Knee Pain: It's All In Your Thighs

As a personal trainer, you’d think I’d have all the answers for every pain I’ve ever had in my life. And, for the most part, I do. But it was only until recently that I discovered that the knee pain I’ve suffered with for years, and nearly had surgery because of, is referred pain from tight quads.

Referred pain is when one part of the body feels the pain originating from another part of the body. The tricky part is that you won’t necessarily have pain from the originating source. Hence, it’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint the pain’s headquarters. And in the case of knee pain, it’s most likely stemming from your thighs.

There are several things you can do to relieve the pain. First and foremost, when you do any exercises that involve the knees and thighs, such as lunges, make sure that your toes are always in front of your knee. If you have your knee over your toes, you’ll be adding extra pressure to the knee and in turn, making the tension worse than it already is.

There’s Myofascial release, which is hands-on therapy that treats chronic pain. The inflamed soft tissues are sometimes sprayed with a coolant and then gently massaged and stretched in order to stop the pain and jumpstart mobility. Physiotherapy is a great way to deal with the pain since not only do the physical therapists stretch your muscles, but they also calm them. And remember to stretch! Stretching your quads is extremely important, and there are plenty of safe exercises you can do on your own. But it’s always best to get advice from a professional to make sure you are performing the exercises and stretches the right way.

Keep in mind that if you have a pain, it may be coming from an unexpected area. Feel free to talk to any of our experienced Circuit25 personal trainers to get their advice. The main thing is to nip the pain in the bud as soon as possible so that you can get fit and stay fit from head to toe, no matter where the discomfort stems from.