Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Sports & Recreation Knee Injury Prevention and Conditioning Knee Injury Prevention and Conditioning Knee Injury Prevention and Conditioning An estimated 50 million Americans have suffered or are suffering knee pain or injuries. Most of these pains, sprains, and strains could probably have been avoided with proper conditioning (Fox, 147). I have had knee pain since my freshmen year of high school and have finally taken the initiative to find some exercises that will help ease this pain, and build muscle strength in the surrounding areas to avoid another possible injury. Getting the support muscles of my legs in shape is one good way to lower the risk of knee injury. Therefore, a good conditioning program is needed. Exercises are certainly one answer, but all too often people consider exercise and activity as being synonymous. A good exercise regimen will provide overall muscular improvement. All muscles come in pairs, each one balanced by another that performs an opposite function. If either the hamstrings or the quadriceps become too strong, it can cause an inordinate pull on one side of the knee joint, predisposing the knee to stress and possible injury (Fox, 148). So, it is important to not overemphasis strength training at the expense of flexibility and specificity. Stretching must be part of the total regimen. Focusing on stretching the hamstring muscles very well is a good way to help prevent knee injuries. In particular, increasing hamstring flexibility takes some pressure off of the kneecap. Furthermore, the end-of-activity stretch has been shown to virtually eliminate postexercise muscle problems. Strengthening exercises are very important in preventing injury, especially to the knee. Most of the protection afforded the knee comes from the powerful quadriceps muscles, the hamstrings, and the calf muscles. These muscles control the movement of the knee. If they do not have proper tension, the control of the joint will be lost. When these muscles are weak, the knee is not only unprotected, it has to assume a much greater load and this can be painful. Strengthening will also increase endurance. When I suffer knee pain midway through a busy day, I do two simple exercises: (1) Straight-leg raises from a sitting position; (2) while sitting with my leg straight out, I tighten my leg muscles for a slow five count, then flex and repeat. See Appendix. Knee pain doesn’t have to keep a person from climbing stairs, or shopping with friends. Preliminary data suggested that when 30 people with osteoarthritis of the knee, a common cause of pain, followed an at-home strength training program, they averaged a 37% reduction in pain and an 82% increase in strength of the affected leg. Strengthening the muscles around the knee may also ease pain resulting from other causes (www.healthy ideas.com). With the help of this web site I developed an at-home strength-training program for myself. I do 12 repetitions of each exercise, and do both legs when appropriate. I do this workout three times a week. · adjustable ankle weights (15 pounds) 1. Squat. Holding the dumbbells, I lower myself as if I was sitting in a chair, and then I stand back up. I don’t let my knees come past my toes. 2. Step-up. Holding the dumbbells, I place my right foot on the step, then step up with my left. Next, I step down with my right and then my left. 3. Knee extension. While sitting on a chair and wearing ankle weights, I slowly extend my right leg until it is straight, then slowly lower it again. 4. Knee flexion. While holding the chair and wearing ankle weights, I bend my fright knee and bring the heel toward my buttocks. Then I slowly lower my leg. I also found some appropriate stretching exercises that will help with my knee pain. I focus on good stretches for the hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. I have included these stretching techniques in the Appendix. Hopefully, with these stretches and exercises I will be knee pain free! Bibliography: Word Count: 676
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