Issue 040
August 2008
With Rosi Sexton.
The knee is one of the common problem areas for grapplers and MMA fighters. It is a weight bearing joint and has to deal with large forces going through it, day after day, week after week, year after year. It has to be strong enough to cope with sudden changes of direction when you’re striking, to withstand forces coming from all different directions when you’re wrestling, and still be mobile enough to give you the range of motion you need to grapple. The subject of knees and injury prevention could fill several books. This article can only really touch the surface.
The muscles that surround the knee are some of the largest and most powerful in the body. We use them to move around, to kick, to level change, to lift, to sweep, to work guard or to hold mount. We each have our own patterns of using these muscles. Often, our training and everyday life will build up imbalances between the muscles that can lead to problems. Because of the structure of the joint, it is vulnerable to wear and tear, and to ligament injuries.
There are many ways in which muscle balance around the knee is important. Here, we’re going to talk about balance between front and back, and between inside and outside.
Remember to check with your doctor, physiotherapist or other health care professional before doing these exercises if you suffer from existing knee problems. If you get pain while doing them, stop immediately and seek medical advice.
Front to back balance
Most of us are stronger on the front of our bodies than on the back. This is noticeable in the legs. In the majority of people, the quadriceps are overused, while the hamstrings and glutes are often relatively weak. Correcting this imbalance can help the long-term health of your knees.
We talked about the importance of strong gluteal muscles in the previous two articles concerning the hip and the lower back. They are also crucial for strong, healthy knees. Working together with the gluteal muscles are the hamstrings. Together, these muscle groups form part of the ‘posterior chain’.
Single leg hip lift
If possible, watch yourself in a mirror as you do this exercise, and look for good alignment from the ankle, through the knee, hip and lower back.
- Lie on your back, and pull one knee to your chest so that you can hold a tennis ball between your knee and your ribs. This prevents you from cheating and using the wrong muscle groups.
- Push the opposite heel into the ground, and use it to push your hips up off the ground, so that your trunk, hips and thigh form a straight line. Make sure you keep the ball tight against your chest with the opposite knee.
Repeat 8-12 times on each side.
To increase the difficulty, place the supporting foot on a basketball or similar. This forces you to work to stabilise the knee joint at the same time as you are extending the hip.
Active quadriceps stretch
This simple exercise does several jobs at once. It stretches the quadriceps and hip flexors, which have a tendency to become shortened, and it strengthens the hamstrings in their innermost range. For the majority of people, this helps to balance the pull between the muscles on the front of the thigh and the muscles on the back.
- Lie on your right side, with your right knee bent. To keep it in this position, hold inside the leg with your left arm.
- Keeping your knees close together, and your left leg parallel with the floor, use the muscles in your left leg to pull your knee back and your heel towards your backside, while at the same time keeping your hips pushed forwards.
Hold for a count of ten. Repeat three times and then switch legs.
Once you’ve got your glutes and hamstrings firing correctly, exercises like deadlifts and good mornings can be a great way to strengthen that posterior chain. As with any strength training exercise, it’s important that you make sure you’re doing them correctly, otherwise you could wind up doing yourself more harm than good.
Inside to outside balance
Most of us take the position of our kneecap for granted. We probably shouldn’t because it’s only held in the right place as a result of the balance between the muscles pulling inwards and outwards.
The major player on the inside – VMO, or vastus medialis oblique – has a tendency to become weak, or inhibited, especially when there is a knee injury. This can mean that your kneecap no longer slides up and down smoothly as you’ve come to expect, but can cause all manner of clunking and grinding, pain and a feeling of instability.
Terminal knee extensions
This is a great exercise for activating the VMO.
- Tie a rubber bungee around a solid anchor such as a weights frame. Step into the loop so that the band is wrapped round the back of your knee, and move backwards so there is some tension in the band. Your foot should be flat on the floor, with your knee slightly bent.
- Straighten the leg, concentrating on using the muscles towards the inside of your thigh.
Do two to three sets of 10 repetitions on each leg
This is a good exercise to warm up with before doing your heavier lifts, such as squats, single leg squats or lunges.
