers have had to endure 🙂

Copy and paste the below links into your browser to read the actual blog posts:

have you seen my workout card? It's a red workout card...

A blog article for my officebound peeps:

Six ways to stop your office job from killing you

Sandra felt strangely suspicious that her boyfriends advice of 'walking around the house topless' would not actually do anything to help her back pain, but she tried it nonetheless...

Why high heels can play havoc with your lower back:

High Heels are Ruining your Posture and Feet: Here’s Why

"Well Doc, the knee hurts a little bit, but to tell the truth I am more worried about this strange red glow coming out of it!"

Ever wondered exactly how knee pain can come about?  Here’s a bit of information you might not have known about:

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/knee-pain-often-comes-from-foot-problems-an-explanation/

"they may take away our lives.. but they'll never take... our right to read the Fitness Insights by Jamie Atlas blog! Rrrrhhhaaaaaaaaayyyy!

A personal favorite for anyone who has tried to change something in their lives but felt judged by others:

https://jamieatlas.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/your-weight-loss-mindset-pt-1-fk-you-for-judging-me/

Warning: this last ‘judging’ blog article in have listed above includes the word f**k – it’s kind of like the word f*$k or the word f$@k but not like the word s&*t or $#&^ (wow, don’t know what that last one even means…  Must be really bad if I had to block out all the letters though!)

Of course, if by some strange masochistic tendency you would like to read other posts I create, you could always be a good net citizen (netizen?) and subscribe to my blog…  ahhh, the strategy unfolds 🙂

If you are one of these folk, just click the link below to get an inconspicuous email in your email inbox whenever I write a new fascinating insightful blog post (don’t panic, it usually happens about once every week/2 weeks)

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=wordpress%2FyQXQ

Thanks for checking out my blog and being a reader!  It makes me feel like you understand me a bit better… Now, if I can just get you to open up and talk more about your mother and why she doesn’t call me anymore…

Jamie Atlas

PS Oh, you clicked on this subscribe link, right?  Just double checking 😉

PPS Have I told you the new official webcam personal training website is up and running now?  You can personal train from your very own house and not pay high priced rates!

Orbis LifeFitness:  $5.99 Webcam to Webcam training and free orientations now available.
www.orbislifefitness.com