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Stretching knee tendons….good idea or bad?
A few months ago, I hadn’t worked out any due to illness, and I had squatted down to pick something up at a store that I’d dropped….so, I didn’t bend over and reach it, but rather squatted down very low. Anyhow, as I stood back up, the tendons in my knee (behind the knee cap….I’m thinking it was the tendons that criss cross, forgot the name, but that’s what it felt like) got a sudden shooting pain. I didn’t feel a pop like they’d snapped, but I suppose I could’ve sprained them? Anyway, they occasionally hurt if I shift my weight the wrong way or am walking or stretching them. But the thing is, they seem fine the rest of the time. I tried to take it easy on that leg after the incident, but I’m thinking that may have been a mistake, because I’ve lost flexibility in that leg. So last night, I decided it had been long enough that I could get back into working that leg and work on splits. As I was going into the splits with the injured leg facing forward (not center splits) I felt quite a bit of discomfort to those tendons. Luckily I was holding the pole as a precautionary measure so I was able to stop. But I’m wondering if stretching will help them or hurt them? It feels almost as though they are tangled or something haha…idk. I temporarily have no insurance, so I can’t really go for MRI or whatever. Should I continue and just see how I feel or stop? Thanks!
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3 Replies
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I'm sure other may have some input but….I would guess it's probably your bicep femoris Semimembranosus, ​or Semitendinosus muscles and not the tendons of the knee giving you troubles. I think injuring the tendons behind the knee is pretty uncommon and just bending down shouldn't injure them that easily.
So for tight hamstrings, you'll want to try stretching the muscles along the back of the thigh, foam rolling before stretching can really be helpful as well. Try to hit multiple angles when stretching AND foam rolling the hamstring to insure you're stretching more than just the becep femoris.
Foam rolling https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/4dcd3035-64ec-4097-9d5e-2bc10ac37250
​Pike stretch with leg variations I was talking about. https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/4df36f21-393c-44a4-b05a-1e3f0ac37250
Rest is always the first thing you do when you think you may have injured yourself! If it feels better in a few days then slowly start stretching but NEVER cold, this is super important if you have injured a muscle, be VERY warm before you stretch. If it doesn't start to improve then see a DR. Hope you feel better soon.https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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If you can, I'd consult a doc. They can give you an idea as to whether it is muscular or a ligament. They can also give you exercises and stretches.
If it is a muscular issue, you might want to try strengthening the muscles around your knee, in addition to stretching. If you have weak muscles around the knee, like your quadriceps, they cannot properly support the knee. Start slow, and stop if you feel any pain. Veena has some good lessons to strengthen the lower body. Like Veena said, make sure you are very warm when you stretch. make sure you stretch your entire body. Uneven muscles can cause a load of issues, so in addition to your hamstrings, stretch the calf, ankle, quads, IT band, hip flexors, adductors, glutes, the deep rotators in your hip (I do the stick your butt out to the side stretch), etc.
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Thank you all so much. I really didnt think my quads were that weak, but I suppose squatting improperly in an awkward position can cause all sorts of things to go wrong! And thanks veena for suggesting what muscle it may be. I have really never had a knee injury before, so this feels really weird to me! Where its bothered me, I let it interfere with my strengthening workouts and my running. I thought time off would help it heal, but apparently, I need to cautiously work on it. As I said it has caused some stiffness. I can’t believe how quickly flexibility is lost. I’ve been taking hot showers prior to stretching and doing some dancing. Even yoga kinda freaks me out right now. I’m afraid ill snap something! I’m gonna go investigate what veena said about that muscle. And I may try some low impact strengthening exercises as well. Thanks for the suggestions!
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