Tag: Vastus Lateralis

bookmark_borderI'm fascinating

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The more it starts to let me down, the more interesting my body becomes.

Today I visited the physio again to restart my failed effort at getting back to running.

I learned that my knees have a good level of hyperextensibility (they can be bent ever so slightly the wrong way, if that makes sense), that my I’m slightly knocked kneed, and that my ankles are (as I knew) completely fucked. No wait, that wasn’t the term he used at first…

Anyway, I wasn’t there about my ankles – which aren’t all that bad but he said we might have to work on them if I want to get back to running… which doesn’t make sense as I WAS running on the self-same ankles – I was there about my knee.

To be fair it’s been a little better of late, I’ve been a lot more disciplined in doing my exercises but it still feels like someone is pushing a sharp pin into my knee at times, mainly when you push on the really sore bit. Which, frankly, I think he did one more time than was necessary…

He also suggested that I may have had a touch of the Osgood-Schlatters which has contributed to my weak Vastus Lateralis. You can tell this from the knobbly bits below your knees, the last bump before the shinbone starts. The one on my left leg is much larger than the one on my right, which he found odd as, having done an analysis of my mechanics it’s actually my right leg that should be injured and sore as it’s all out of alignment (again, big word for that but can’t recall it).

Anyway, I’ve got new exercises to do, and will be back in a month. I’m determined to see this through this time, so at the weekend I’ll be out to buy some ankle weights.

And just to confirm that all sadists are physios (yes I DO believe that is the correct way round), he said he was giving me an exocentric exercise (I think that’s what he said), which would “be a bit more painful but I think you need some pain”.

So there you have it, it’s almost like going back in time.

bookmark_borderVastus Lateralis

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I have a weak vastus lateralis and a sore knee!

The physio lady was very nice, chatty, friendly and didn’t have cold hands at all. She was a complete bitch.

After some questions about how I got the injury and some gentle prodding and pushing of the area around my knee, she asked me to pull my toes back, tense the muscles in my leg, and lift it up off the bed. Standing to one side, she put one arm under my leg, just behind my knee, and told me to try and stop my leg from bending whilst she pushed down on the lower half of my leg.

After punching her repeatedly in the face she finally stopped.

Actually it wasn’t that bad, but my knee is noticeably sore, although she did warn me about that. During the initial questions I remarked that the pain was around a 3 or 4, but about 8 when the doctor pushed the sore bit. When I commented that, of course, that was what doctors do and she looked up from the chart she was scribbling on to warn me that “ohhh Physios are much worse”.

So, it turns out that because the muscle on the inside of my left knee isn’t as strong as it should be, then running has been ‘pushing’ my kneecap to and fro, which has caused the inflammation (the sore bit) and a little scar tissue under the kneecap. Strengthening the knee around that area should stop this from happening, so I have a couple of exercises to do until my next appointment.

Which is about what I expected, the exercises that is, not the weak muscle thing. That I can probably trace back to damaging my knee during a hike many many moons ago, and which still causes me to walk a little funny, which in turn is probably more pronounced when I run. It’s obvious when you think about it…

So, exercises from the physio will be added to the “soon to be started” regime of general core strengthening stuff, and possibly even a little pilates or somesuch. I won’t be going running any time soon, but when I do I want to be lighter, stronger and more flexible.

And I figure if I say it on here, then at the very least there will be an element of public shame if I don’t stick to said regime.

Now, pass the doughnuts. What? The diet starts TOMORROW…