Knee pain, meniscus damage, cruciate ligament rupture
Posted by kyBoot Shoes on
Pain in the knee joint often arises suddenly and without warning. These shooting pains are often associated with feelings of blockage or instability. Swelling or overheating often accompany these symptoms.
A distinction must be made between acute and chronic knee pain. Chronic knee pain develops continuously and increases in intensity over months or years. This pain arises most often during or after exposing the joint to increased loads and they are also associated with swelling and overheating. Patients often describe preliminary pain, meaning that pain initially decreases after a few steps only to become more severe with increased loading.
In the kyBoot/on the kyBounder you can actively work against the pain; after only a few steps you will feel the positive effects in your knee joint.
Definition
Cruciate ligament rupture:
The cruciate ligaments form the central stabilizing pillars of the knee joint. Their central function is to secure the knee joint during acceleration, deceleration and turning movements.
A cruciate ligament rupture causes a severe malfunction in the natural play of the joint. Training the stabilizing leg musculature therefore plays an important role in conservative therapy. This compensates for joint instability in many cases and requires no surgical intervention.
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Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
Over 90 per cent of cruciate ligament injuries affect the anterior cruciate ligament. They are particularly prevalent in high-risk ‘pivoting’ sports such as soccer, hockey, volleyball, alpine skiing, tennis and basketball. -
Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL):
Injuries to the posterior cruciate ligament usually result from violent backward shifts of the lower leg in relation to the thigh, such as a direct frontal impact to the tibial plateau.
Meniscus damage (lesion/tear/rupture):
The human knee joint has a medial meniscus and a lateral meniscus. Each meniscus consists of elastic collagen fibre tissue. The menisci are located between the sliding surfaces of the upper and lower leg. They move in the same direction when the knee contracts or extends, and during rotating movements to the outside or inside. The lateral meniscus is smaller and more mobile than the medial meniscus. The menisci serve to compensate for the incongruence between the upper and lower leg, to expand the contact surface and to transmit power. During power transmission, the menisci facilitate a 30–70 per cent distribution of the entire load (after a meniscus has been completely removed, the load on the cartilage increases). The meniscus is also responsible for shock absorption and joint lubrication and contributes to the stability of the entire knee joint. Meniscus tears can be traumatic or degenerative in nature. Medial tears are three times as common as lateral tears.
Causes
- Acute knee pain often arises in connection with a trauma (accident). The accident, often a twisting trauma during sport, leads to a ligament injury ormeniscus damage. The cartilage surface can also be damaged. The most common ligament injury is a tear in theanterior cruciate ligament, which is associated with instability when walking. A meniscus tear, on the other hand, leads to a feeling of restriction and pain caused by pinched tissue.
- Chronic knee pain can be traced back to degenerative (wear-related) or inflammatory joint disorders. The most common of these disorders is primary gonarthrosis, or wear of the joint cartilage. This cartilage loss leads to a loss of surface smoothness and consequently to constant friction in the joint. This, in turn, leads to articular effusion, movement impairment and pain (for more information, see ‘Osteoarthritis of the knee’). Inflammatory disorders of the knee joint include bacterial infection and joint rheumatism.
- Other causes of knee pain:
Tear in the posterior cruciate ligament, luxating patella, leg axis malposition, collateral ligament injury.
Long-term consequences
Insufficient joint stability increases the risk of osteoarthritis and can lead to damage to other knee structures.
That is why training the stabilizing leg musculature is so important during conservative therapy or after an operation.
Conventional therapy
Non-surgical:
- Physiotherapy
- Administration of medications
Surgical:
- diagnostic or therapeutic arthroscopy
- Modern cartilage therapy methods also include the transplantation of cartilage cells or techniques aimed at forming replacement cartilage tissue (microfracturing, osteochondral transplantation)
- Endoprosthesis
- Cruciate ligament reconstruction
- Meniscus suturing/joint mouse resection
The kybun principle of operation – being proactive
The kyBounder and kyBoot are ideal for bringing more movement to everyday life – without expending additional time. Acute pain is alleviated quickly and, thanks to gentle loading of the knee joints, walking longer distances without pain is possible again.
The soft, elastic foam material acts as a ‘crumple zone’, greatly dampening impact on the joints when running and walking.
Movement becomes more comfortable again and knee complaints are reduced, usually after just a few minutes. Those who like to exercise frequently find it much easier to shed extra pounds, which in turn reduces strain on the joints. Nearly all customers suffering knee complaints report a reduction in pain after they start wearing the kyBoot.
It’s not only the cushioning effect that helps alleviate pain. When standing the soft, elastic supporting underlay, one automatically keeps moving very slightly. Standing and walking on soft, elastic materials forces the core stabilizing musculature to make a major contribution to stabilizing the joints. The ability to stabilize the joints under load can be improved through proprioceptive, sensorimotor and coordination training on an unstable surface. Strong core stabilizing musculature ensures an upright posture, resulting in more precise movements in the joints. This is especially important after a knee injury; it allows the knee to be treated and reduces the risk of long-term effects such as osteoarthritis. The improvement in joint stability reduces knee pain.
Prevention with kybun:
Everyone knows that the body exhibits signs of wear over time , and that problems while walking and running are bound to occur sooner or later. Yet most people only start to consciously perceive their body as a fragile and transient structure once they experience problems. In most cases, however, it is already too late because irreversible damage such as cartilage wear has already occurred.
That is why it is important not to wait for the pain to begin or increase before you act. The kyBounder and kyBoot help protect the joints and prevent osteoarthritis even in youth.
Beware! Short-term effects are often confused with long-term ones.
The adjustment processes in the body triggered by the kyBoot can take months or even years. Achieving lasting change is a protracted process.
Despite that, the effect of the soft, elastic material can also be felt quickly, for example in the relaxation of tense muscles and the alleviation of pressure points. These short-term effects must not be confused with the effects in the long run, since the long-term adjustment process cannot progress far enough in a week to be perceptible.
Short-term effects, on the other hand, can disappear again just as quickly as they came, or can even turn into complaints if you do not take the necessary breaks in the beginning.
This makes it important to understand that an initial reaction and a reduction of the positive feeling in the first few weeks with the kyBoot does not mean that the kyBoot is no longer working, but merely that the short-term sense of well-being is declining!
Initial reactions
Specific initial reactions with knee pain or after a knee injury:
When they experience knee pain, or after an acute injury, affected individuals automatically try to avoid the pain by limping.
The absorption of impact in the kyBoot makes it possible to walk without a limp. With the kyBoot, the regained joy in movement resulting from the reduction in pain may prompt the user to attempt much longer distances from one day to the next, thereby overtaxing the knee. The pain may return or intensify during the resting period after placing loads on the leg.
When you begin to use the kyBoot, try not to increase your walking distance too quickly despite the regained joy of walking, and always remember to allow your knee frequent breaks during a walk so that you have an opportunity to notice initial reactions such as pain early on.
Click here for the general initial reactions experienced by kyBounder and kyBoot beginners: Initial reactions
kybun exercises
For information about the special kyBoot exercises or the basic kyBounder exercises , please click here: kybun exercises
The following adaptations to the standard implementation of interval walking are important in case of knee pain or knee injuries :
Knee pain:
- Focus on slow exercises to promote stability and muscle coordination
- Slow exercise version: walking backwards (stability is provided by the transverse arch in the forefoot)
- Advanced: Walking downhill (forward)
- high requirements for stabilization of the knees
Knee injuries:
- Objective: Build up joint-stabilizing muscles
- see knee pain!
Application tips
- Upright body posture
- Do not make your steps too long
- Everyday/leisure: Walk with the kyBoot or use the kyBounder as much as possible. Take note of fatigue > perform the kybun exercises regularly and take a short break if needed.
- Job: Sit as little as possible. Alternate sitting and standing in the beginning, and take along replacement shoes to change into
- If you feel unsafe/too unstable in the kyBoot even after a test walk, we recommend a second generation kyBoot model. These have a somewhat wider sole in the area of the midfoot, providing added stability. Seek advice from your local kyBoot expert.
- If you find the second generation kyBoot model too unstable for you as well, we recommend the kyBounder. You can choose the thickness you are comfortable with (the thicker, the less stable, the more intensive the training). You can also hold on to a fixed object. This can be helpful especially in the beginning after the operation, until you regain confidence in the hip.
- Precise movements are essential with knee pain or a knee injury. Pay attention to exact movements and be sure to take a break in case of fatigue or weakness. Lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint on the soft, elastic material has to be corrected so that the load is applied to the foot, knee and hip with proper axial alignment. Read more under ‘Lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint’.
- Contact a kybun dealer you trust if you have further questions, feel insecure or if there is no alleviation of pain when using the kyBoot even though you are following the tips.