Take if from a knee veteran...
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-00 AT 01:48PM (Est)[/font][p]Nell, I'm not Cathe but I have a long history of knee issues, so I wanted to offer you my 2 cents worth from my many months of knee therapy.
First of all, knee pain and that "popping" sensation are clear warnings from your body that you are putting stress on your kneecap, the ligaments surrounding it, and the cartilage under your kneecap, in a way that your knee wasn't intended to tolerate. Knee injuries are most commonly cumulative -- meaning that the wear and tear occurs when we repeat a "bad" motion over time, again and again. It sounds like that's the kind of injury that you're at risk of developing. You are wise to pay attention to this now. Once your knee really "goes out" on you, the road back is long and aggravating (and not certain, by the way).
So the most important thing you can do, IMHO, is avoid reinjury. And I think it would be a good idea for you to see an orthopedist about your knee, before it gets worse. Then you'll know exactly what you're dealing with, and how to give your knee the best preventative care.
A few other pointers while you're waiting for your doc's appointment:
Check your form on your squats very carefully -- front view and side view. Make sure your weight is in your heels, your hips and butt are "sitting" in a backwards-and-down motion correctly, your upper body is in the correct slight forward lean, your knees and feet are aligned and, most important, your knees are not extending out over your toes on the downward motion. When you push up, make sure the work is done by your glutes, hamstrings and quads, and as you lift up actually think about keeping your knees properly aligned and stress-free and make the work come from the correct muscles.
If your form is perfect, experiment with the weight you're using, and with the depth of your squat. It may very well be that you're strong enough to bear more weight, or squat more deeply, than your knee can bear right now. If you can squat completely pain-free to a more shallow depth, or with a lighter weight, do so with perfect form for a couple of weeks. You'll be strengthening the support for your knee and you won't be abandoning your workout. Give your legs plenty of recovery time between strength-training days, and watch to make sure that your choice of cardio doesn't also put stress on your knee (example: propulsion step, certain hi-lo moves).
After your workout, of course, be sure to stretch the quads and hamstrings and inner thigh. Also -- this is important -- stretch the iliotibial band, which is the long ligament that runs along your outer thigh to the outside of your kneecap. Keeping the IT band stretched is really key to keeping your kneecap aligned, and that, in turn, is critical to avoiding cartilage damage under your kneecap from improper kneecap movement.
My favorite IT band stretch is this: Stand with your right leg crossed in back of your left, and extend your left arm against a wall. Lean your weight into your left arm (against the wall) while pushing your right hip away from the wall. Keep your right foot anchored, knee straight but soft, and flex your left knee. Hold it for a nice long stretch, breathe and don't bounce. You should feel a good stretch in the iliotibial band, starting in your right hip and extending down the outside of your right leg (the straight leg). Switch sides. (When you first do this, it isn't a comfortable stretch. This band tends to get very tight, I'm told especially in women.)
Ice down your knee for 20 minutes after exercise (a compression wrap that you keep in your freezer is nice, and most drugstores have them for about $20. Worth the money). A couple of Advil also helps reduce the inflammation (but don't take it every day!)
And last, if you can't do squats at all without pain, don't do them and stick to lunges, dips and step-ups (word of warning, however: as your knee gets more inflamed, your are likely to find that these other exercises create pain, too. I'd be especially careful about step-ups since the knee motion is similar to a squat. Careful with the weight and the step height.)
You may find with proper care that you can go back to heavy squats, but don't be discouraged if this exercise becomes a no-no for you. You can always substitute something else. (In my case, it's lunges and dips that make my bad knee bark at me, every time. But I've found through trial and error that I can do static lunges, front and back, if I'm very careful with form. So I substitute.)
Sorry this became so long. Knee injuries have become a personal mission of mine, because they're so common among my women friends and because they're so !$%@# difficult to effectively treat. I hope you'll feel terrific soon. Take care!
Kathy S. (formerly known to my children as Hopalong Mom :-jumpy ) in Atlanta
