But Coach, My Knees Hurt!

I hear it over and over, "my knees hurt when I run" (or after I run).

What can you do about it?

Well, here is data from two folks whose answers are based on years of experience.

First, Kelly Starrett. He is a Doctor of Physical Therapy. He specializes in rehabilitating athletes. He is a CrossFitter himself, and he is very familiar with the injuries and or problems that occur in the CrossFit community.

Here is a transcript of some of the major points from The CrossFit Journal (see link on the homepage of my website; I highly recommend you all spend the $25/year and subscribe to it.)

“The squat magically cures knee pain if you squat correctly,” Kelly Starrett told participants at a one day seminar at CrossFit Santa Cruz on March 14, 2009. Starrett is the owner of San Francisco CrossFit and a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Improper squat mechanics under load will lead to problems over time. Muted hips and knees bent forward are common faults. Starrett said one patient at his clinic was an elite, world champion athlete who had flown in for a consultation. The problem was the athlete simply didn’t know how to squat. Starrett blamed the athlete’s coach and PE teachers for failing to provide proper instruction. “No one ever taught him to squat right,” Starrett said.
The body weight squat to a high box can be a good way to start. Kelly tells his clients to keep their spines straight, stick their butts back, break their knees at the same time as they reach back, and put their hands up for balance. Athletes find they can squat with no pain because they are unloading their quad tendons. It takes them off tension and they don’t get a down/up stretch cycle. The eccentric/concentric chain is broken and the athlete is able to rise properly from the squat. The shin is pretty vertical and the femur is rotating around a pretty vertical tibia.
When athletes are put in the best position, with maximum congruency of the joints, hotspots are unloaded. Keeping the shins vertical maximally unloads the patella tendon."

What is he saying? He's never seen an athlete with a perfect squat have any knee pain.

Secondly, I spoke to "Chepo" Jimenez, a running coach at Team CrossFit Academy in Monrovia (where I train). Chepo is a world class runner. Seriously, the guy wins most every race he enters. He's trained MANY runners, including novices. I asked him, so what do you have a guy do who's telling you "his knees hurt everytime he runs?" Chepo educated me that if that happens, it is because the guy's knees and legs are weak. He is hurting because he does not run enough.He may also be hurting because certain muscle groups are overdeveloped in comparison to others.

"What is the best fix?", I asked. 

"Squatting" he said. "Lots and lots of squatting."

So there you have it.

If you can't run, We'll have you squat. We'll need to have you squat to the bench first, and you'll need to do it perfectly. Once you demonstrate perfection and consistency, then and only then somewhere down the line, then will we consider adding some weight.

In the meantime, squatting. Yeah, baby!

WOD 

* NOTE: We are meeting AT THE PARK for BOTH AM and PM classes.

TIME TRIAL:

1 Mi Run for Time

Rest 4 minutes

Repeat

Must complete second attempt + - 5 seconds or FOUL

FOUL: 4 x 100 repeats with 10 seconds rest in between