In 2015, there were roughly 10.4 million patient visits to doctors' offices because of common knee injuries such as fractures, dislocations, sprains, and ligament tears. It is one of the most common problems affecting the muscles and joints of the body after back and neck pain, and is the most common site of pain and disability in the upper and lower pain and disability in the upper and lower limbs. The knee is often one of the most problematic areas of the body, whether you're focused on long distance running, sports that require plenty of cutting and sharp lateral movement, heavy lifting, or any activity that's hard on the legs. The wellbeing of your knees and the muscles around them are an essential part of your fitness goals, even if keeping them strong and supple isn't necessarily part of your program. Even people who are not involved in heavy fitness activities can develop knee pain. The truth is that if you've never felt any kind of knee pain whatsoever, the chances are good that as you grow older, you will. Our bodies tend to lose muscle and bone mass as we age, and we become more susceptible to the aches and pains that may result. When we injure the knee in some way, it naturally stops working as it should. It won't bend fully or pull quite as forcefully. That makes it hard to pick something up from the floor or pull something down from overhead. Spending hours in front of the computer becomes torture. Lifting groceries out of the car and carrying them into the house becomes an ordeal. New grandparents can't stand up comfortably to hold the baby. But neither the weakness nor the pain is inevitable. The knee can be fixed, and the pain can go away. First, there's a systematic way to cure the weakness and ends the pain. But there's also a way to prevent problems to begin with, so that you never have to lose the strength, stability, and range of motion of the knee at all. In Fix My Knee, George Demirakos shows readers how to do both. For anyone with knees, this book will show you how to keep them healthy and strong, and what to do when things go wrong.
Acknowledgements Introduction The introduction will cover the reasons as to why I decided to write the book, what it is about, and how to use it in a proper manner-along with advice about seeking professional medical attention when warranted. Chapter 1 The Knee Blueprint Chapter 1 shows readers how it is "put together" and why and how it is able to do all the things it can do. You'll understand why injuries occur at different places on the knee, why you feel pain in the front of the knee, and why the knee gets "pinched" and hurts so sharply when you try to do bend for that pen that you dropped on the floor. Chapter 2 Why is your knee at risk of injury? Chapter 2 is about the things that can go wrong. I'll review injuries and the various conditions the knee can get into-tendonitis, sprains and strains-and what typically causes them. This chapter specifically makes clear why and how things can go wrong, producing the kind of debilitating discomfort and pain that has made readers to come to this book, enabling and empowering them with precisely that understanding. Chapter 3 My knee is shot! Chapter 3 sets forth the different kinds of knee pain that are typically felt and how to tell the difference between a traumatic and a biomechanical injury. I'll also lay out the first steps to take when you feel pain-like how to reduce the inflammation or rest an overused tendon. The last thing you want to do is make the condition worse before you begin to heal your knee. Chapter 3 makes sure you don't do that, so that you can begin the healing of your knee quickly, confidently, and effectively. Chapter 4 The knee shop Chapter 4, the core of the book, sets forth the program of exercises for strengthening the knee to treat a painful problem. Here is where the theory is put into practice, and real results can be seen and felt. I've put the exercises together in a way that ensures getting the best results possible in a time-efficient manner. Chapter 5 Running Why the way you sit and stand can contribute to knee problems and pain. Chapter 5 shows readers how to train the proper muscles for running, the primary and stabilizing muscles that people might not think about how flexible muscles can actually get you stronger, review of proper shoes to wear with running, and why strengthening your foot might be the biggest weak link in the body. As well, why rolling might not be as effective as people might think. I promise that these techniques will make readers feel as good as new after a long day! Chapter 6 Getting your knee into Super Shape! This chapter will go through the prevention program of exercises. How to get your knee into the best condition of your life through strengthening, and flexibility of the knee for a lifetime. Bottom line: here's how to avoid a rehab clinic or the surgeon's scalpel for good as you stay strong, fit, and active.
